How does one find out the dates open for Permanent Residency on the Govt Gazette website? It is all in Thai and no one around me has a clue as how to go about trying to find out the dates, if it isn't staring at them right in their faces. They have no concept of searching for it. pg

If PR will be opened up there will be an annoucement in the royal gazette but also on the immigration website, in which case we will inform our members.

But chances are high that that for this year application for PR will not be open due to the political situation. The cabinet might not have had time to approve the opening of PR applications.

The dates are normally posted as a notice on the immigration website. But it has not been done yet.

Also in years past it would be in the news when the cabinet approved the quotas and dates. This happened in September of last year but nothing this year.

I don't think that permanent residency applications are going to be accepted this year.

Thanks to all for that...albeit...not so good news. At least now, I sort of know what to expect or not to expect. Thanks again....pg

There are two announcements. The Royal Gazette announces the cabinet resolution to fix the annual immigration (PR) quota at the maximum allowed by the Immigration Act of 1979 which is 100 per nationality and 50 stateless persons. This is a formality but legally has to be done before Immigration can open for applications. Then a notice appears on Immigration's website.

Neither of these notices have appeared this year so far. Last year the RG announcement appeared on 27 November but it appeared as late as 20 December in 2011. So it is still possible that applications will open this year but you've got to be in Bangkok over the holidays with documents prepared to take advantage, if it happens.

Going back in time to the 80s you can find announcements in the RG that were dated in March. That was when Thai offialdom was much kinder and more generous to foreigners. Up until the late 90s they processed all PR applications within 12 months maximum.