[Schmeen]

My visa and work permit are one year at a time. I do not have to leave Thailand ever if I do not want to.

Mine is all sorted in Bangkok, through my companies head office, lareg company, lot of clout, (that's not to say my visa's etc are any longer than anyone elses.)

Phuket is THE most corrupt immigration office around, they put obstacles in the way that just DO NOT exist. In Bangkok, there is none of this nonsense.

The WP process goes like this. Sign lots of bits of paper. My boss signed over 350 and I signed over 200. Apply. Wait. Collect it, and it is valid for 1 month. Then a month later, you go again and it gets extended for 1 month. and again, but after 3 months it is extended by 9 to make 1 year.

After that the next year I think you get 1 month extension, then 11 to make it one year. Then third year it is a year at a time.

I'm glad someone else is paid to do it for me.

They are issued by the Department of Employment, which is the correct place. It is definately not an immigration issue.

There is a bit of a myth amongst people that are not really legit here that it cannot be done. It's a bot of "If I can't, nobody can". This is nonsense.

It is possible to get permanent residency. Hell I even know two British guys with UK passports, and there are a few Americans I've heard of as well. Look at the society pages in the Bangkok Post, plenty of well respected farangs pictured there, and particularly in Bangkok where I spend a lot of time, there are many successful farangs in business.