HHTel wrote: ↑Fri Apr 15, 2022 4:56 pm
Agents have contacts in immigration. Those contacts are paid from the fee charged.
I've been that route some years ago. The 'agent' in my case was an immigration officer. Another person taking a cut is an individual in the bank. I had to open an account in K-Bank as that was were the bank 'contact' was. 'Deposits' were made. A statement produced. Then the 'Deposit' is 'withdrawn. Money into the account is only on paper.
Not sure if that's the way it still works but it's probably similar.
Sometimes when you read such stories even with a relatively long time as a resident in the country and with experiences from the mentioned ministry that are completely beyond all official rules and laws, one can wonder if we live here in 2022 or 1822. A official department most of us are taught from home to respect and obey and as probably most of us have to visit once a year if not more often and where we may be a little tense and nervous to visit even though after the book we basically have all documents in order and are otherwise law-abiding citizens By the way, no punch under the belt for foreigners who use the opportunity, they only follow the ministry's own unwritten rules.
hahuahin
Not all long stayers who chose the "agent" route are low income chancers. I know of a few reasonably well off stayers who chose this route as either they would prefer to keep the bulk of their money away from Thailand or can't be arsed with the hassle of dealing with bank statements etc with the income requirements plus the luxury of avoiding sitting in immigration and maybe dealing with an IO who's having a bad day and takes it out on you.
“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.”
― George Carlin
“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” -George Orwell.
There are also many people that don't live ten minutes away from the immigration office and so don't want to waste days and money driving back and forth because some trumped-up jobsworth doesn't like one of your photos or you're missing a bit of paper. Even with all of the legal requirements AND the money seeded in the bank, an agent can alleviate a lot of stress/hassle/aggro/extra demands that would otherwise be present for a few additional baht. It can be viewed as more of a "VIP/fast track service".
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
There is no set price. It varies depending on your situation, whether you have all the legal requirements, whether you need to borrow money, whether the money has been seeded, what visa type you're extending etc.
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Having just done my visa extension I can advise a little.
Depending on the agent and if they must deposit money for you it can range from 14k to 18k.
Personally I have money in the bank, so all I need is 15 minutes to get a letter from Kasikorn in Blue Port, print a map, provide 1 photo, copy of my insurance and get the lady at Immigration to copy my passport. Then it is the wait in Immigration and about 10 minutes at the desk.
For some this is too much hassle, personally I see it as very easy.
"Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you're going to be right." Muhammad Ali
When I did the agent thing we were living in Bang Saphan. As Buksida says above, a 2 hour drive to immigration and meet the wrong guy who wants something new, and the cost isn't so much. Since then I've done my own and not a rough process but only because I now live in HH
The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
That's right. 2 years ago I was minus an 'essential' document, which I'd have to go away to fetch. When I said I'd be back in 30 minutes, the document wasn't so important, and they managed without it. They expected me to moan, and come back another day.
StevePIraq wrote:Having just done my visa extension I can advise a little.
Depending on the agent and if they must deposit money for you it can range from 14k to 18k.
Personally I have money in the bank, so all I need is 15 minutes to get a letter from Kasikorn in Blue Port, print a map, provide 1 photo, copy of my insurance and get the lady at Immigration to copy my passport. Then it is the wait in Immigration and about 10 minutes at the desk.
For some this is too much hassle, personally I see it as very easy.
Why copy of insurance?
I've never been asked for that before.
Excuse my ignorance but do we have different visas?
StevePIraq wrote:Having just done my visa extension I can advise a little.
Depending on the agent and if they must deposit money for you it can range from 14k to 18k.
Personally I have money in the bank, so all I need is 15 minutes to get a letter from Kasikorn in Blue Port, print a map, provide 1 photo, copy of my insurance and get the lady at Immigration to copy my passport. Then it is the wait in Immigration and about 10 minutes at the desk.
For some this is too much hassle, personally I see it as very easy.
Why copy of insurance?
I've never been asked for that before.
Excuse my ignorance but do we have different visas?
I'm non-imm(retirement)
Which visa requires proof of health insurance?
I have travel insurance with £5 million cover
TIA
Sent from my M2007J20CT using Tapatalk
£5 million cover is a lot, however what is your excess and does it specifically cover Covid 19, which is the Thai requirement for an O-A visa, you can get 400k Baht cover for around 7,000Baht from LMG insurance with 200k excess and almost no chance of ever being able to claim for anything.
"Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you're going to be right." Muhammad Ali
StevePIraq wrote:Having just done my visa extension I can advise a little.
Depending on the agent and if they must deposit money for you it can range from 14k to 18k.
Personally I have money in the bank, so all I need is 15 minutes to get a letter from Kasikorn in Blue Port, print a map, provide 1 photo, copy of my insurance and get the lady at Immigration to copy my passport. Then it is the wait in Immigration and about 10 minutes at the desk.
For some this is too much hassle, personally I see it as very easy.
Why copy of insurance?
I've never been asked for that before.
Excuse my ignorance but do we have different visas?
I'm non-imm(retirement)
Which visa requires proof of health insurance?
I have travel insurance with £5 million cover
TIA
Sent from my M2007J20CT using Tapatalk
£5 million cover is a lot, however what is your excess and does it specifically cover Covid 19, which is the Thai requirement for an O-A visa, you can get 400k Baht cover for around 7,000Baht from LMG insurance with 200k excess and almost no chance of ever being able to claim for anything.
No excess and I'm not O-A
Btw chaps, are we sure that the immigration officers strictly follow the numbers system
I'm sure people try and blag their way ahead of the queue
I never see people being told to sit the **** down!
A official department most of us are taught from home to respect and obey and as probably most of us have to visit once a year if not more often and where we may be a little tense and nervous to visit even though after the book we basically have all documents in order and are otherwise law-abiding citizens 
By the way, no punch under the belt for foreigners who use the opportunity, they only follow the ministry's own unwritten rules. 
There are also many people that don't live ten minutes away from the immigration office and so don't want to waste days and money driving back and forth because some trumped-up jobsworth doesn't like one of your photos or you're missing a bit of paper. Even with all of the legal requirements AND the money seeded in the bank, an agent can alleviate a lot of stress/hassle/aggro/extra demands that would otherwise be present for a few additional baht. It can be viewed as more of a "VIP/fast track service".
