Are agents still operating or has Big Joke wiped them out

[Jumbo1968]

The U.K. owned agencies will be the losers, on average they made around £30 for the Proof of Income Letters, they were legit as far as I know.

The agents who could profit are the ones who season the 800000 in a Bank Account for you. I am positive the customer base will increase meaning more income for them as there will be many expats using the monthly income but don’t have the required 800000 in the bank.

[JackThompson]

30 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

There are many retiree expats who are not rich but can easily afford to get by and have wives and families, many of whom they have taken out of poverty. These people should not be penalised and should be treated with a lot more respect and taken away from 90 day reports and useless visa runs and border hops.

I will ask this question again, are there any SE countries who treat their expats they way Thailand does? 

Expats married to a citizen?  Not that I know of.

[Caine]

On 11/11/2018 at 11:51 AM, Orton Rd said:

People paying more than the 1900 required are mugs, they will pay more in the long run than having the funds in the bank here. People who say they are worried about depositing money in a Thai bank probably just cannot. When I deposited my 800k it cost 12k UK pounds, it's now worth about 50% more!

That’s because the pound has decreased nothing to do with having money in Thai bank. Your 800,000 baht is still only worth £12k in real terms U.K. economy.

[onera1961]

1 hour ago, BobTH said:

Really, most cities have an immigration certified doctor, I wasn't aware of that. May I ask if these doctor typically just sign off on your past medical history or are you required to take all of the health tests? I assume for $75, it is your past history. I am a US citizen also.

Here is a search Engine you can use to find in your city by zip code
https://my.uscis.gov/findadoctor

These are USCIS certified and approved doctor who does health check for US citizenship application. The health check for USCIS is very extensive and requires lots different types of blood test and also expensive (around $400)

Here is my story: When I called the appointment desk, they did not understand anything about Thailand immigration as they only deal with US immigration. But I made the appointment anyway for a physical exam for immigration. When the doctor saw me in the exam room, I pulled out the form that I had downloaded from Thai embassy Washington DC website (important because this form does not require notarization). I told the doctor that I wanted to leave the USA and I need this for Thailand immigration (he was little surprised because he had never heard of somebody leaving the USA). I told him that I only need a physical exam and Thailand immigration does not require a blood test. He asked me a few questions, checked my genitals for advanced Syphilis. Technically he could have asked for a TB blood test (All other diseases in the form could be ascertained by a physical exam) But he did not ask for it. And signed the document. 

I have heard in LA, there are latino doctors who just sign them without checking anything. Download the form from Washington DC embassy that does not require any notarization. You can try your county health center first. all these tests are done for free in county health centers. Due to budget issues, my county (in IL) let all the doctors go.

Edited November 12, 2018 by onera1961

[Jip99]

3 hours ago, madmitch said:

 Personally I have no idea how the agent persuaded him to part with over THB30,000 when in reality he does not need a retirement extension.

 

 

Surely you need to be asking your friend that question................ he was obviously the one seeking out the service; the agents don't go around door-knocking - as far as I know.

[OJAS]

18 hours ago, rott said:

Possibly you have not been keeping up with things OJAS.

What on earth are you banging on about, rott?

 

Certainly no earth-shattering developments have been reported in the last few pages of the BE thread as far as I can tell!

[Jip99]

29 minutes ago, Caine said:

That’s because the pound has decreased nothing to do with having money in Thai bank. Your 800,000 baht is still only worth £12k in real terms U.K. economy.

 

OJAS will have spending power of over £18k if he cashed in.......  I would bet that beats inflation over the period since the rate was 67.

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, smedly said:

90 day report 200baht

extension if you tick all the boxes 3-4k baht

Including the 1900 fee?

[OJAS]

8 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

 

OJAS will have spending power of over £18k if he cashed in.......  I would bet that beats inflation over the period since the rate was 67.

I think that I may have been misquoted! Unfortunately I don't have 800,000 THB in my Thai account to cash in even if I wanted to. ????

[onera1961]

17 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

I think owning a car was also included as well. 

Wow 800K loan on a car. That must be a pretty new and expensive car. 

Edited November 12, 2018 by onera1961

[smedly]

25 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

Including the 1900 fee?

yes, all they are doing is the donkey work - no under counter payments involved

 

a bit like an agency renewing my passport for 5kbaht - I couldn't be arsed travelling to Bangkok twice plus all the forms and photocopies etc - they did it all.

Edited November 12, 2018 by smedly

[dick dasterdly]

2 hours ago, smedly said:

90 day report 200baht

extension if you tick all the boxes 3-4k baht

Depends entirely on where you live.

 

Edit - And the extent of service preferred.  I pay an extortionate sum to an agent (for entirely legal extensions and 90 day reports) - but I live on Phuket, and my agent comes to my house, rather than my having to travel to her office.

 

Am I being 'ripped off'?  Obviously.  Am I prepared to pay the extortionate sum to make my life so much easier - yes.

Edited November 12, 2018 by dick dasterdly

[madmitch]

1 hour ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

Surely you need to be asking your friend that question................ he was obviously the one seeking out the service; the agents don't go around door-knocking - as far as I know.

I do know the background but don't need to share it on here. In this case it's an agent recommending what's best for the agent and not necessarily what's best for the client.

[rott]

23 hours ago, OJAS said:

As now has their British counterpart in Bangkok IMHO, whose decision to withdraw their income service will in all probabliity result in an increase in the number of Brits seeking recourse to agency assistance at extension of stay time!

Possibly you have not been keeping up with things OJAS.

 

The embassies of the USA and Australia have also announced that as they are unable to comply with Thai Immigration requirements they are ceasing to issue the pension letters.

[rott]

That is what I was banging on about OJAS.

[dick dasterdly]

22 minutes ago, smedly said:

yes, all they are doing is the donkey work - no under counter payments involved

 

a bit like an agency renewing my passport for 5kbaht - I couldn't be arsed travelling to Bangkok twice plus all the forms and photocopies etc - they did it all.

"a bit like an agency renewing my passport for 5kbaht - I couldn't be arsed travelling to Bangkok twice plus all the forms and photocopies etc - they did it all."

 

Yes, I need to renew my passport very soon as my retirement extension is due for renewal in Feb., and my passport ends in June.  Like you, I'm very glad that I am able to pay an agent 5k bht to deal with it on my behalf - rather than having to travel to Bangkok for 2 days (ironically, to deal with another agent - appointed by the BE....).

[SheungWan]

20 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

Edit - And the extent of service preferred.  I pay an extortionate sum to an agent (for entirely legal extensions and 90 day reports) - but I live on Phuket, and my agent comes to my house, rather than my having to travel to her office.

Am I being 'ripped off'?  Obviously.  Am I prepared to pay the extortionate sum to make my life so much easier - yes.

You might get a pass from the anti-agent brigade, but only just.

[dick dasterdly]

27 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

Depends entirely on where you live.

 

Edit - And the extent of service preferred.  I pay an extortionate sum to an agent (for entirely legal extensions and 90 day reports) - but I live on Phuket, and my agent comes to my house, rather than my having to travel to her office.

 

Am I being 'ripped off'?  Obviously.  Am I prepared to pay the extortionate sum to make my life so much easier - yes.

 

2 minutes ago, SheungWan said:

You might get a pass from the anti-agent brigade, but only just.

Very true....  A good friend of mine has recently started making 'digs' about my using an agent as apparently the Immigration staff deal with the stacks of agents' passports - before dealing with those sitting, waiting, to do it themselves.

 

I can understand his grievance, whilst having no intention of making my life more difficult and stressful by not using an agent to deal with it on my behalf!

[moe666]

On 11/11/2018 at 9:09 AM, ubonjoe said:

There may be a few shady agents that are not being allowed to do things at immigration now.

I had a PM discussion with a member who hired an agent to help with his visa and extension in Bangkok. He got the non immigrant visa done but when it came to getting the extension the agent told him that they had lost their contact a immigration.

Some agents are now telling their customers that they now have to make an appearance at immigration for the photo.

Believe it or not not all agents have any thing to do with money matters, the lady I use in CM tells me when I need to arrive then we go thru the process which includes photo. I am fully qualified just got tired of the early q at immigration.

[Acharn]

On 11/11/2018 at 9:30 AM, smedly said:

part of the reason I was asking, it was suggested that all this income letter/affidavit debacle could actually be an attempt by immigration to extract money from those that cannot meet the requirements easily or are just unwilling to do so

 

I don't use an agent myself but I don't have any issue with someone doing so - up to them, but it also shows just how effective our new immigration leader is when he makes statements about wiping out corruption, maybe he would be better saying nothing

I don't have any inside knowledge, just I've read a book by an English chap named C. Northcote Parkinson. Also, my job in the Army was basically as a bureaucrat, so I think I have a feel for this kind of thing. You get noticed and put on track for promotion when you propose innovations that allow your superior to increase the size of his office. "Work expands to fill the time available for it." Parkinson's law. So bureaucracies always get bigger and have more people and cost more until they finally collapse. They don't collapse until long after they're dead. The English government still has a Colonial Office. Anyway, this is much like the requirement after the 1997 financial crisis that we had to submit copies of our bank books, plus obtain a letter from the bank certifying how much money we had transferred into our accounts during the past year. I always had zero, because I withdraw my money from the ATM machines, and you can't even keep the receipts for six months -- the ink fades away in about a month. Anyway, this is just about some general expanding his staff, and we'll find out eventually how to live with it. I suspect they're going to end up going back to accepting the affidavit. It's just too sensible a practice to throw away. I'm not changing any arrangements until we have clear word from Immigration what they want.

[Mac98]

We will know more in the new year when the new rules are supposed to go into effect. Likely no clarification at your local office until mid year.

[Maestro]

14 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

you are paying a bribe for an IO to overlook the seasoning requirement on your application...

I see this differently. The applicant for an extension of stay pays an agent a fee to handle the application. The applicant signs the application form and probably has to accompany the agent to the immigration office to show his face for identification purposes, but the money to pay for the application fee is handed over to the immigration official by the agent.

[Spidey]

1 hour ago, Acharn said:

I suspect they're going to end up going back to accepting the affidavit. It's just too sensible a practice to throw away. I'm not changing any arrangements until we have clear word from Immigration what they want.

They accept the affidavit now. No sign that they aren't going to accept it in the future. The problem is that your embassy refuses to issue them. The problem is to get the embassies to rescind their decision. TI want the letter.

[Wake Up]

Personally IMO the top politicians of every country steal more money for themselves and their friends than all the immigration agents combined. I do everything legal because I can but other people’s business is not mine to judge or care about. Live and let live as long as you don’t hurt someone else. In the USA cops don’t take bribes and they get paid well enough to have a good life with benefits.  In Thailand cops take bribes and don’t get paid enough to have a good life. I am fine with both systems. What others do is their Karma, what you do or how you react is your Karma.  

 

I am thankful I can afford retirement, have a few beers with friends and have young women when I want, go to Nana Plaza and Pattaya and not die an old man at a Florida country club surrounded by old heavy bitter cold women.  Cheers ???? 

[balo]

Please do not talk about agents as they are some sort of criminals , they are not .  You can borrow 800k from a friend or borrow from an agent , it doesn't really matter.   It's the immigration officer at charge who will decide if you will get an extension or not.  If the agent is well connected and can show evidence of the transfer of 800k into the customers bankbook , everyone are satisfied.  

 

Edited November 12, 2018 by balo

[smedly]

6 minutes ago, balo said:

Please do not talk about agents as they are some sort of criminals , they are not .  You can borrow 800k from a friend or borrow from an agent , it doesn't really matter.   It's the immigration officer at charge who will decide if you will get an extension or not.  If the agent is well connected and can show evidence of the transfer of 800k into the customers bankbook , everyone are satisfied.  

 

so the fact that the money is only in said bank account for a few hours bypassing the rules shouldn't matter - right ?

[Maestro]

3 minutes ago, smedly said:

so the fact that the money is only in said bank account for a few hours bypassing the rules shouldn't matter - right ?

Is that how it was for your extension?

[balo]

23 minutes ago, smedly said:

so the fact that the money is only in said bank account for a few hours bypassing the rules shouldn't matter - right ?

Not as long as the immigration officer has the final word .  The 3 months in a bank account does not mean much as long as it can be overruled. 

[Maestro]

Removed a troll post.

[Maestro]

Removed an abusive post.