Thailand to get tough on foreigners working without work permits, employers also targeted

[hobz]

3 minutes ago, HiSoLowSoNoSo said:

Do you got work permits for Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Sura thani (Samui) provinces?

Yes, mine is from chiang mai and im registered to work in an office in chiang mai. But there's also offices in bangkok and samui. And some work there / registered there.

 

I think its easier to put surveillance on a bar owner and catch him painting a wall than to peek in the window of an it guys office and catch him doing the same.

Maybe also bar owners are under priority as they might seem more likely to be criminals..dunno.

[Rc2702]

3 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

curious to know what work permit the Russian girls have in Pattaya?

 

Sexy Real Estate Agent or Head Nurse?

 

 

Head Nurse. Like it

[Thai Ron]

6 minutes ago, little mary sunshine said:

Throw the bums out....Start with the Russians, Indians,

Nigerians and Chinese !!

 

Fat chance. They're the ones who've got money to burn.

It's the Brits, Eurotrash and Aussies who can't cut it here any more as their currencies plumb the depths.

All over Bangkok, Brits can be heard cursing the cost of a perfectly reasonably priced full English breakfast.

[hobz]

5 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

The problem with these kinds of government announcements/pronouncements is it's always kind of hard to tell:

 

--if this is the 1 out of 100 pronouncements that they'll actually be serious about enforcing on an ongoing basis?

 

or

 

--if this is like the 99 out of 100 other pronouncements where it matters for a few days and then back to business as usual after that?

 

 

55555 you read my mind!!

[Orton Rd]

2 hours ago, Dave67 said:

Surely 5 years in jail for not having a work permit is a bit harsh. I can't think of another country where that would be threatened

slap on the wrist compared to 35 years for fb comments

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

2 minutes ago, hobz said:

Yes, mine is from chiang mai and im registered to work in an office in chiang mai. But there's also offices in bangkok and samui. And some work there / registered there.

 

I think its easier to put surveillance on a bar owner and catch him painting a wall than to peek in the window of an it guys office and catch him doing the same.

Maybe also bar owners are under priority as they might seem more likely to be criminals..dunno.

OK, My company had to apply for work permits for me for each province that we had offices in before, this was a couple of years before, not sure if this has changed. 

[little mary sunshine]

2 minutes ago, Thai Ron said:

Fat chance. They're the ones who've got money to burn.

It's the Brits, Eurotrash and Aussies who can't cut it here any more as their currencies plumb the depths.

All over Bangkok, Brits can be heard cursing the cost of a perfectly reasonably priced full English breakfast.

 

 

Brits are just cheap, always have been and like the Greeks to

lazy to work past 50 y/o.

[hobz]

1 minute ago, HiSoLowSoNoSo said:

OK, My company had to apply for work permits for me for each province that we had offices in before, this was a couple of years before, not sure if this has changed. 

Yes, they probably did this because they wanted the ability to move you around. Or it was simply the local interpretation of the rules,, typical to thailand that different offices of the same department interpret and enforce the rules differently. Consistency is part of high standards and professionalism, both areas in which thailand are still developing.

[kingstonkid]

It will be interesting to see how companies that supply teachers get around this.  I am willing to bet that most of their teachers are not given work permits.  The price is too high and cuts into their bottom line profits.

[Thai Ron]

Just now, little mary sunshine said:

 

 

Brits are just cheap, always have been and like the Greeks to

lazy to work past 50 y/o.

Please tell me the source of the "facts" your statement is based on.

[nasanews]

What is a nomad?

[boomerangutang]

2 hours ago, Dave67 said:

Surely 5 years in jail for not having a work permit is a bit harsh. I can't think of another country where that would be threatened

N.Korea?   

 

                   Thai bureaucracy feeds on itself.  It's in a vacuum, and won't discuss things with the people being affected.  That's why most of their rules restricting farang are draconian.  

 

                  Thai bureaucrats could do a lot more good for Thais and the Thai environment/economy if they took an inclusive rather than an excluding attitude, but they don't have the mental abilities to do so.

 

 

[anon467367354]

controlling the amount of migrant workers in the country, as well as foreigners

can a migrant worker not be a foreigner? Does this really mean orientals from neighboring countries as well as Caucasians?

 

and again...

"Under Thai law, some foreigners are prohibited from working in certain professions such as manual work, agriculture and secretarial work. In total there are 39 occupations prohibited to foreigners. "

I see lots of migrants every day working manual labor. It's been a while, but I've women from the Philippines working as secretaries as well as Japanese in language schools. "Foreigners" really means other than Asian doesn't it?

Is the government going to offer a solution considering those working are being paid and by logic must be providing a service. Is the government going to take away these services from the Thai people that are paying for them, or offer a solution like a "Green Card" like they do in the US? It's always "us" and "them", that is a hindrance to progress and prosperity.

Diversity works and is needed, otherwise people would not be paying for it. The real problem is that taxes are not being collected. Make something illegal, you create a black market. Make something legal and you benefit by taxing it if you want to go that route. Don't do things that make the common Thai citizen a criminal, that in itself is criminal.

[soalbundy]

3 hours ago, ukrules said:

Working in Thailand is a lot of hassle, unless someone else does all the paperwork for you I would not recommend it, there's plenty of other countries which make things a whole lot easier.

 

I know someone who was fined for painting a wall and know of someone else who was fined for momentarily holding some cables up for a workman.

 

If you work in Thailand as a foreigner and you will be surveilled by under cover police and they will pounce if you so much as make one tiny 'mistake' - this is with a work permit.

 

So you paint the wall of your house (in my case my 10 year old sons house) where you live and you get arrested? What is 'work'.

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

8 minutes ago, gr8fldanielle said:

controlling the amount of migrant workers in the country, as well as foreigners

can a migrant worker not be a foreigner? Does this really mean orientals from neighboring countries as well as Caucasians?

 

and again...

"Under Thai law, some foreigners are prohibited from working in certain professions such as manual work, agriculture and secretarial work. In total there are 39 occupations prohibited to foreigners. "

I see lots of migrants every day working manual labor. It's been a while, but I've women from the Philippines working as secretaries as well as Japanese in language schools. "Foreigners" really means other than Asian doesn't it?

Is the government going to offer a solution considering those working are being paid and by logic must be providing a service. Is the government going to take away these services from the Thai people that are paying for them, or offer a solution like a "Green Card" like they do in the US? It's always "us" and "them", that is a hindrance to progress and prosperity.

Diversity works and is needed, otherwise people would not be paying for it. The real problem is that taxes are not being collected. Make something illegal, you create a black market. Make something legal and you benefit by taxing it if you want to go that route. Don't do things that make the common Thai citizen a criminal, that in itself is criminal.

"Foreigners" really means other than Asian doesn't it?

 

I assume so, as min. salary for getting work permit for a as Caucasians is 50.000 THB and for Asians is much, much lower.  (Just like their net rate contracts our company have made with many big Thai hotel chains, different rates for different nationalities, but what to expect from a country where even the government support two tier pricing for their national parks)

[petedk]

Quote

I assume so, as min. salary for getting work permit for a as Caucasians is 50.000 THB and for Asians is much, much lower.  (Just like their net rate contracts our company have made with many big Thai hotel chains, different rates for different nationalities, but what to expect from a country where even the government support two tier pricing for their national parks)

Where do you get that information from?

 

What about English teachers on 25,000 Baht? They need work permits.

Edit: (Sorry about the font... not sure what happened)

[hobobo]

3 hours ago, marquess said:

What do they care, it seems that the Thai establishment are always going out of their way to make life harder for foreigners; this is just another example. Legitimately married foreigners ought to be given the right of residency and the right to work.

Well legitimately married Thais don't get these rights in the UK, so why should Thais do it over here?

[spidermike007]

It seems, this administration is doing nearly everything it can, to diminish direct foreign investment. So many companies are dependent on employees without correct working papers. It is the way of the world. Despite all the rhetoric to the contrary, both Thailand, and the US would collapse overnight, without illegal foreign workers. Overnight. Let's see if these baboons are serious about this. I suspect it is another of those silly crackdown pronouncements, with absolutely nothing behind it, and no follow up. Forgotten within 2 to 7 days.

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

1 minute ago, petedk said:

Where do you get that information from?

 

What about English teachers on 25,000 Baht? They need work permits.

Edit: (Sorry about the font... not sure what happened)

From the Labour department in Bangkok, Phuket and in Chonburi, where my work permits where issued.

 

Don't know how they can get a legal work permit for a West European, American, Canadian or Australian/Kiwi for 25.000 THB salary, maybe bribes under the table? 

[kingstonkid]

• Working without authorization is by all means illegal

If you do not have the work permit but still you are doing the job then you must know one thing – and that is, whatever you are doing is completely illegal. Any foreign national cannot work if he or she does not have a work permit. If that foreign national is still doing the job without the permit or his permit has expired or maybe he has shifted to a new job without proper authorization, then that person is directly going against the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

• Consequences if you are Caught working illegally 

You will have to face very grim consequences when you are caught doing working illegally. The Immigration and Refugee Board’s Immigration Division will hold a hearing where you will be testified. The Immigration Division is the one who decides whether you have really worked against the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. If you are found guilty, then the authorities will declare you inadmissible to the country.

You can be deported- An exclusion order will be published in your name and you would not be able to come back to XXX for at least one or two years at the least.

• Denying the blame for working illegally  will not work out to help you

If you are planning to deny the blame put on you, then know it beforehand that it will not work. If you are planning that you will say you did not know about the law that would not work too. This is because the authorities can blame you regardless of the fact that you knew the law or not. Immigration rules are very stern and if you do not have a work permit you are bound to be testified.

• What if an Employer hires undocumented workers

For those who hire undocumented workers, strict rules have been made for them too. It is true that no one pays heed to work permits in busy restaurants or in construction sites but if caught there are penalties which are no less grim. You have to pay a penalty up to 50 thousand dollars or you can also be put into jail for at least 2 years. The  Border Service Agency along with the Immigration and Citizenship looks after these matters. They are very efficient and search for the people who work illegally without permits.

When you are in a completely new and unknown country, it is true that you will need money and it is difficult to spend your initial days. But earning money without proper authorization can make your life even worse.

 

Would you care to guess which country?

 

Also the border people refuse many people coming in if at all looking sketchy  NO free 30 day visa.

 

Oh yeah want to bring your Thai gf or wife home.  Good luck.  The paperwork is huge and they are very careful.

 

 

the Country of course is CANADA

[petedk]

Just now, HiSoLowSoNoSo said:

From the Labour department in Bangkok, Phuket and in Chonburi, where my work permits where issued.

 

Don't know how they can get a legal work permit for a West European, American, Canadian or Australian/Kiwi for 25.000 THB salary, maybe bribes under the table? 

No way are there bribes under the table. I work for a government university and the salary is 28,000 THB. I have to have a work permit.

[bannork]

1 hour ago, Prbkk said:

Yes, it is a good point. EG, the huge number of Thai fruit-pickers in Scandinavia and Portugal. Very highly regarded, in Portugal they are strongly preferred over other nationalities...reliable, hard-working, easy going.

Like my wife's relatives- farmers, they're tough, resilient and good humoured. Urban Thais may be spoiled for choice regarding work and generally softer. Plus migrant workers are bound to be harder working. After all they're in a foreign country to work and save money.

I once worked for an illiterate Italian  ice-cream van owner. Actually he had 6 vans and had built up the business after moving to the UK in the 1950s. But his sons, born and bred in Bristol, had no interest in running the business.It used to drive him mad!

[wvavin]

Ok, ok, we try our best to believe.

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

1 minute ago, petedk said:

No way are there bribes under the table. I work for a government university and the salary is 28,000 THB. I have to have a work permit.

You work for 28.000 THB per month? from what country are you from?

[petedk]

Just now, HiSoLowSoNoSo said:

You work for 28.000 THB per month? from what country are you from?

That is the basic salary. I am British.

 

Mahidol are advertising for a lecturer with PhD. Salary 31,000

 

I cannot live on the 28,000 so I am one of those doing extra work that is not printed on my work permit.

[AGareth2]

6 minutes ago, petedk said:

No way are there bribes under the table. I work for a government university and the salary is 28,000 THB. I have to have a work permit.

does that include housing allowance?

 

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

Just now, petedk said:

That is the basic salary. I am British.

 

Mahidol are advertising for a lecturer with PhD. Salary 31,000

 

I cannot live on the 28,000 so I am one of those doing extra work that is not printed on my work permit.

OK, my work permit was for manager position of the company and min. monthly salary for my nationality (Swedish) was 50.000 THB in all the provinces we applied for work permit in, maybe the government have lowered the min salary for English teachers?

[petedk]

Just now, AGareth2 said:

does that include housing allowance?

 

Yes. The salary is around 20K.

Some of my students graduate and get more than me after just a few months.

[ripstanley]

I wish I had read this article before I cleaned the fish pond out today.

[balo]

30k and work like mad as a teacher, no thanks .