Benefits Of Permanent Residence

[Maizefarmer]

YOUNGHUSBAND

What are you saying - I know a lot of Eueopean and USA PR's and they say the same thing: been here 10 years and not been able to speak, read and write the language and with no investment made in home or business - while there are a load of applicants who can speak, read and write the language and do have long term business connittements - just who do you think is going to get the PR.?

I am sorry - I do not think think you know what you are talking about - other than for been a PR myself and having been through the process twice - ALL PR's I know speak Thai fluently, can read Thai well enough to read a newThai newspaper - and can write - at least faultingly. Those who are still working (ie not retired) all are committed to their own businesses or demonstrate long term business committments to Thai companies.

And as for your "rambling" comment - go jump mate, I am as entitled to express on on this forum as you are - if you dont like someones style or contribution dont read it, and as for what I said been inaccurate - let me put it this way: for every one PR you can show me or trhe forum that does not display at least some of the above characteristics I'll name and show the forum 5 who demonstrate ALL the above characteristcs.

Just by way of interest - have you been through the process and or how many PR's do you know?

And ..........a quick phone around to a few fellow PR's - the shortest time any of them had been here before they applied for PR was 6years 4moths with most of them not bothering untill they had been here 9 year or more.

Tim

Edited October 1, 2006 by Maizefarmer

[Maizefarmer]

So what if you make no tax contribution ?

Anyway, dont think it suits my situation just yet, sounds like most of the things you still have to do, except leave the country every 90 days and I already dont do that.

Can someone tell me, that if you get citizenship and you get a passport etc, can you then own land....dont want to harp on this and I am just curious to it, I have various ways to own land securily and have no real problem in it, but interested to know if the citizen route allows this or not.

NAWTILAS - yes, if you become a Thai citizen you will be able to own land just as any other Thai citizen is able to - but as I said earlier in my posting, and you quite correctly observe, there are ways to land quite securely without having citizenship.

Tim

[camerata]

Hold on, i am a little confused now. I have the yellow house registration book before i even applied for the PR.

"name in house registration". I have a condo now, but I assume if I bought a house now, it would still have to be under the Mrs. name ?

When you get PR you have to be registered in someone's tabien baan. If you're already on a yellow "tabien baan farang" because you own a condo, I assume there's nothing to do. If you aren't, you have to be put on your landlord's blue tabien baan. You have no right to own land unless you are a citizen.

[camerata]

But just to mark everyones card - the ability to speak, read and wite Thai is becoming more and more important every year, to the point that nearly all the successfull applicants are people who can read, write faiurly well (i.e. give them a newspaper artical and they will be able to read and understand what is been talked about) and talk - well enough to replay fluently to any question you are asked in your interview.

I'm not so sure that's the case because over the last 2 years a number of TV members on big expat salaries have managed to get PR after only being here 3-4 years and not being very proficient in Thai. I remember one guy said Immigration told him not to bother with references or social contribution because his tax payments were contribution enough.

So it may be that if you get enough points for having a prestigious job with a high salary it outweighs lack of proficiency in Thai or time in-country. In my case, I've been here a long time, I don't read Thai, but I do speak it with confidence.

I already have my 30baht hospital card, I am already on the social security system (in theory, though god only knows how I would go about claiming any benfit under it!!)

How did you get the 30-baht card - I thought that was only for citizens? I have the prakaan sangkhom card.

[younghusband]

YOUNGHUSBAND

What are you saying - I know a lot of Eueopean and USA PR's and they say the same thing: been here 10 years and not been able to speak, read and write the language and with no investment made in home or business - while there are a load of applicants who can speak, read and write the language and do have long term business connittements - just who do you think is going to get the PR.?

I am sorry - I do not think think you know what you are talking about - other than for been a PR myself and having been through the process twice - ALL PR's I know speak Thai fluently, can read Thai well enough to read a newThai newspaper - and can write - at least faultingly. Those who are still working (ie not retired) all are committed to their own businesses or demonstrate long term business committments to Thai companies.

And as for your "rambling" comment - go jump mate, I am as entitled to express on on this forum as you are - if you dont like someones style or contribution dont read it, and as for what I said been inaccurate - let me put it this way: for every one PR you can show me or trhe forum that does not display at least some of the above characteristics I'll name and show the forum 5 who demonstrate ALL the above characteristcs.

Just by way of interest - have you been through the process and or how many PR's do you know?

And ..........a quick phone around to a few fellow PR's - the shortest time any of them had been here before they applied for PR was 6years 4moths with most of them not bothering untill they had been here 9 year or more.

Tim

I have been through the process and got it (PR) first time five years ago, and will shortly be going to my local police station to renew my red book.

I am afraid my comments on Thai language requirements stand and they are exactly the same as those of Camerata.I have no doubt that you and your friends read speak and perhaps write proficient Thai.I also think this is an excellent expertise to have for Thai expats.I just don't think fluent Thai is needed for the PR process.Simple spoken Thai worked for me.

Also on work I think the important thing is to have a respectable job on which you can demonstrate income tax has been paid over a period of years.Whether it is your own business or a Thai owned business is completely immaterial.I personally work for a foreign company and so do most of the people I know who have PR.

I also have no evidence that having a Thai wife or kid is relevant one way or the other, in the business category at least which is all I know about.My lawyer told me on the contrary that having the wrong sort of wife could work against an applicant, but I have no hard evidence on this.

Having said that there is no single profile for the successful PR applicant, and I have no doubt that your experience is entirely valid.I'm glad I have it.It always amuses me on this forum to read members who say that they can see no advantage in applying for PR, when having been through the mill I can see on internal evidence they haven't the slightest chance of obtaining it! To me it's all about security and sleeping well at night.

Sorry about the "rambling" comment by the way.I wasn't trying to be offensive but recognise my use was inappropriate.

[Maizefarmer]

Guys - sorry, I did not mean that faliure to demonstrate any of the charcteristics I outlined would mean that you were not going to be sucessfull or that it counted agains t you.

What I was trying to convey is that if you took 100 PR's you will find find amongst that group a far greater proportion who have long term careers and or own their own businesses, have been here far longer than 3- - 4 years (more typicaly 8 years plus), are married and have children, have investments (whether it be business or home) and can speak read and write the language to some extent (and at least speak it fluently), than you will find in that randome selection pf PR's, individuals who have only stayed 3 -4 years, who have no investment (have no home) dont have a long term career ro have been with the same company for a long time.

The overwhelming majority of PR's display those "characteristics" - an emphasize "overwhelming majority of PR's". It is a fact and it you give me a week or so I will get a copy o fthe stats which demosntrate my comment is bang on the mark.

However, that is not to say their are exceptions - and yes indeed there are - big big salaries with multi-national companies are gropus in which you will find exceptions (and by exception I mean applicants whose PR applications are going to be successful after only 3 - 4 years - usualy because those applicants are in positons with companies that have a good relationship with the goverment and the position is an important position). Another example of "exception" are applicants who have been here a very long time and for all intents and purposes Thailand is their home - immaterial of any other consideration - and so long as they have kept their affairs in order, Immigration is not cold hearted - they can see that and will it be a big plus point for you- even to the extent that a low score on other aspects, which would otherwise "fail" you, wont fail the applicant in that case.

It is very much a scoring process and the better you can demonstrta ewthe criteria I raised, the higher your score will be - but it is not the rule - and that ws not what I was saying.

My comments were very muich across they board - very mcuh the average, not the exception - which do exist.

AS far as the marrige comment goes - fair enough, you may have chosen not to get married and yes, it would be quite wrong to say that you would get a lower socore because you have chsoen not to get married. So in a comparative way (married versus unmarried) it gains you no brownie points, but for your application as a standalone consideration - it is a consideration and it does count - but no int he sense that it would give you an advantage over someone who situation was the same as yours but had chsosen not to get married.

There is no single profile - that is bang on the mark - but there are things that are used for scoring points, and they more you display the higher your score will be and the better your chance will be.

Baht30 card - the paperwork turned up in the post one day - so I filled it in and returned it, card arrived about 6 weeks later! That was in 2001 0r 2002.

Dont ask me what the rules are - I havent got a clue - all I know is I have it and I keep it my wallet just in case I fall off my bike.

Tim

[younghusband]

This topic has been probably dealt with sufficiently but I can't avoid pointing out the lack of logic in maizefarmer's thinking.The fact that, for example, most successful applicants have Thai wives and run their own businesses is almost completely irrelevant.To generalise, the fact that successful PR applicants mostly share the same characteristics has no bearing on what weighting is placed on components of applications by the Immigration Department.Most successful PR applicants I imagine brush their teeth in the morning, but I would be surprised if this aspect was given much consideration in Suan Plu.

[camerata]

There's probably a degree of self-selection in the successful PR applicants too. I waited for over 10 years before applying because I thought it would look better having more years in-country and a higher salary on my record.

[danone]

its simple to get PR.

the rules and requirements are clear and simple.

easy to understand if you got the requirements or not.

no magic behind it, no corruption (if you discount the mechanisms of certain lawyers).

its an open, transparent process. you know from the beginning if you'll get it or not.

dont blame the thai authorities for something you refuse to understand.

[PeaceBlondie]

As a retiree who's seriously considering leaving Thailand primarily because of the uncertainty of the annual extensions, and having heard a report recently that retirement may now qualify toward PR, I'll ask.

Can retirees qualify for PR?

I've never filed a Thai tax return, and don't expect to. So is it out of the question for me?

[lopburi3]

I don't know where you heard that but I have not seen any "new policy" being talked about and the no tax payments alone would probably make it almost imposable unless you are exceptional.

[PeaceBlondie]

Thanks, but no, I'm not that exceptional!

[samran]

Thanks, but no, I'm not that exceptional!

PB, don't talk yourself down. If you think you may be eligible, I'd go for it. The people I know who got PR aren't master of the universe mega stars, just average people...the same we'd meet back home on 5th Avenue or Chelsea in London (JOKING on the 5th Avenue and Chealse bit).

If you are here for the long term, and that comes across in the way you have been leading your life here, then I'd go for it.

[PeaceBlondie]

Thanks, but no, I'm not that exceptional!

PB, don't talk yourself down. If you think you may be eligible, I'd go for it. The people I know who got PR aren't master of the universe mega stars, just average people...the same we'd meet back home on 5th Avenue or Chelsea in London (JOKING on the 5th Avenue and Chealse bit).

If you are here for the long term, and that comes across in the way you have been leading your life here, then I'd go for it.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I'm on a retired visa which I've had for 25 months now, and that doesn't count. I probably will never file a Thai tax return (and I doubt a Thai employer will get me a work permit). So far, in 4.5 years, I've learned about 32 words of Thai, in the wrong vowel tones. I thought I was here for the long term, but have serious doubts now.

[Kan Win]

Permanent Residence Permit

(AKA Resident Visa & Permanent Visa)

This is the document you may be able to get that allows you to stay in Thailand permanently without the need for a Visa. It is also another step on the road to Citizenship, and a Thai Passport.

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You will still need to use an 'exit re-entry permit' when traveling outside Thailand - otherwise the PRP will be cancelled, but you will not need to renew the permit each year. You will still need to report to an Immigration Office each 90 days to confirm your address, but the days of the 'visa-run' will be over for you.

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May never leave Thailand, if this is your wish! Yes that is my wish

Why is that? (to the sentence in bold).

As a PR holder for more that 4 years I never heard of that one

The only thing is that they asked you to report to your nearest Police Station if you are away ( temporary absence) from your registered address exceeding 15 days of not being there, within 2 days.

Has his changed? If so when did that happen? As one reports to the Local Police Station and not Immigration Office.

Kan Win

P.S. nice post 'ilyushin' btw

[camerata]

Siam Commercial Bank (and perhaps others) is now offering foreign currency deposit accounts for PR holders.