hemanrcr

chooka, on 2011-12-22 10:03:12, said:

STATUS

You can work with a PR--in fact your process to obtain a work permit at the Labour Dept goes smoother.

I have been a Permanent Resident for 6 years. You must be able to read and speak Thai --besides all the documentation you must take a written test in Thai which asks questions like the colors of the flag and the King's birthday. Then you must tell your life story and introduce your family--all in Thai--which is videotaped. There are no guarantees--why would there be? Once you are in the Permanent Resident section only Thai is spoken, so you better be able to converse on a general level. In addition to the requirements listed in the official documentation--which is on various legal websites--they have a point system to give you points for your financial status, education levels, if you are a business owner--the size of your business and number of staff you employ, any recommendations or sponsorship by politicians/important people, any charity or volunteer work you have done, or any other qualification that you have that they would consider beneficial to Thailand.

As they say, if you don't like it............

captspectre, on 2011-12-22 16:50:28, said:

Incorrect---you need to renew your red book every 5 years at the Police District. You're only interaction with Immigration is if you want to leave the country and get a Re-Entry Visa

I have been a Permanent Resident for 6 years now. You have to follow all the official procedures for documentation and then take a written  test in Thai with simple questions like  what are the colors of the flag etc and then an oral presentation by you in Thai which is videotaped  describing your life and introduce your family etc.  There is a point system, and in addition to the minimal filing requirements you get points for your financial status, sponsorship by political or well known people, work with charities or volunteer work, if you have a business, how many Thai staff you employ  etc etc. They will only speak Thai with you at that section of Immigration, so if you can't read and speak Thai well don't even bother. The vast majority of the people are rejected, and it is a good soruce of income for them.