1 minute ago, JerryM said:

Well convoluted I was being polite. But if you want visa agent love poems there's plenty of that over on the VISA forum. It is government not solkely your personal business.

Nah, sorry Mr. Stickybeak, how private individuals chose to do their personal business with the government, any government, is still their private business.

4 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Nah, sorry Mr. Stickybeak, how private individuals chose to do their personal business with the government, any government, is still their private business.

True. How the government chooses to deal with you or anyone is not.

And people on these various forums seem to have no problem telling what a great deal they got from their agent and their 800K baht is still in homeland real estate.

Edited 8 hours ago8 hr by JerryM

Just now, JerryM said:

True. How the government chooses to deal with you or anyone is not.

How the government, any government, choses to deal with any individual is the concern of the government and that individual.

For everyone else, it's nanya.

19 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Hold on Tonto, first things first. Why are the socially conscious, quixotic, curtain-twitching anti-corruption, statute-quoting, holier-than-thou, farang proselytisers letting people they don't even know that use agents get under THEIR skin?

Actually, Kemo Sabe, it's the people who might be naively lulled into believing that using an agent to circumvent banking requirement regulations is OK after following threads like this one are who I am most concerned about. People, apparently like yourself, who knowingly circumvent the rules, are probably going to have to deal with the consequences sooner or later, and to be honest, I probably won't be shedding any tears when that day comes.

Your attempts to silence any discussion about this issue with 'stick-to-your-own knitting' arguments don't hold water. It's been pointed out numerous times that this is not a victimless crime as you like to claim. These draconian and cumbersome restrictions on how long funds have to remain in one's account - which we all are now forced to abide by - are a direct result of people violating the rules. The same is true with banks getting involved in monitoring balance activity on immigration related accounts. My suspicion is that some immigration offices keep a special file cabinet for visas with doctored visa paperwork, and in order to project an image of fastidiously adhering to the rules, applicants with bonafide applications are sometimes subjected to hyper-scrutiny and nit-picking petty adherence to regulations in order to improve their chances of passing an internal audit. Have you forgotten about the insane requirements - now since lifted - demanding that the house owner report your return home from a trip outside of your home province? That came as a direct result of people trying to circumvent the rules.

Spare me your caustic indignation that this is a victimless crime which is none of anyone else's business.

Edited 8 hours ago8 hr by Gecko123

1 minute ago, NanLaew said:

How the government, any government, choses to deal with any individual is the concern of the government and that individual.

For everyone else, it's nanya.

The government can only do what the government is (legally) allowed to do.

1 hour ago, JerryM said:

And people on these various forums seem to have no problem telling what a great deal they got from their agent and their 800K baht is still in homeland real estate.

How does "people on these various forums seem to have no problem telling what a great deal they got from their agent and their 800K baht is still in homeland real estate" impact your life here?

1 hour ago, visalady said:

You bribed immigration officers then? Normally they will not give you a ticket number after 3.30

I see you are a tad slow and maybe missed the "small, quiet and most importantly, empty provincial immigration office" where they obviously don't do tickets.

8 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

How does "people on these various forums seem to have no problem telling what a great deal they got from their agent and their 800K baht is still in homeland real estate" impact your life here?

When people want to go to great lengths to let people know that everything involved with using an agent is legal and then they just go and admit that it isn't.

I like puzzles. And figuring out how all these immigration laws work or don't is fine with me.

If you like, there is always the discussion on the VISA Forum:

Mirror, Mirror,

On the wall.

Who's the most reputable Visa Agent

Of them all.

Edited 7 hours ago7 hr by JerryM

1 hour ago, Gecko123 said:

Actually, Kemo Sabe, it's the people who might be naively lulled into believing that using an agent to circumvent banking requirement regulations is OK after following threads like this one are who I am most concerned about.

Wonderful. Your altruism for the unknown here is noted.

1 hour ago, Gecko123 said:

People, apparently like yourself, who knowingly circumvent the rules, are probably going to have to deal with the consequences sooner or later, and to be honest, I probably won't be shedding any tears when that day comes.

Your assumption that I am "apparently" an impoverished law-breaking ne’er-do-well is also noted, as is your sudden loss of altrusim for someone else you don't know.

1 hour ago, Gecko123 said:

Your attempts to silence any discussion about this issue with 'stick-to-your-own knitting' arguments don't hold water.

I am not silencing anything as your growing post count on this thread can attest. You are the only member who has voiced a reason for your dislike of certain unknown people.

1 hour ago, Gecko123 said:

These draconian and cumbersome restrictions on how long funds have to remain in one's account - which we all are now forced to abide by - are a direct result of people violating the rules. The same is true with banks getting involved in monitoring balance activity on immigration related accounts.

Incorrect, the pre- and post- extension bank account seasoning requirements have been a part of the Thai immigration rules for quite a while already. Granted that the enforcement of these strictures has been tightened up but again, that predates anything related to the current, fevered finger pointing and curtain twitching.

1 hour ago, Gecko123 said:

My suspicion is that some immigration offices keep a special file cabinet for visas with doctored visa paperwork, and in order to project an image of fastidiously adhering to the rules, applicants with bonafide applications are sometimes subjected to hyper-scrutiny and nit-picking petty adherence to regulations in order to improve their chances of passing an internal audit. Have you forgotten about the insane requirements - now since lifted - demanding that the house owner report your return home from a trip outside of your home province? That came as a direct result of people trying to circumvent the rules.

One word. Nonsense.

OK, four words. Absolute and total nonsense.

1 hour ago, Gecko123 said:

Spare me your caustic indignation that this is a victimless crime which is none of anyone else's business.

I will keep checking this thread for someone posting how they personally became a victim of some other unknown person using an agent.

13 minutes ago, JerryM said:

If you like, there is always the discussion on the VISA Forum:

That's probably the third time on this thread that you have alluded to this alternative forum. I hope someone takes you up on your offer as I certainly don't need to.

I'm over here in the corner, minding my own business but enjoying the entertainment.

14 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

That's probably the third time on this thread that you have alluded to this alternative forum.

It's the same one you have already posted on and with the same tune:

July 13, 2025

Any debate about what is considered to be legal or otherwise in Thailand is for the birds.

8 minutes ago, JerryM said:

It's the same one you have already posted on and with the same tune:

July 13, 2025

Any debate about what is considered to be legal or otherwise in Thailand is for the birds.

Not even a link to the original thread/comment so you must have copy, pasted and saved that especially for me. I am touched, albeit a little disturbingly.

Regardless, when it comes to ANY debate regarding ANY law in Thailand, I stand by that comment.

Look, if you guys like charging about on your high moral (or altruistic) horses, knock yourselves out. The premise is futile but it is entertaining, especially when the debate slides into baseless assumptions. But quoting something that someone you don't know posted on an anonymous internet forum over a year ago? Now that's just weird.

3 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Not even a link to the original thread/comment so you must have copy, pasted and saved that especially for me. I am touched, albeit a little disturbingly.

Google. search. Just wanted to find something you posed on the forum you posted on as some alternative forum.

The premise is what is what is the topic title which is what is the potential for any crackdown on the agent regime.

But you are a cream puff compared to what went down on the alternative forum a few days ago.

Edited 6 hours ago6 hr by JerryM

31 minutes ago, JerryM said:

Google. search. Just wanted to find something you posed on the forum you posted on as some alternative forum.

The premise is what is what is the topic title which is what is the potential for any crackdown on the agent regime.

But you are a cream puff compared to what went down on the alternative forum a few days ago.

You refer to "alternative forum."

Excuse my confusion. A forum consists of many threads and many, many posts on these threads, so I believe you mean another post on another thread on this forum.

My opinion is unchanged between that thread last year and this thread this year in that debating legalities, any legalities, in Thailand is like flogging a dead horse. Maybe those high horses need extra flogging?

If agents are allowed to continue to represent foreigners or not, it is entirely up to the authorities. Debating when or why can be sometimes enlightening, but ultimately, in my opinion, it's quite pointless. It's simply speculation and, regardless of the law here, that's all it can be.

Cream puff, eh? I must tell Mrs Nan that.

Thanks

1 hour ago, JerryM said:

It's the same one you have already posted on and with the same tune:

July 13, 2025

Any debate about what is considered to be legal or otherwise in Thailand is for the birds.

He's right though. You say you like "puzzles" but there is no "puzzle" to figure out here. Law in many places in Asia is uncertain. Period. Things work they way they work. And at some point in the future they're certain to work some other way and that way will change eventually too and so on and so on. It is not a puzzle to work out but rather a cost/benefit issue to be analyzed. In the case of something significant, like a property purchase, the risk is enormous. Certainly in the case of doing something an unofficial way but also in doing something an "official" way because official laws change too, there is no protection against ex post facto laws in civil or regulatory matters in Thailand, and as a foreigner in practice you couldn't rely on such protections anyway. For less significant stuff where you aren't putting up a property or business to seize and the primary risk is 'if they change how things work I'm just going to have to figure out another way next year or leave/whatever" the stakes are much lower. But if you have a wife or kid here the stakes might be higher. Realistic risk management in is the key. That is what you need to focus on. Learn to roll with the punches. Pay attention to what way the wind is blowing and learn to adapt. That is all you can do in a place like Thailand.