PremierThaiLawyers Posted May 2, 2011 Author Share Posted May 2, 2011 May I suggest ...'thankyou for contacting us, we will contact you shortly, but if you want to contact us first, please do so. otherwise we will contact you as soon as we do not get contact back from you. if you do not get our contact within 7 days, please contact us again.' Certainly sounds like lawyer-speak, but you might want to go for something a little more succinct. Due to popular demand ... Premier Thai Lawyers If there's such popular demand, why the discounts? When it comes to getting documents like bank managers' letters or embassy income certification, the individual is still going to have to do that for him/herself. If the service were offered at a slight premium to the actual costs and if the service did more than have some office clerk fill in a few no-brainer forms, it might be worth it, but for most people ... Morning Suradit, We offer discounts on the services that sell well, it is as simple as that. As for 'most people' being able to do this themselves, I would say that less than 10% of our clients can either apply or extend their visa themselves (even Non-Immigrant O based on retirement!), the majority either do not or can not understand what they need to do or work for a company who will pay for it to be done. We provide free consultations for people world wide about visas and I can say that the majority do not understand the system here. Mark Premier Thai Lawyers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PremierThaiLawyers Posted May 2, 2011 Author Share Posted May 2, 2011 I once used another law firm that advertises here for a work permit once and found the pricing was like Thai Airways, i.e. the advertised rate was low but there were several surcharges for things like "service fee" and "travel expenses" which doubled the actual cost, most of which I ended up having to do myself because they hadn't a clue. I hope this is not the case with Premier. Morning Arkady, The price we quote includes all the costs needed to complete the work including the travel and service fee. We are open about what we charge and that there are no 'hidden fees' as some companies do. The only time we ever charge extra is if the client forgets to do or bring something, like their passport for example (it did happen once) and we charge an additional fee for transportation and that's all. Mark Premier Thai Lawyers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PremierThaiLawyers Posted May 2, 2011 Author Share Posted May 2, 2011 It is the weekend and monday is a holiday....so what you expect ?? Morning Nawtier, We do try and answer as many posts as we can during the week and weekend. Our lawyers are available for meetings at the weekend by appointment only. Additionally, for a quicker response, you can email us Mark Premier Thai Lawyers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PremierThaiLawyers Posted May 2, 2011 Author Share Posted May 2, 2011 From the OP: You would be surprised at the number of people that we see that do not understand the regulations regarding visas and the requirement to 'report every 90 days' that still confuses people. Having read this forum for a number of years, I am not surprised at all. Some of the confusion I have seen stems from the fact that a lot of people, including representatives of law firms and in one instance also the website of the Immigration Bureau, say "visa" when they mean "permission to stay". Morning Maestro, The problem we have when trying to tell people about visas, extension of stay, permission to stay, and '90 day reporting' is that not all the people who contact us have English as their first language. Sometimes the wording has to be changed to help the person try and understand what you are trying to tell them. We normally get questions like ' is that the same as xyz visa from abc country?', and that's hard to answer as we don't know every visa type from every country. I think it would be worth having an information leaflet that explains each term and exactly what it means in the Thai system, what do you think? Mark Premier Thai Lawyers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metisdead Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 A post discussing activities that are officially illegal in Thailand has been removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 I think it would be worth having an information leaflet that explains each term and exactly what it means in the Thai system, what do you think? I fear it would not help; it has been tried before. Even the immigration website says "visa extension" where they mean "extension of permission to stay". In this fast-living society people like to use the lowest possible number of keystrokes, often not realising that they are leaving the readers to guess what they are trying to say. Another good example is the term "visa run", which is widely used to mean three different things. Two years ago I talked to a Brit who was adamant that what he had was a visa, not an extension of stay. A year later I heard that he had a problem with renewing his extension, apparently because of this misunderstanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joealx Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Check out the special offer on the sponsor's first post, under Thai Visas, item 4- Accompaning client to immigration. I was told by the sponser that this was for immigration to take a photo of me. I thought that the procedure was that I would take my own photo made within 6 months. Is this correct? My purpose for going through a lawyer is to avoid going to immigration! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Many things at immigration can be done by proxy nowadays, for example by giving a lawyer a power of attorney, but for certain things, like an extension of stay, you would need to accompany the lawyer to the immigration office. However, your personal interaction with immigration officers would be minimal, perhaps even none at all. Yes, in addition to the photo you supply, immigration now also takes a digital photo with their own equipment for their archives. I believe it's an installation like they have at the immigration arrival desk at airports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lickey Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Ive been reluctant to admit this for 6 years now, but i feel now is the time to help others, its not directed at the OP, After meeting my thai GF, i decided it was time to sell up in the UK, and settle in Thai, so doing some net research, i found a company in Thai that could help me, they are sponsers of TV, so i got into an online chat with them, i explained i wanted a retirement visa, they said they can do this if i Paypalled them 350quid, which i did, and they sent me the adress of the thai embassy in Hull, saying i would have to pay 40quid for the visa, after arriving here, 3 weeks getting settled in, we flew down to BKK to this agent, they said what i had paid for was the information they had already given, and for a retirement would be 25k+ marriage would be [all in] 35k, so im thinking, what happened to my 350quid? we flew back to Udon, went to Nong Khia immi next day, all is in order sir, 1900bht,, will i use an agent again? no thanks, i can fend for myself with simple form filling, I admit, i was a real sucker, but never again!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopburi3 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 You still attach a current photo to application for extension of stay but in Bangkok you will also have digital photo and fingerprint step required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfchandler Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Lickey, I'd say you're correct... There's nothing special about the usual retirement or marriage based extension of stay that requires the involvement of a lawyer. However, absent one or some visa service, it does require the applicant to spend the time and energy, particularly if they're applying for the first time, to figure out what the rules are and to learn what things need to be prepared and brought to the Immigration appointment. They're not all that complicated or involved.... But it does require some attention to detail. Some folks are fine with handling that kind of task. Others seem incapable and require hand-holding... we flew back to Udon, went to Nong Khia immi next day, all is in order sir, 1900bht,, will i use an agent again? no thanks, i can fend for myself with simple form filling, I admit, i was a real sucker, but never again!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nawtier Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Additionally, for a quicker response, you can email us Mark Premier Thai Lawyers Still waiting........lucky I am not sending this from my iPhone in jail waiting for bail ?? now where is sunbelts email addy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PremierThaiLawyers Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 Additionally, for a quicker response, you can email us Mark Premier Thai Lawyers Still waiting........lucky I am not sending this from my iPhone in jail waiting for bail ?? now where is sunbelts email addy... Nawtier, I just checked and one of our lawyers is preparing a response for you now. Regards, Mark Premier Thai Lawyers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manhattan55 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Additionally, for a quicker response, you can email us Mark Premier Thai Lawyers Still waiting........lucky I am not sending this from my iPhone in jail waiting for bail ?? now where is sunbelts email addy... In all fairness - I did exactly what Mark of Premier Thai Lawyers suggested and sent them an email Saturday night which they replied to on Monday and have had an exchange of emails since then. No complaints therefore as far as it concerns their responsiveness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nawtier Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 In all fairness - I did exactly what Mark of Premier Thai Lawyers suggested and sent them an email Saturday night which they replied to on Monday and have had an exchange of emails since then. No complaints therefore as far as it concerns their responsiveness. So did I....but maybe I sent it sunday morning.......its now tuesday afternoon.......oh my kingdom for an exchange of emails. But please do not stress about it......it is not life nor death.....I have been used to this non response game from Sunbelt before........so I am experienced in this matter......and i am not English and I bathe regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nawtier Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Everybody relax....stop the worrying and anxiousness.......I got the reply. I can now confidently begin the exchange process. Cheers. ps....beat Sunbelt by circa 9 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thanet Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 (edited) What is your current advice for people who wish to apply for either PR or Thai citizenship? Morning Richard4849, There are 2 views that we discuss with clients regarding PR: 1. It's a waste of money because there is a backlog of existing applications that still have not been processed for the last couple of years, or 2. Apply now, get in the queue, wait and hope for the best. Some of the people we speak to think it's a bad idea to apply now because of the backlog, and others think it is a good time as there will be less people applying. As for citizenship, this is not easy and unless you have a specific reason why you would want to be a citizen we do not normally recommend this to our clients. Mark Premier Thai Lawyers Er, I'm confused. On your point 2 about PR above 'Apply Now and get in the queue' .... How on earth is this possible? ** PR applications are only accepted at year end ** Last year none were accepted at all Assuming that people here took your advice to 'Apply Now', would you take on their case and take a service charge, telling them that they were in the queue whwn in fact no further people are being allowed to join it? Edited May 3, 2011 by Thanet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PremierThaiLawyers Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 What is your current advice for people who wish to apply for either PR or Thai citizenship? Morning Richard4849, There are 2 views that we discuss with clients regarding PR: 1. It's a waste of money because there is a backlog of existing applications that still have not been processed for the last couple of years, or 2. Apply now, get in the queue, wait and hope for the best. Some of the people we speak to think it's a bad idea to apply now because of the backlog, and others think it is a good time as there will be less people applying. As for citizenship, this is not easy and unless you have a specific reason why you would want to be a citizen we do not normally recommend this to our clients. Mark Premier Thai Lawyers Er, I'm confused. On your point 2 above 'Apply Now and get in the queue' .... How on earth is this possible? ** PR applications are only accepted at year end ** Last year none were accepted at all Assuming that people here took your advice to 'Apply Now', would you take on my case and take a service charge from me, telling me that I was getting in the queue whwn in fact no further people are being allowed to join it? Thanet, Firstly we stated that our views are what we discuss with our clients, not what we recommend, in cases like this the client has to decide between preparing to apply or not as nobody really knows what will happen next. If you wanted to start the application process now, it's a risk, however if you're not prepared then you have no chance at all, some people want to take the risk and start the process, some do not. We charge a nominal fee to start the process and the majority of our fees are paid once the application has been accepted. We would normally start preparing for PR applications in May/June to ensure that our clients will be fully prepared when the time came to submit the application and had all of the information that was required. The queue I refer to are the people who are still waiting for their result from previous years and there is no indication when their applications will be signed off or rejected. Where did you get your information that "Last year none were accepted at all" as we have different information. Mark Premier Thai Lawyers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mario2008 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Applications for PR are only open when announced by immigration. Normally they let people apply for PR somewhere in December. Last year no announcement was made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wavefloater Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 I'm sure your service is welcome by some, but it just occurred to me that if I was retired and seeking my 'O' visa, I'd think I'd welcome the task of researching and doing the visa myself to spend some of my time being productive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PremierThaiLawyers Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 I'm sure your service is welcome by some, but it just occurred to me that if I was retired and seeking my 'O' visa, I'd think I'd welcome the task of researching and doing the visa myself to spend some of my time being productive. Hi Wavefloater, I would say that some clients use our free one hour consultation for Non-Immigrant O based on retirement. They like to confirm the latest regulations or see if anything changed since the last time they applied, the majority (over 90%) do the actual visa themselves . Mark Premier Thai Lawyers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thanet Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Where did you get your information that "Last year none were accepted at all" as we have different information. Mark Premier Thai Lawyers There was no quota last year, hence no PR applications were possible at year end as had hitherto been the case. I'm surprised you aren't aware of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Never ever trust a lawyer!!! Simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PremierThaiLawyers Posted May 4, 2011 Author Share Posted May 4, 2011 Never ever trust a lawyer!!! Simple. Morning South, I agree, to a point. If you ever want to use a service provider like a law firm then you have to make sure you are getting the service you actually need at a competitive price. We suggest that our clients contact other law firms to compare the level of service on offer and compare the prices as well. Doing some research will help in ensuring that you're informed about what you actually need rather than what some people want to sell you. Mark Premier Thai Lawyers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thanet Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Never ever trust a lawyer!!! Simple. Morning South, I agree, to a point. If you ever want to use a service provider like a law firm then you have to make sure you are getting the service you actually need at a competitive price. We suggest that our clients contact other law firms to compare the level of service on offer and compare the prices as well. Doing some research will help in ensuring that you're informed about what you actually need rather than what some people want to sell you. Mark Premier Thai Lawyers Responsiveness is all well and good, but in the case of a law firm the thing that really matters is the accuracy of the information provided. You can only judge that at the end of the day and by checking references, not when shopping around. You ignored my point on PR quotas. You are willing to accept a 'nominal fee' to 'get people in the queue' when in fact there is no new queue at the moment - there was no quota announced last year and no new application queue was accepted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PremierThaiLawyers Posted May 4, 2011 Author Share Posted May 4, 2011 Never ever trust a lawyer!!! Simple. Morning South, I agree, to a point. If you ever want to use a service provider like a law firm then you have to make sure you are getting the service you actually need at a competitive price. We suggest that our clients contact other law firms to compare the level of service on offer and compare the prices as well. Doing some research will help in ensuring that you're informed about what you actually need rather than what some people want to sell you. Mark Premier Thai Lawyers Responsiveness is all well and good, but in the case of a law firm the thing that really matters is the accuracy of the information provided. You can only judge that at the end of the day and by checking references, not when shopping around. You ignored my point on PR quotas. You are willing to accept a 'nominal fee' to 'get people in the queue' when in fact there is no new queue at the moment - there was no quota announced last year and no new application queue was accepted. Thanet, Shopping around will help to get more information if you don't really know what you want and you can easily get free consultations, ask friends, family, forums or search google to get a better idea if there are any negative comments about a certain company. As for 'getting in the queue', as I said, nobody knows what will happen this year but some people want to be prepared. That is their choice not ours. If people want to get all their information ready just in case, then we can help them and they know the risks. I did send you a PM earlier this morning. Mark Premier Thai Lawyers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Never ever trust a lawyer!!! Simple. As Kuhn Mark has been gracious so far in taking the pot shots, I will add the following: 5 years ago in rural Florida / USA I was arrested and held at gunpoint for a felony ... and I was formally charged with a felony. I was able to find a former prosecutor who had become a small-town lawyer who I trusted implicitly. He was able to arrange to have all the felony charges dropped. One of these days you may need a lawyer -- not just to fill out forms -- but for something way over your head and you'd better have someone who knows the process and the personalities involved and is not just winging it for the first time. And in the USA there is the old adage: Any lawyer that represents himself has a fool for a client. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Well then since I have gotten to this point, do you have any experience working with extensions of stay via Police Order 777/2551 2.21 'working for public charitable organization'? BTW the felony charge -- which was dropped -- was not related to alligators: I only consort with alligators past the age of consent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PremierThaiLawyers Posted May 4, 2011 Author Share Posted May 4, 2011 (edited) Well then since I have gotten to this point, do you have any experience working with extensions of stay via Police Order 777/2551 2.21 'working for public charitable organization'? BTW the felony charge -- which was dropped -- was not related to alligators: I only consort with alligators past the age of consent. Jazzbo, The quick response is that we do have experience of extensions for people working for charitable organisations. If you require more information, email us . If you have already contacted us then one of our lawyers is preparing a response to your questions. Mark Premier Thai Lawyers. Edited May 6, 2011 by Lite Beer E Mail removed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PremierThaiLawyers Posted May 6, 2011 Author Share Posted May 6, 2011 Premier Thai Lawyers are looking to have another offer for Thaivisa.com readers every month during 2011. We are starting the review process now for June and looking at the list of services that will be dscounted. Now is your chance to get involved and tell us what you would like to see discounted. We will look at all suggestions given here and try our best to offer a discount on the most popular suggestions. Just post your reasonable suggestions here and we can add them to our list. Mark Premier Thai Lawyers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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