Camerata's Guide To The Permanent Residence Process

[THAIJAMES]

You like me probably went in the early days (june) when they were giving out PRs the same day without payment. I think after a day or two, some PRs offered money to have it back on the same day. From then on I suspect they discovered a business opportunity.

Edited October 5, 2015 by THAIJAMES

[jayboy]

Hi! Class of 2013 (December). Just learn that my PR is approved. Need to prepare documents and go to BKK CW to retrieve the documents. Do you know if it can be done in a single day or need to spend a night in BKK ?

First of all congrats. Secondly, usually they dont give it on the same day, need wait of few days involved for the boss to sign. You may get it on the same day if you sweeten the pot a little, around 5000 baht (that was what i was asked)

Congrats PhuketFr!

sas_cars, my experience is the exact opposite. I went in the morning and got all completed within the same day, and that was the same for all successful applicants that day. No "sweetening the pot" was ever asked from me at the PR division.

Ever.

Ditto.Never a whiff of anything like this in my experience.

[PhuketFr]

Thanks for your response. I will give CW a call and ask if I need to spend a night in BKK. Is the certified copy made by oneself just signing the copies ?

[THAIJAMES]

In my case, since I was coming from Chiang Mai. I contacted immigration and arranged a date with them so that they could have everything done the same day.

Basically I had to come in as soon as the office opened and the friendly ladies at Immigration made sure that my case was expedited so that i could catch my precooked flight back to CM the same day.

What made the difference is getting the personal mobile number of the officer and then sending line messages throughout the process. For example: I have landed at Dong Muang, I will be there in 30 minutes. ---> Ok we will be ready for you ...

Basically reminding them all the time that you are from out of town and not convenient for you to pick it up another day.

Edited October 6, 2015 by THAIJAMES

[THAIJAMES]

Thanks for your response. I will give CW a call and ask if I need to spend a night in BKK. Is the certified copy made by oneself just signing the copies ?

Yes that is correct

[PhuketFr]

Thank you @ThaiJames.

[onthemoon]

You like me probably went in the early days (june) when they were giving out PRs the same day without payment. I think after a day or two, some PRs offered money to have it back on the same day. From then on I suspect they discovered a business opportunity.

So you are saying you didn't pay and hadn't been asked to, either.

Your suspicions notwithstanding, I have never heard that anybody I know personally was ever asked or paid anything without a receipt at the PR division. And furthermore, the ladies are friendly and helpful. I just went there again recently to get another endorsement stamp and I wish all government employees (and I am not only talking about Thailand) were that customer-friendly.

And as you have just reported, they even communicated with you by Line and went out of their ways and well beyond the call of duty. I assure you, I know many countries were foreigners are not being treated like that, including Western countries.

[Bangel72]

Looking at getting a work permit, the first since I picked up PR.

It a BOI company, does anyone have any experience they could share on getting work permit post PR and whether and it is really easier than not having it?

Thanks in advance.

[NewlyMintedThai]

Definitely easier. Virtually automatic.

[THAIJAMES]

You like me probably went in the early days (june) when they were giving out PRs the same day without payment. I think after a day or two, some PRs offered money to have it back on the same day. From then on I suspect they discovered a business opportunity.

So you are saying you didn't pay and hadn't been asked to, either.

Your suspicions notwithstanding, I have never heard that anybody I know personally was ever asked or paid anything without a receipt at the PR division. And furthermore, the ladies are friendly and helpful. I just went there again recently to get another endorsement stamp and I wish all government employees (and I am not only talking about Thailand) were that customer-friendly.

And as you have just reported, they even communicated with you by Line and went out of their ways and well beyond the call of duty. I assure you, I know many countries were foreigners are not being treated like that, including Western countries.

Throughout the 8 year process I was never asked to pay anything. Except for the extreme delays the PR section has always been professional, friendly and helpful. I cannot say that about other immigration departments and offices, especially Chiang Mai.

[Time Traveller]

You like me probably went in the early days (june) when they were giving out PRs the same day without payment. I think after a day or two, some PRs offered money to have it back on the same day. From then on I suspect they discovered a business opportunity.

So you are saying you didn't pay and hadn't been asked to, either.

Your suspicions notwithstanding, I have never heard that anybody I know personally was ever asked or paid anything without a receipt at the PR division. And furthermore, the ladies are friendly and helpful. I just went there again recently to get another endorsement stamp and I wish all government employees (and I am not only talking about Thailand) were that customer-friendly.

And as you have just reported, they even communicated with you by Line and went out of their ways and well beyond the call of duty. I assure you, I know many countries were foreigners are not being treated like that, including Western countries.

Well compared with the rest of the immigration department the PR people basically do nothing for 11 months of the year - and that's not including the years when they don't even accept applications. So naturally they'll help you as they have nothing else to do.

Edited October 8, 2015 by Time Traveller

[onthemoon]

You like me probably went in the early days (june) when they were giving out PRs the same day without payment. I think after a day or two, some PRs offered money to have it back on the same day. From then on I suspect they discovered a business opportunity.

So you are saying you didn't pay and hadn't been asked to, either.

Your suspicions notwithstanding, I have never heard that anybody I know personally was ever asked or paid anything without a receipt at the PR division. And furthermore, the ladies are friendly and helpful. I just went there again recently to get another endorsement stamp and I wish all government employees (and I am not only talking about Thailand) were that customer-friendly.

And as you have just reported, they even communicated with you by Line and went out of their ways and well beyond the call of duty. I assure you, I know many countries were foreigners are not being treated like that, including Western countries.

Throughout the 8 year process I was never asked to pay anything. Except for the extreme delays the PR section has always been professional, friendly and helpful. I cannot say that about other immigration departments and offices, especially Chiang Mai.

Thanks for your confirmation. I am only talking about the PR division, I wouldn't know anything about other departments.

[stbkk]

Looking at getting a work permit, the first since I picked up PR.

It a BOI company, does anyone have any experience they could share on getting work permit post PR and whether and it is really easier than not having it?

Thanks in advance.

I was given the option to renew my work permit for 2 years instead of 1 on my first renewal after getting PR (which of course I took!). This is also for a small non-BOI company.

[onthemoon]

Looking at getting a work permit, the first since I picked up PR.

It a BOI company, does anyone have any experience they could share on getting work permit post PR and whether and it is really easier than not having it?

Thanks in advance.

I was given the option to renew my work permit for 2 years instead of 1 on my first renewal after getting PR (which of course I took!). This is also for a small non-BOI company.

I also got 2 years WP for my small non-BOI company, but I don't know whether this was because of my PR, or whether they changed the law for all.

[THAIJAMES]

I don't think having a PR makes any difference in regards to getting a work permit. I also got 2 years a few months ago. Some years they only allow one year others its 2 years. No real reason to it. A few years ago I got a 2 year work permit with only 3 months left on my Business Visa.

Edited October 8, 2015 by THAIJAMES

[ubonjoe]

It was changed to a maximum of 2 years in 2008 when the new alien working act went into effect.

[thedemon]

It was changed to a maximum of 2 years in 2008 when the new alien working act went into effect.

As I found out the hard way, some lawyers/visa agents prefer not to mention that a WP can be issued for 2 years. Not good for their business.

[Arkady]

I don't think having a PR makes any difference in regards to getting a work permit. I also got 2 years a few months ago. Some years they only allow one year others its 2 years. No real reason to it. A few years ago I got a 2 year work permit with only 3 months left on my Business Visa.

Definitely no longer makes a difference with the Labour Ministry. I went to enquire at the MOL a few years ago. They confirmed that the informal privilege of not needing any Thai employees had been informally revoked in 2010 or 2011, due, I was told, to the . The official told me that the only privilege now available for for anyone married to a Thai to only need B1 million paid-up capital. Whether they will issue a 2-year WP or not depends mainly on the size of the company in terms of paid-up capital (probably B100m ++) and whether it is a Plc, although they will also view favorably a 2-year application from a foreigner on a huge salary of about B1 million a month up, which is very unlikely to be paid by a small company anyway. BOI promoted cos can get them too.

This is actually ridiculous because foreigners working for large companies have no need of the 2 year WP, since they can use the one-stop service for very convenient renewal of NON-B and WP at the same time and a 2-year WP makes them ineligible for the one-stop service. Since PRs are ineligible for the one-stop service anyway, because they don't need NON-B visas, the 2-year WP is particularly useful to them.

PR has many benefits with the main one being a waystage for Thai citizenship for those not married to Thais. Then you can put all this silly nonsense behind you.

[fang37]

If I am married to a Thai but am 67yo on a R/V, am I eligible to apply for PR?

[NewlyMintedThai]

Unfortunately, no.

[sas_cars]

I don't think having a PR makes any difference in regards to getting a work permit. I also got 2 years a few months ago. Some years they only allow one year others its 2 years. No real reason to it. A few years ago I got a 2 year work permit with only 3 months left on my Business Visa.

Definitely no longer makes a difference with the Labour Ministry. I went to enquire at the MOL a few years ago. They confirmed that the informal privilege of not needing any Thai employees had been informally revoked in 2010 or 2011, due, I was told, to the . The official told me that the only privilege now available for for anyone married to a Thai to only need B1 million paid-up capital. Whether they will issue a 2-year WP or not depends mainly on the size of the company in terms of paid-up capital (probably B100m ++) and whether it is a Plc, although they will also view favorably a 2-year application from a foreigner on a huge salary of about B1 million a month up, which is very unlikely to be paid by a small company anyway. BOI promoted cos can get them too.

This is actually ridiculous because foreigners working for large companies have no need of the 2 year WP, since they can use the one-stop service for very convenient renewal of NON-B and WP at the same time and a 2-year WP makes them ineligible for the one-stop service. Since PRs are ineligible for the one-stop service anyway, because they don't need NON-B visas, the 2-year WP is particularly useful to them.

PR has many benefits with the main one being a waystage for Thai citizenship for those not married to Thais. Then you can put all this silly nonsense behind you.

Yes, the only benefit of PR is that it gives u a lifelong visa, and its a prerequisite for thai citizenship application for no-thai spouse applicants like myself. If you dont need both of these, u better need not apply for PR.

[fang37]

The only benefit?

I'll have two please with fries.

[Bangel72]

This should be obvious but at what point does the PR actually become valid?

When you get the letter?

Issue PR book?

Obtaining Alien registration book?

Is the PR now valid at this point at this point?

The situation I am referring to is where the PR and Alien registration books have been issued but there are delays in being put on the house registration and there are no plans to leave to Thailand.

Is the PR "endorsement" in residence book referred to in the guide after the Alien registration book has been given purely for leaving Thailand to link it to re-entry permit or is it actually part of the PR validity process if you have no intent to leave Thailand?

Are delays to being put on house registration something someone should be really concerned with?

Thanks

Edited October 26, 2015 by Bangel72

[THAIJAMES]

This should be obvious but at what point does the PR actually become valid?

When you get the letter?

Issue PR book?

Obtaining Alien registration book?

Is the PR now valid at this point at this point?

The situation I am referring to is where the PR and Alien registration books have been issued but there are delays in being put on the house registration and there are no plans to leave to Thailand.

Is the PR "endorsement" in residence book referred to in the guide after the Alien registration book has been given purely for leaving Thailand to link it to re-entry permit or is it actually part of the PR validity process if you have no intent to leave Thailand?

Are delays to being put on house registration something someone should be really concerned with?

Thanks

Its been more than 4 months since I got my PR certificate and I still have not received mine yet. (I applied right away)

For some reason Chiang Mai is being very cautious about issuing them as they haven't done them in many years. (many letters back and forth between immigration) In any case I was able to leave the country a few months ago without a problem using my PR. I did have a yellow book that I used when getting a re-entry certificate. (They are not required but for some reason Chiang Mai immigration insisted on a copy)

At one time I asked the local district if they were not required by law to issue the blue house registration within 15 days as stipulated by immigration. However they were adamant that they were not subject to such a requirement.

So in short as soon as you receive the PR book it becomes valid, however you cannot leave the country until you have a Red police book. I don't think you need to be concerned about the blue house registration book unless you don't have a yellow book and your immigration office insists on one to get a re-entry certificate. (could always do it in bkk, I don't think it is a requirement there)

[skyaslimit]

This should be obvious but at what point does the PR actually become valid?

When you get the letter?

Issue PR book?

Obtaining Alien registration book?

Is the PR now valid at this point at this point?

The situation I am referring to is where the PR and Alien registration books have been issued but there are delays in being put on the house registration and there are no plans to leave to Thailand.

Is the PR "endorsement" in residence book referred to in the guide after the Alien registration book has been given purely for leaving Thailand to link it to re-entry permit or is it actually part of the PR validity process if you have no intent to leave Thailand?

Are delays to being put on house registration something someone should be really concerned with?

Thanks

If you dont have any intentions to leave thailand, you do not need an endorsment or re entry permit.

[mruniverse]

Hi all - so any folks out there ramping up for a December 2015 application?

[beeper]

Application almost complete waiting for announcement of submission dates

[mruniverse]

Same here - about 80% through it at the moment and should be ship-shape by the time they announce. Beeper have you already put together the folio that Camerata and others have talked about? That's one of the remaining tasks on my list.

[beeper]

Applying in business categor and am exceeding requirements, will try to do without.

[beeper]

What category are you applying for?