Criterion And Conditions Of Foreign Nationals' Residential Permit Consideration

[Siriam]

Hi,

reading from the section dedicated to residency, precisely the page http://www.thaivisa.com/300.0.html , under "Qualifications of an applicant" it's stated verbatim:

1. An applicant must have received permission for yearly stays in Thailand on a non-immigrant visa for at least of three years prior to the submission of an application for permanent residency. Holders of multiple NON-Immigrant visas can not apply. You must have 3 un-broken yearly extensions in order to qualify.

2. An applicant must be holding a non-immigrant visa at the time of submitting an application.

I have in my hand an Official translation which is saying:

Foreign National applicant must hold a passport that bears a Non Immigrant Visa and was granted with one year visa extension which reveal that up until the date of application submission, the applicant have been staying in the kingdom for at least 3 consecutive years.

As you can see it's a bit deceiving, in the second one it sounds like you don't have to leave the country for 3 consecutive years.

Since I've read in this forum, and I have a friend myself in the same situation, that there are people outthere under consideration and waiting from 2006 to get their residency approved, is it possible that the reason of this delay is that they do not have this 3 consecutive years in the country? Is it possible that Immigration accepts the application just to win 7600 Baht per applicant even though they know that they will never get it?

Thank you.

[p_brownstone]

It's just a little badly phrased.

You are certanly not forbidden to leave the Country for the whole 3 years!

You are only required to have a valid Non-immigrant Visa and maintain it for a minimum of 3 years, so provided that when leaving the Country on holiday or whatever, you take the steps necessary to maintain the Visas' validity there will be no problem.

Patrick

[Mario2008]

Per above. You must be in Thailand for 3 years on extensions of stay. There is no problem with leaving the coutry, as long as you have a re-entry eprmit to keep your permission to stay alive.What they mean is that you cannot apply if you stay for 3 years in Thailand on (multiple entry) non-immigrant visas.

[Siriam]

It's just a little badly phrased.

You are certanly not forbidden to leave the Country for the whole 3 years!

It sounds absurd to me too but from this country I expect this and more!

Thanks

[Siriam]

Per above. You must be in Thailand for 3 years on extensions of stay. There is no problem with leaving the coutry, as long as you have a re-entry eprmit to keep your permission to stay alive.What they mean is that you cannot apply if you stay for 3 years in Thailand on (multiple entry) non-immigrant visas.

Thanks to you too .

[Siriam]

What is the reason of this delay in approving new Residencies in your opinion?

[harrry]

what if you enter on a ME Non-OA, renew by border run at end of year and then have extension on that in Thailand.

[lopburi3]

Retirement (which O-A is issued for) is not regarded as a qualification for PR application so just as those on immigration extensions here those would most likely not even allow application.

[TerryLH]

"Is it possible that Immigration accepts the application just to win 7600 Baht per applicant even though they know that they will never get it?"

If it was just about the money, they'd approve many more to get the 100k-200k a pop.

[sbk]

I heard they didn't even take PR applications last year, doubt it has anything to do with money and more likely with the constantly changing govts, this gets put on a backburner.

[Richard4849]

Immigration would love to give out more PR's, and has consistently been approving them. It's the Ministry of Interior that's holding up the works by not giving the final signature. No one knows why. Changing governments should not be a reason. Thai governments have ALWAYS been changing, yet pre-2006 PR's never had to wait more than a year or two to be approved, start to finish.

I got mine in 2002, and am very glad I did. Lots of people asked me at the time why I was bothering. My rationale was that if you plan to stay here long-term and are qualified -- you do it. Things don't tend to get cheaper or easier as time goes by. Do it now.

I'm very glad I did. Shortly afterward the 50,000 baht fee shot up to almost 200,000, and the one to two year wait is now standing at five years (and counting).