Camerata's Guide To The Permanent Residence Process

[stbkk]

apparently there's one more meeting in the PR approval process to rubber stamp the minutes of the meeting last Monday.

This should happen before the end of the month ... I wonder if we'll here anything before Songkran?

Here's hoping!!

G

Is there any news anybody?

I'd guess we are now in 'after Songkran' territory.

stbkk.

[Dork]

I'm in the 2006 batch & was at Suan Phlu recently for my (6th!) 6 monthly renewal. I was in & out in less than 5 minutes so no problem there. However, the lawyer handling my application (& several others) claims there has been no progress at the interior ministry lately and that the best we can hope for is some action from the minister in June.

On a slightly more positive note apparently the head of the PR dept has changed recently and the new boss is pushing hard to get the backlog cleared.

[stbkk]

I'm in the 2006 batch & was at Suan Phlu recently for my (6th!) 6 monthly renewal. I was in & out in less than 5 minutes so no problem there. However, the lawyer handling my application (& several others) claims there has been no progress at the interior ministry lately and that the best we can hope for is some action from the minister in June.

On a slightly more positive note apparently the head of the PR dept has changed recently and the new boss is pushing hard to get the backlog cleared.

Thanks for the update.

I'm not sure which was worse, though. Not knowing anything (before I found this forum) or getting the snails pace updates.

On a really negative note, does anybody know of any 'failures'? I have three friends who all got it, and they do not know of any.

[Dork]

I'm in the 2006 batch & was at Suan Phlu recently for my (6th!) 6 monthly renewal. I was in & out in less than 5 minutes so no problem there. However, the lawyer handling my application (& several others) claims there has been no progress at the interior ministry lately and that the best we can hope for is some action from the minister in June.

On a slightly more positive note apparently the head of the PR dept has changed recently and the new boss is pushing hard to get the backlog cleared.

Thanks for the update.

I'm not sure which was worse, though. Not knowing anything (before I found this forum) or getting the snails pace updates.

On a really negative note, does anybody know of any 'failures'? I have three friends who all got it, and they do not know of any.

No, I also have never heard of any "failures". I don't know for sure but it seems that if your application is accepted & you pass the interview stage then you will get it. Though considering that I'm in the poor sods 2006 lot, I'm possibly tempting fate in saying that.

[grtaylor]

Tell me I'm over-reacting!

Two years and four months ago, I applied for PR, because I have been here long enough to call this country home, and I wanted to stay for the rest of my life.

Today, for the first time, I'm beginning to question whether it is worth the 193,000 Baht I will have to pay, if it ever comes through. Its a lot of money for a country which at the moment seems to going belly up . . . . !

[TheChiefJustice]

well, I personally think it's worth it. I adore Thailand, despite all the drama.

Latest events will probably not help in speeding up approval of your application, though. Jai yen yen. It'll come through at some stage.

[camerata]

Me too. I didn't come to Thailand because I wanted to live in a boring country. If it's any consolation, I got my PR only a few weeks after a dissolution of parliament.

[Working Joe]

Has anyone been asked for a 'facilitating payment' by the PR department officials? My application was in the 2007 batch, and I have just been informed that it has been approved, but I would have to pay 50,000 baht to expedite matters. The consequence of not paying would be that my already-approved application would languish in the waiting tray indefinitely instead of moving up the process chain towards eventually getting the official approval letter issued. Apparently, all other applicants have been asked to pay too but I want to confirm this.

[Haddo]

Has anyone been asked for a 'facilitating payment' by the PR department officials? My application was in the 2007 batch, and I have just been informed that it has been approved, but I would have to pay 50,000 baht to expedite matters. The consequence of not paying would be that my already-approved application would languish in the waiting tray indefinitely instead of moving up the process chain towards eventually getting the official approval letter issued. Apparently, all other applicants have been asked to pay too but I want to confirm this.

I heard about this too - although I haven't been asked to pay.

Apparently the approvals have gone through (as per my earlier post) but there's one official who is holding things up trying to get some ready cash for himself - much to the annoyance of the immigration dept.

I'd suggest hanging on in there and waiting, and it will come through.....

[stbkk]

Has anyone been asked for a 'facilitating payment' by the PR department officials? My application was in the 2007 batch, and I have just been informed that it has been approved, but I would have to pay 50,000 baht to expedite matters. The consequence of not paying would be that my already-approved application would languish in the waiting tray indefinitely instead of moving up the process chain towards eventually getting the official approval letter issued. Apparently, all other applicants have been asked to pay too but I want to confirm this.

I heard about this too - although I haven't been asked to pay.

Apparently the approvals have gone through (as per my earlier post) but there's one official who is holding things up trying to get some ready cash for himself - much to the annoyance of the immigration dept.

I'd suggest hanging on in there and waiting, and it will come through.....

I'm in the patiently waiting 2006 batch, and have not been asked for anything. Are you using a lawyer, and if so did the request come through him? I did my own application, so maybe they are not quite so keen to ask a farang directly for the money. Also, if it came from the lawyer, there is always the chance he is just after a Songkran bonus.

If I'd taken the family back to England instead, my missus would nearly be eligible for her British passport by now!

[traderjm]

Hey everyone,

Ok I have been reader for some time now on this topic, to the point I do believe my eyes are bleeding and I can't seem to find the answer to what I am looking for, so perhaps one of you fine gents might point me in the right direction..

I am on my third One year Non O visa, married for those three years to a Thai national we have one child born here and we own three businesses, a condo, a house and two vehicles. We have donated money to orphanages (enough the Thai gov't has sent us a letter thanking us) and employee a good number of Thai's in our companies (greater than 2 dozen) it seems to me I have a reasonable shot at getting the PR status, which I would like to do.

My concerns, I speak little Thai, my wife prefers to speak English as she if fluent and most of our staff can speak English well enough to converse with me and of course they enjoy practicing... is that going to be a big downside?

Also I have read somewhere and I can no longer find it, that if grated PR status I am able to bring over a shipment of personal goods from my home country that I can bring in tax exempt? Is this true, still (ever?) and does that include a vehicle. I have a car still in Canada that I would love to be able to bring here, but when I asked about it previously I was told I would be expected to pay a 284% import tax on it.

Any suggestions, help, direction would be greatly appreciated.

J

[grtaylor]

Has anyone been asked for a 'facilitating payment' by the PR department officials? My application was in the 2007 batch, and I have just been informed that it has been approved, but I would have to pay 50,000 baht to expedite matters. The consequence of not paying would be that my already-approved application would languish in the waiting tray indefinitely instead of moving up the process chain towards eventually getting the official approval letter issued. Apparently, all other applicants have been asked to pay too but I want to confirm this.

I heard about this too - although I haven't been asked to pay.

Apparently the approvals have gone through (as per my earlier post) but there's one official who is holding things up trying to get some ready cash for himself - much to the annoyance of the immigration dept.

I'd suggest hanging on in there and waiting, and it will come through.....

I'm in the patiently waiting 2006 batch, and have not been asked for anything. Are you using a lawyer, and if so did the request come through him? I did my own application, so maybe they are not quite so keen to ask a farang directly for the money. Also, if it came from the lawyer, there is always the chance he is just after a Songkran bonus.

If I'd taken the family back to England instead, my missus would nearly be eligible for her British passport by now!

I'm in the 2006 batch, and will be going to Immigration next Wednesday for my six-monthly extension. I'll report back if I'm asked for anything.

G

[camerata]

My concerns, I speak little Thai, my wife prefers to speak English as she if fluent and most of our staff can speak English well enough to converse with me and of course they enjoy practicing... is that going to be a big downside?

It shouldn't be. The test is multiple choice, so if you guess at every answer you have a 1 in 4 chance of getting it right. If you lose a few points on this, you'll gain on the other things, and it seems to help if you have a big income.

No idea about the tax exemption.

[Working Joe]

Has anyone been asked for a 'facilitating payment' by the PR department officials? My application was in the 2007 batch, and I have just been informed that it has been approved, but I would have to pay 50,000 baht to expedite matters. The consequence of not paying would be that my already-approved application would languish in the waiting tray indefinitely instead of moving up the process chain towards eventually getting the official approval letter issued. Apparently, all other applicants have been asked to pay too but I want to confirm this.

I heard about this too - although I haven't been asked to pay.

Apparently the approvals have gone through (as per my earlier post) but there's one official who is holding things up trying to get some ready cash for himself - much to the annoyance of the immigration dept.

I'd suggest hanging on in there and waiting, and it will come through.....

Yes, it's an official who wants to get a cut, and this person is in a position to make things happen or not happen. I'm using a well-known and reliable law firm, so I don't suspect it's my lawyer who's being cheeky. The requests for payment is going out in batches. My lawyer negotiated for me to be included in the first batch of 150 that would be going up for the final approval. I believe sooner or later, all applicants will get the request.

[Haddo]

Has anyone been asked for a 'facilitating payment' by the PR department officials? My application was in the 2007 batch, and I have just been informed that it has been approved, but I would have to pay 50,000 baht to expedite matters. The consequence of not paying would be that my already-approved application would languish in the waiting tray indefinitely instead of moving up the process chain towards eventually getting the official approval letter issued. Apparently, all other applicants have been asked to pay too but I want to confirm this.

I heard about this too - although I haven't been asked to pay.

Apparently the approvals have gone through (as per my earlier post) but there's one official who is holding things up trying to get some ready cash for himself - much to the annoyance of the immigration dept.

I'd suggest hanging on in there and waiting, and it will come through.....

Yes, it's an official who wants to get a cut, and this person is in a position to make things happen or not happen. I'm using a well-known and reliable law firm, so I don't suspect it's my lawyer who's being cheeky. The requests for payment is going out in batches. My lawyer negotiated for me to be included in the first batch of 150 that would be going up for the final approval. I believe sooner or later, all applicants will get the request.

Just out of interest, how much is he asking for?

[stbkk]

Has anyone been asked for a 'facilitating payment' by the PR department officials? My application was in the 2007 batch, and I have just been informed that it has been approved, but I would have to pay 50,000 baht to expedite matters. The consequence of not paying would be that my already-approved application would languish in the waiting tray indefinitely instead of moving up the process chain towards eventually getting the official approval letter issued. Apparently, all other applicants have been asked to pay too but I want to confirm this.

I heard about this too - although I haven't been asked to pay.

Apparently the approvals have gone through (as per my earlier post) but there's one official who is holding things up trying to get some ready cash for himself - much to the annoyance of the immigration dept.

I'd suggest hanging on in there and waiting, and it will come through.....

Yes, it's an official who wants to get a cut, and this person is in a position to make things happen or not happen. I'm using a well-known and reliable law firm, so I don't suspect it's my lawyer who's being cheeky. The requests for payment is going out in batches. My lawyer negotiated for me to be included in the first batch of 150 that would be going up for the final approval. I believe sooner or later, all applicants will get the request.

Just out of interest, how much is he asking for?

50k from the earlier post?

I don't suppose for one minute that the 'the annoyance of the immigration department' runs to reporting this crook, or trying to get something done about it.

[camerata]

Has anyone heard of this "facilitation charge" directly from an Immigration official rather than via a lawyer or other intermediary? I heard a similar story (that there might well be an additional cost) from a lawyer before I applied a few years ago, but I got my PR letter from Immigration and never paid anything extra. I put it to the lawyer that I had never heard of a single case of applicants doing the process themselves being asked for money and he agreed that would never happen.

[stbkk]

Has anyone heard of this "facilitation charge" directly from an Immigration official rather than via a lawyer or other intermediary? I heard a similar story (that there might well be an additional cost) from a lawyer before I applied a few years ago, but I got my PR letter from Immigration and never paid anything extra. I put it to the lawyer that I had never heard of a single case of applicants doing the process themselves being asked for money and he agreed that would never happen.

I've asked two of my friends, both of who got theirs a few years ago, admittedly. The one who went through a lawyer paid 'considerably more' than 50k, and the other one who just had some help from his company accountant apparently bought a filing cabinet for them in immigration(!), but thats all.

I can't see a high up official in the ministry ringing up a bunch of foreigners and asking for money directly, can you?

[Haddo]

Has anyone heard of this "facilitation charge" directly from an Immigration official rather than via a lawyer or other intermediary? I heard a similar story (that there might well be an additional cost) from a lawyer before I applied a few years ago, but I got my PR letter from Immigration and never paid anything extra. I put it to the lawyer that I had never heard of a single case of applicants doing the process themselves being asked for money and he agreed that would never happen.

I've asked two of my friends, both of who got theirs a few years ago, admittedly. The one who went through a lawyer paid 'considerably more' than 50k, and the other one who just had some help from his company accountant apparently bought a filing cabinet for them in immigration(!), but thats all.

I can't see a high up official in the ministry ringing up a bunch of foreigners and asking for money directly, can you?

Apparently it IS someone high up in immigration asking for money (not a lawyer).

I presume that this person thinks that no one will shout too loudly as they don't want to lose out on their PR.

I have this from the same well connected source who told me that the PR decision meetings had taken place recently.

[stbkk]

Has anyone heard of this "facilitation charge" directly from an Immigration official rather than via a lawyer or other intermediary? I heard a similar story (that there might well be an additional cost) from a lawyer before I applied a few years ago, but I got my PR letter from Immigration and never paid anything extra. I put it to the lawyer that I had never heard of a single case of applicants doing the process themselves being asked for money and he agreed that would never happen.

I've asked two of my friends, both of who got theirs a few years ago, admittedly. The one who went through a lawyer paid 'considerably more' than 50k, and the other one who just had some help from his company accountant apparently bought a filing cabinet for them in immigration(!), but thats all.

I can't see a high up official in the ministry ringing up a bunch of foreigners and asking for money directly, can you?

Apparently it IS someone high up in immigration asking for money (not a lawyer).

I presume that this person thinks that no one will shout too loudly as they don't want to lose out on their PR.

I have this from the same well connected source who told me that the PR decision meetings had taken place recently.

Sorry, didn't make myself clear.

I can well believe they are asking for the money. I'm just not so sure they will be very keen to phone a farang and ask them directly. So if there is no lawyer to use as a go-between (who may/may not get a cut themselves), you might be ok. At least I can hope!

[Haddo]

Sorry, didn't make myself clear.

I can well believe they are asking for the money. I'm just not so sure they will be very keen to phone a farang and ask them directly. So if there is no lawyer to use as a go-between (who may/may not get a cut themselves), you might be ok. At least I can hope!

OK, yes I misinterpreted your post, sorry.

I'm also not using a lawyer - and you may be right that they wouldn't call a farang directly.

The advice I have had is to wait it out, and the letter will eventually come.....

but I guess it depends on how urgently someone needs their PR status?

[stbkk]

My concerns, I speak little Thai, my wife prefers to speak English as she if fluent and most of our staff can speak English well enough to converse with me and of course they enjoy practicing... is that going to be a big downside?

It shouldn't be. The test is multiple choice, so if you guess at every answer you have a 1 in 4 chance of getting it right. If you lose a few points on this, you'll gain on the other things, and it seems to help if you have a big income.

No idea about the tax exemption.

I know there is a tax exemption for bringing in a shipment during the first year of stay after you get a work permit, but not sure about after PR.

[camerata]

I've asked two of my friends, both of who got theirs a few years ago, admittedly. The one who went through a lawyer paid 'considerably more' than 50k, and the other one who just had some help from his company accountant apparently bought a filing cabinet for them in immigration(!), but thats all.

I can't see a high up official in the ministry ringing up a bunch of foreigners and asking for money directly, can you?

No, and that's partly my point. If you deal with Immigration yourself, you probably won't get any of this. The other part (addressed to everyone here) is that we should be careful to mention exactly where our information comes from. We can't be making accusations about government officials if the info came from a third party (especially a Thai lawyer!), whether the info is true or not.

Just to clarify my own case: I started off with a law firm but the lawyer helping me quit months before PR was granted and I never heard from anyone again.

[stbkk]

I've asked two of my friends, both of who got theirs a few years ago, admittedly. The one who went through a lawyer paid 'considerably more' than 50k, and the other one who just had some help from his company accountant apparently bought a filing cabinet for them in immigration(!), but thats all.

I can't see a high up official in the ministry ringing up a bunch of foreigners and asking for money directly, can you?

No, and that's partly my point. If you deal with Immigration yourself, you probably won't get any of this. The other part (addressed to everyone here) is that we should be careful to mention exactly where our information comes from. We can't be making accusations about government officials if the info came from a third party (especially a Thai lawyer!), whether the info is true or not.

Just to clarify my own case: I started off with a law firm but the lawyer helping me quit months before PR was granted and I never heard from anyone again.

Good point.

It will be interesting to compare notes when (if?) the letters start arriving.

[Haddo]

I've asked two of my friends, both of who got theirs a few years ago, admittedly. The one who went through a lawyer paid 'considerably more' than 50k, and the other one who just had some help from his company accountant apparently bought a filing cabinet for them in immigration(!), but thats all.

I can't see a high up official in the ministry ringing up a bunch of foreigners and asking for money directly, can you?

No, and that's partly my point. If you deal with Immigration yourself, you probably won't get any of this. The other part (addressed to everyone here) is that we should be careful to mention exactly where our information comes from. We can't be making accusations about government officials if the info came from a third party (especially a Thai lawyer!), whether the info is true or not.

Just to clarify my own case: I started off with a law firm but the lawyer helping me quit months before PR was granted and I never heard from anyone again.

I agree with camerata, but in my case the info came from an impeccable source with nothing personally/financially to gain from passing it on (other than in helping me get my PR!) - he/she is along the lines of a close friend/relation who knows some of the individuals at immigration in a personal capacity. I'm sure you'll understand if I don't name him/her.

[RAZZELL]

I know this is slightly off-topic but are there any requirements for the amount of time physically spent in Thailand during the three years or so before applying for PR, as long as you fulfilled the other criteria...ie paying tax etc etc?

RAZZ

[camerata]

I know this is slightly off-topic but are there any requirements for the amount of time physically spent in Thailand during the three years or so before applying for PR, as long as you fulfilled the other criteria...ie paying tax etc etc?

I haven't heard of any. But it seems you generally need to have a work permit, and it's unlikely (though not impossible) you'd have a work permit if you were spending many months of the year out of Thailand. It's probably a situation where there is no rule but Immigration might be suspicious unless you have a very plausible reason - plus evidence - for long periods overseas.

[camerata]

I was told by my HR department recently that a work permit for someone with PR can be renewed for a 2-year period as long as the period falls within the current 5-year period of the Alien Registration book. Anyone ever done this? Last year HR "forgot" to do it, and this year they forgot to renew my WP completely so I had to apply for a new one.

[RAZZELL]

I know this is slightly off-topic but are there any requirements for the amount of time physically spent in Thailand during the three years or so before applying for PR, as long as you fulfilled the other criteria...ie paying tax etc etc?

I haven't heard of any. But it seems you generally need to have a work permit, and it's unlikely (though not impossible) you'd have a work permit if you were spending many months of the year out of Thailand. It's probably a situation where there is no rule but Immigration might be suspicious unless you have a very plausible reason - plus evidence - for long periods overseas.

It's just if a Thai national comes to the UK, they only allowed to be out of the UK for a set number of days (I'm not sure of the exact number) to be able to apply for ILR and FLR etc.

Say if a UK national was married to a Thai national, or had fulfilled the other criteria, ie had a company, WP, paid the right level of tax, etc etc etc

There is no "minimum" amount of time that he has to be spent in the Kingdom?

I'm just working a few thing's out in my head

RAZZ

[grtaylor]

My concerns, I speak little Thai, my wife prefers to speak English as she if fluent and most of our staff can speak English well enough to converse with me and of course they enjoy practicing... is that going to be a big downside?

It shouldn't be. The test is multiple choice, so if you guess at every answer you have a 1 in 4 chance of getting it right. If you lose a few points on this, you'll gain on the other things, and it seems to help if you have a big income.

No idea about the tax exemption.

I believe the multiple-choice Thai test ceased after my 2006 application, to be replaced by an interview panel firing unprepared questions at the candidate. Can anyone who applied in 2007 confirm this?

G