the_numbers Posted February 20, 2003 Report Share Posted February 20, 2003 Thai One-Year Visa 15,000 Baht. Work Permit 20,000 Baht. You can see these prices in ads by companies in the Sukhumvit area in the Bangkok Post or the Nation. Scales loom in the background of the ads, as if to ponder the legality of such a proposal? Question is are these places just shuffling paper, and producing VISAs for basically a glorified bribe, or are they assisting legitimate non-immigrants and businesses hiring foreigners in the process of getting VISAs. The actual process is well annotated at Thai immigration. I know that you can complete a Thai VISA between just you and your company for work no need for help. What is the story with these places? Anybody know? numbers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 20, 2003 Report Share Posted February 20, 2003 Some of them will arrange work permits / visas for people who are not really working (or not working legally, anyway). For example, I have a musician friend who is Russian. One of these agencies got him a work permit for what I presume is a real company, but for whom he doesn't really work. He pays the firm 1,000 baht per month for the privilege of carrying the work permit. This way, he can easily stay in the country on endless one-year visas, and if the cops hassle him, he can produce his work permit and claim that he is a legit businessman by day, and just plays music for fun at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneSoup Posted February 20, 2003 Report Share Posted February 20, 2003 Hi - My company does not advertise in the papers, but it does sponsor this section of this message board. Most of the companies you are probably refering to do not "sell" visas or work permits. They do assist foreigners in getting these authorizations, and they charge a fee for doing so. It is absolutely true that you can understake the process completely by yourself, and successfully obtain a "visa" (see comments below) and a work permit. My guess is that it would take an uninitiated person 5-6 attempts at each, and involve maybe 100 hours of on-the-ground moving and waiting in line. Thai bureaucracy is a checklist driven process, and most foreigners simply do not believe the requirements. So they will fail - again and again. Work permits are very straightforward - but you need things like photos of office and company sign, organization charts of employees, maps to your office, ebank statements, education transcripts, medical exam certificate, etc. Very few people who do this once are prepared to undertake or create all this from scratch. Getting a "visa" is another issue. Technically, a visa can only be issued at a diplomatic post outside Thailand. What most people refer to as a "visa" is actually a locally-obtained entry permit extension. Right now, getting a non-immigrant entry permit extension based on work status is not easy - at least in my particular little corner of Bangkok - because a little parasitic bastard of an immigration police field inspector is refusing to turn in his field reports unless you meet his bribe requirements. If he doesn't return your packet to immigration, they cannot award the extension. My paraiste is a lazy, unpleasant little prick,and I do not plan to contribute any further to his noursihment, so I will soon be departing LOS for a few hours to get a new one-year visa. And I am temporarily suspending trying to process non-immigrant visa extensions at my firm. There are "express visa" services that more of less "sell" visas. I think some of them are almost "bulletproof", but I don't use them. Others that do can advise more about their practices. "Let the good times roll!" Stone Soup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 I know the company that you are referring to and have dealt with them in the past and as far as I aware they are reputable lawyers (oxymoron?). They do process the setting up of company registration for foreigners and as a further service can provide visa application services, work permits etc. They know their way around the process and as far as I am aware they do not deal in 'dodgy' visas. At least they have never indicated that to me in my dealings with them anyway and they have known in the past that I have needed a visa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 Just an aside ....company's is singular possession and companies is plural of company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 :: :: :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 Just correcting the grammar in the thread subject heading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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