Residency request denied

[coffeetime]

Working in Thailand for 14 years and with mandatory retirement on the horizon, I applied for Permanent Residency (PR) and was given the green light to proceed, as I met all the required qualifications.

Lots of time, effort, and money is needed to obtain PR and applying under the family status category. I also had to pay 20,000 baht for the mandatory family DNA test.

Getting near the finish line having collected the mountain of documents required, the tax revenue office informed me I would have to wait 3 weeks for some necessary tax documents.

During the wait period, the PR immigration officer handling my case rang and said that it was too late to continue! I informed her I was waiting for the final documents to arrive. She said they couldn’t wait any longer and that my chance to become a permanent resident was finished.

The officer said I should try again next year. I explained I would not be eligible next year as my mandatory retirement would make it impossible to meet all the qualifications ever again and could you please help me continue. Answer, no!

The PR officer rang a few days later and asked me to come to the PR office, but didn’t say why.

She asked for my passport and disappeared for 10 minutes. When I looked at my passport I saw they had canceled the pending PR stamp and she presented me with a form to sign saying my bid for PR was over.

I sent an 11th hour appeal letter to the head of Immigration shortly after, pleading this was my one and only chance. One month later I received a written response from one of his subordinates.

T he reply said that since I signed the form saying my pursuit of PR was finished that they couldn’t help me. Oh, silly me, my appeal letter was written as a joke, I didn’t want PR!

Dates are clearly written when the PR office will accept applications. There are no clearly written dates that say all paper work must be submitted by such and such a time. Why? Letting a PR officer decide that doesn't seem the right approach.

I could accept a rejection (albeit sadly) having not met a known target date for submitted documents. A PR officer making a phone call with heartbreaking news creates an unnecessary unpleasant experience for all involved.

Sincerely,

A gutted father of children born here with a Thai wife, denied residency.

[Koosdedooes]

Why did you wait so long to apply for PR, you could have done after year 3 of working here

[willyumiii]

You should be able to get a Non O visa based on marriage, or dependent child like many of us here have.

[willyumiii]

" I would not be eligible next year as my mandatory retirement would make it impossible to meet all the qualifications ever again"

It may have been a mistake telling them this.

[ubonjoe]

If you had been working for more than 3 full years already I don't understand what the problem with the tax forms was.

This from the documents required.

"9. Copy of the supporter’s annual personal income tax form (por ngor dor 91 or 90) with receipts for the previous 3 years prior to the application submission year and a copy of the filed personal income tax returns e.g. P.N.D.50 which must be officially certified by the revenue officers

10.Copy of the supporter’s monthly income tax form (por ngor dor 1) with receipts from the beginning of the year of application submission (January) until the previous month of application submission which must be officially certified by the revenue officers"

[kanook]

I sympathize and hope you can put it behind you soon. I've have decided that the best way to approach citizenship, when and if I meet the requirements, is to prepare my documents, work through the process to the best of my ability, whilst at the same time equating the whole procedure to holding a lottery ticket for a multi million dollar jackpot. Very few get to join the oddly exclusive club of farang PR or citizenship holders. and even though most would jump at the chance to avoid 90 day reporting/border runs, the bright side is you'll have plenty of company with those that do.

[Time Traveller]

Why worry? Thailand PR has no benefit for you that you don't get by yearly extensions Bt1900 per year. For someone at retirement age it doesn't make financial sense to pay for PR over yearly extending.

[watcharacters]

Why worry? Thailand PR has no benefit for you that you don't get by yearly extensions Bt1900 per year. For someone at retirement age it doesn't make financial sense to pay for PR over yearly extending.

Unless I'm seriously overlooking something, I could not agree more.

[ubonjoe]

Why worry? Thailand PR has no benefit for you that you don't get by yearly extensions Bt1900 per year. For someone at retirement age it doesn't make financial sense to pay for PR over yearly extending.

I don't agree. I see the cost of PR worth it for somebody at or above retirement age. Not ever having to worry about getting extensions every year or 90 day reports and etc would be well worth it the older you get.

I wish I could qualify for it.

[TerryLH]

OP, if you are still married to a Thai you can apply for citizenship and skip PR completely.

The cost is much, much less, and far better benefits over PR.

For PR or citizenship, one or the other, you have to continue with employment throughout the process, until approved.

" Not ever having to worry about getting extensions every year or 90 day reports and etc would be well worth it the older you get."

For many of us, besides extensions and 90 day reporting, there is no 'etc'.

100k-200k seems a bit much just to avoid that.

[ubonjoe]

OP, if you are still married to a Thai you can apply for citizenship and skip PR completely.

The cost is much, much less, and far better benefits over PR.

For PR or citizenship, one or the other, you have to continue with employment throughout the process, until approved.

" Not ever having to worry about getting extensions every year or 90 day reports and etc would be well worth it the older you get."

For many of us, besides extensions and 90 day reporting, there is no 'etc'.

100k-200k seems a bit much just to avoid that.

I assume you were replying to my post since you failed to use the quote button.

The etc could be having to keep the money in the bank and the proof of it or making a trip to an embassy to get proof of income. Not needing to renew your passport could also be part it.

For me it would be about 100k since I am married to a Thai. If I lived another 20 years that is only 5000 baht a year.

[Tomtomtom69]

"Mandatory retirement".

Simple. Don't retire. If it's a company that you're working for, tell them to screw themselves, start your own company, making sure you make at least 40,000 Baht a month (or whatever the minimum is now to remain eligible). With 14 years experience in whatever field you are in, it's unlikely you wouldn't have the ability to start your own company.

[IMA_FARANG]

I sympathsize with you guys.....but to be honest avoiding the "effort" of filing 90 day reports....especially now that it can be done on line.....is in my opinion not worth the hassle of Permenrnt Residency or Thai Cirizenship/

Seriously, after 14 years didn't you know they wouldn't find some way to screw you in the end?

Edited May 15, 2016 by IMA_FARANG

[Colabamumbai]

Just another way the Thai Government tells us how welcome we are to live in Thailand.

[willyumiii]

Just another way the Thai Government tells us how welcome we are to live in Thailand.

What??

Are you saying they lied to you on the invitation they sent to you asking you to come live in their country?

[brianinbangkok]

OP, if you are still married to a Thai you can apply for citizenship and skip PR completely.

The cost is much, much less, and far better benefits over PR.

For PR or citizenship, one or the other, you have to continue with employment throughout the process, until approved.

" Not ever having to worry about getting extensions every year or 90 day reports and etc would be well worth it the older you get."

For many of us, besides extensions and 90 day reporting, there is no 'etc'.

100k-200k seems a bit much just to avoid that.

For citizenship application you also need 3 years tax returns and a wp during the process. Right up to the end.

Starting this application at the OP's age it is too late to have any chance.

They start reducting points over age 50.

Edited May 15, 2016 by brianinbangkok

[thai3]

Why worry? Thailand PR has no benefit for you that you don't get by yearly extensions Bt1900 per year. For someone at retirement age it doesn't make financial sense to pay for PR over yearly extending.

I don't agree. I see the cost of PR worth it for somebody at or above retirement age. Not ever having to worry about getting extensions every year or 90 day reports and etc would be well worth it the older you get.

I wish I could qualify for it.

You can now do 90 days via the web and at my office an extension takes about 20 mins, just that DNA test cost 10 years extension fees I could not be bothered for the 'privilege ' of even getting a yellow house book, can't understand the need to be desperate about getting PR or nationality.

Edited May 16, 2016 by thai3

[Time Traveller]

Why worry? Thailand PR has no benefit for you that you don't get by yearly extensions Bt1900 per year. For someone at retirement age it doesn't make financial sense to pay for PR over yearly extending.

I don't agree. I see the cost of PR worth it for somebody at or above retirement age. Not ever having to worry about getting extensions every year or 90 day reports and etc would be well worth it the older you get.

I wish I could qualify for it.

Let me put your concerns to rest. The reality is,retirement extensions are about the easiest to obtain of all the types of ext of stay that Thailand offers. Paying close to 100k baht plus all the incidentals for Dna tests, police checks etc for what is effectively just nothing more than the same as he gets now without the annual renewal is not worth it. Even the Pr requires regular payments for "endorsements", so you're still stuck with ongoing costs like the non immigrants

[Time Traveller]

OP, if you are still married to a Thai you can apply for citizenship and skip PR completely.

The cost is much, much less, and far better benefits over PR.

For PR or citizenship, one or the other, you have to continue with employment throughout the process, until approved.

" Not ever having to worry about getting extensions every year or 90 day reports and etc would be well worth it the older you get."

For many of us, besides extensions and 90 day reporting, there is no 'etc'.

100k-200k seems a bit much just to avoid that.

I assume you were replying to my post since you failed to use the quote button.

The etc could be having to keep the money in the bank and the proof of it or making a trip to an embassy to get proof of income. Not needing to renew your passport could also be part it.

For me it would be about 100k since I am married to a Thai. If I lived another 20 years that is only 5000 baht a year.

Nice try but that 100k up front invested at 2% would cover your annual extension fee forever

[ubonjoe]

OP, if you are still married to a Thai you can apply for citizenship and skip PR completely.

The cost is much, much less, and far better benefits over PR.

For PR or citizenship, one or the other, you have to continue with employment throughout the process, until approved.

" Not ever having to worry about getting extensions every year or 90 day reports and etc would be well worth it the older you get."

For many of us, besides extensions and 90 day reporting, there is no 'etc'.

100k-200k seems a bit much just to avoid that.

I assume you were replying to my post since you failed to use the quote button.

The etc could be having to keep the money in the bank and the proof of it or making a trip to an embassy to get proof of income. Not needing to renew your passport could also be part it.

For me it would be about 100k since I am married to a Thai. If I lived another 20 years that is only 5000 baht a year.

Nice try but that 100k up front invested at 2% would cover your annual extension fee forever

You seem to be missing my point. I mentioned getting older in my other post. It is not about saving money it is about not having to do it when my age reaches the point where it might be difficult to do.

[Heng]

Why worry? Thailand PR has no benefit for you that you don't get by yearly extensions Bt1900 per year. For someone at retirement age it doesn't make financial sense to pay for PR over yearly extending.

1,900 Baht is nothing and the hoops are really quite minor.

Edited May 16, 2016 by ubonjoe
removed a off topic comment