Work permits to be valid for 2 years - Govt proposal

[SABloke]

I've got a 2 year WP and I'm a teacher, so not sure about all the BOI requirements members are talking about.

[SABloke]

too little too late, how about being able to get your Non B locally instead of flying out? How about streamlining the whole process so we don't have to waste 4 different days of work to get the work permit and Non B done? How about ending the ridiculous 90 check in??

You don't have to fly out. You can change your visa type at immigration (see website for specific time frames etc) and then just keep extending your visa at immigration every year.

[bikerbri]

My investment in Thailand is substantial.Can I have a 2year retirement extension please?

Edited November 24, 2014 by bikerbri

[outsider]

Err... they want to restrict foreign businesses here, but extend the work permits of expats? There's a disconnect there somewhere, me thinks.

[monkeycountry]

I'm not sure how a 2 year work permit will lead to more foreign investment.

In fact it might cause economic activity to fall because of reduced money for applications and processing.

Paper sales will drop too as it takes most of a pack of A4 paper each time. copies of the entire company balance sheet, monthly and yearly tax payments incl. for all staff, social security payments for all staff etc. for the past 3 years. and 2 or 3 copies of everything of course. We probably use more paper on visas and wps than on running the actual business.

Btw, this thing about paperwork for previous years makes no sense to me in cases of just renewing visas and workpermits. Since it was approved the year before, obviously the papers from 2 and 3 years ago were in order then, hence no reason to check them again. A copy of the last year should be enough for renewals.

Paper is cheap so not a problem, but it seems like a total waste of paper, which is a shame for the environment.

Edited November 24, 2014 by monkeycountry

[Dogmatix]

I've got a 2 year WP and I'm a teacher, so not sure about all the BOI requirements members are talking about.

There is some confusion with the requirement to work for a BOI company to get a NON-B visa for 3 years max which is in the National Police orders for all to see and the Labour Ministry's secret guidelines on issuing 2 year WPs.

Glad to hear you got a 2 year WP as a teacher. Last time I got one in Bkk they were only giving them to employees of substantial companies but things might have changed and might be different in different provinces since there are no conditions in the law.

Since most employers and expat workers don't know about the 2 year WP and have never asked for one, I guess the govt can get away with taking credit for this 2008 law! LOL.

Edited November 24, 2014 by Dogmatix

[Don Mega]

I'm not sure how a 2 year work permit will lead to more foreign investment.

In fact it might cause economic activity to fall because of reduced money for applications and processing.

Paper sales will drop too as it takes most of a pack of A4 paper each time. copies of the entire company balance sheet, monthly and yearly tax payments incl. for all staff, social security payments for all staff etc. for the past 3 years. and 2 or 3 copies of everything of course. We probably use more paper on visas and wps than on running the actual business.

Btw, this thing about paperwork for previous years makes no sense to me in cases of just renewing visas and workpermits. Since it was approved the year before, obviously the papers from 2 and 3 years ago were in order then, hence no reason to check them again. A copy of the last year should be enough for renewals.

Paper is cheap so not a problem, but it seems like a total waste of paper, which is a shame for the environment.

Wow. Did not realise they needed that much documentation. My application alone would need a truckload of paper as we have something like 2000 employees here........ then there is the other 100 or so Expats that are here as well.

[chainarong]

A move in the right direction , another area that is overlooked but puts massive amounts into the Thai economy is the issue of Tourists Visa's , not all countries would be entitled to it, but lets see 60 , 90 and 180 days Visa's and a reciprocal response from those Expat countries concerned ,(Oz in particular) some sort of certainly over ownership of x amount of Rai and house , these people, as said, put lots of money into the Thai economy and should be rewarded appropriately General. It's time for Thailand to move forward.

[GAZZPA]

I'm not sure how a 2 year work permit will lead to more foreign investment.

It won't,,, after announcements last week of the changes proposed to foreign investment i suspect this is a weak counter against the backlash,, like its going to make any difference.

Changing the oil doesn't mean much if you've removed the wheels.

[LennyW]

I've got a 2 year WP and I'm a teacher, so not sure about all the BOI requirements members are talking about.

Do you have a 2 year visa extension?

[Suradit69]

My investment in Thailand is substantial.Can I have a 2year retirement extension please?

Yes, that would be nice. Maybe after you've been here 5 years or more allow 2 years extensions and after 5 years even longer. Maybe just reconfirm the continuing financial information yearly. For most of us we're submitting essentially the same paperwork year after year anyway.

[SABloke]

I've got a 2 year WP and I'm a teacher, so not sure about all the BOI requirements members are talking about.

Do you have a 2 year visa extension?

Nope - which is a bit retarded in my opinion. It does, however, save me at least one trip to Ministry of Labour every other year: Any less time I have to spend in government queues is a blessing

[muffy]

Now do the same for retirement extensions .

[LennyW]

I've got a 2 year WP and I'm a teacher, so not sure about all the BOI requirements members are talking about.

Do you have a 2 year visa extension?

Nope - which is a bit retarded in my opinion. It does, however, save me at least one trip to Ministry of Labour every other year: Any less time I have to spend in government queues is a blessing

That will be the main difference in being BOI approved, 2 year multiple entry visa, i just renewed mine today, now valid until 12 December 2016 - Lovely!

[Cheops]

This should be an easy win for the government, since the maximum period for WP was already increased to 2 years in the 2008 Working of Aliens Act without any specific conditions. The problem has been the reluctance of the Labour Ministry to follow the law and issue 2 year permits. Normally they will only do this if the employer has hundreds of millions in paid up capital or is public company. The catch 22 is that these companies also qualify for the one stop visa and WP service which has not been allowed to issue 2 year WPs as far as I know. Anyway a 2 year WP is less useful if you can't also get a 2 year nonB visa at the one stop service.

I have been on 2 year WPs since 2009 and it's useful for me but only coz I have PR and am thus ineligible for the one stop service, even tho my company is.

Seems they just need to tell the Labour Ministry to apply the existing law without wrinkles but I am sure they will want to maintain conditions that will still make 2 year WPs unattainable for most. Hoping to be proved wrong.

Since 2005 I received 2 years wp and a 2 year visa as well at the one stop service! So it is not a problem to receive both from a one stop service.

[Cheops]

Is there any possibility for marriage visa of more than a year hope someone from thai cabinet will think about this too

As the WP is tied to the length of the visa this should be the case - but TIT and I bet they haven't thought of that!

The wp is not tied to the length of the visa. Last March I received a 2 years wp, but a 11 month and something visa, because my passport will expire in February next year. In the past they issued just 2 years visas, but changed some time ago and now issue a visa up to pp expire date. You can't transfer the visa anymore to a new pp.

[maidee]

when will they come up with

5 year marriage extention, followed by automatic PR or citizenship, like our old ladies get in our home countries.....

[Suffinator]

Oh dear ... putting a sticky plaster on a severed limb. When will they learn? Nationalism and Protectionism ... it's all they know and if they do change the FBA the numbers of people applying for a work permit will plummet.

[casualbiker]

when will they come up with

5 year marriage extention, followed by automatic PR or citizenship, like our old ladies get in our home countries.....

Dunno what your home country is but that isn't what happens in the UK!

[spermwhale]

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It seems that's what they are already doing, even for non BOI setups. I was issued with a brand new permit with a 2-years validity last month in Chiang Mai.

"...to attract more foreign investment."

Not certain about that. But now pay THB3000/year = THB6000, whether you want to work only one year on not.

The greed and fleecing of foreigners continues here. I swear the only reason we have to get our visa annually is so they can collect their pound of fat. If they increase visa lengths, you can rest assured they'll increase the fee pro rata to ensure that they don't lose out on a single satang. A holes

[casualbiker]

It seems that's what they are already doing, even for non BOI setups. I was issued with a brand new permit with a 2-years validity last month in Chiang Mai.

"...to attract more foreign investment."

Not certain about that. But now pay THB3000/year = THB6000, whether you want to work only one year on not.

The greed and fleecing of foreigners continues here. I swear the only reason we have to get our visa annually is so they can collect their pound of fat. If they increase visa lengths, you can rest assured they'll increase the fee pro rata to ensure that they don't lose out on a single satang. A holes

Off course they will. But I for one would still rather have a 2 year contract with WP and extension of stay!