Exactly , I am aware of the fake vsa stamp cases that's been reported, but they were really fake. When using an experienced agent that works close with the immigration you can be sure the stamp is legal and its been registered or else we would hear about 1000's of cases every month. The point is that the immigration allows it to happen. 800k has been transfered in and out of your thai bank account and clearly its good enough for them even if the law requires the money to be in your account for 3 months.

Yes, you can call it a loop hole, but its happening every day.

Sorry to wake you up to this, but in the Soi Buakhaow case I mentioned earlier, no fake stamps were involved, neither was in the MJ Enterprises case as i saw with my own eyes immigration officers IN UNIFORM stamping loads of passports inside the office of MJ.

The will say it were fake stamps to save face.

Now for the agents. When the agents do a visa extension or 90 day report, the applicant is nowhere around of course, so how do you know the passports ever reach the immigration office and this is not a similar case?

When they bust the officers involved, they will again save face and say it are fake stamps, however genuine stamps are used but maybe not at the immigration office.

Well , if this is the case I wonder why we only hear about very few cases reported to the media?

And how many retired expats are living here using agents? Too many to count and both agents and the immigration officials involved have had a steady extra income, and it's been goiing on for at least 10 years.

Maybe one day they will decide to crack down on this "loop hole" but I think that will not be good for the thai economy. 1000's of expats with low pensions will have to relocate to Cambodia or some other low cost country.

MJ's fraud had been going on for years before they were caught out, and so had the Visasho, been going on for years.

Why? Maybe at the top they are not aware or they need to get to the roots first before they can crack down.

Using agents is not illegal, but bending the rules of the money seasoning is, and may be they are not aware of the latter.Or they just don't want the world to know how corrupt their administration is.

You know in Thailand they have had always made use of a huge lid to put on a pot.

But as I read that now the applicant has to go to immigration anyway because a picture has to be taken, that means that less people will need an agent in the future, so seemingly they are trying to eliminate the agents already.

I also read in another thread today about the flyer in regard with ED visas that was available at Pattaya immigration.

If it is possible that they do it so straight in the face, then there are other forces involved.

As this topic seems to have moved into wider terms I am moving it to the Visa Forum

Just when the thread was beginning to address the actual subject matter too.*

Maybe I should have been more specific in the thread title but I would have hoped that from reading the OP, it would have been clear enough. For those that sidetracked the thread; If you had read my OP you would have seen that I am not seeking a way of avoiding the proof of income rigmarole. I was just looking for recommendations for a reliable individual to submit my renewal paperwork on my behalf due to conflicting schedules. Thanks to those that did offer suggestions. Those that have problems with graft (especially those that claim to have lived here for years) should really start their own, problem-specific threads instead of hijacking others.

* This is not a comment on moderation either btw.