@Troels *****

My agent and her husband are friends. They live in the same building as me.

With such questions it sounds like a good time to get a Visa agent involved to lay out a course of action.

@David ******

Not really lazy and not entirely incompetent, as I think I have a pretty good handle on a quite satisfying lifestyle. I'm surprised how fast the days go by with my several projects underway each day. And because my office hours are based on US time, yes, I'm pretty busy throughout the night too!

@Glen *******

Agreed; we all have different perspectives and priorities.

@Glen *******

The agent can facilitate opening the bank account but then it should be your own money deposited to avoid any problems. It doesn't bother me that my 800k is in a Thai bank not earning the interest as a my home country as it's not big money. It's the Thailand cost of living.

@Trav *********

Here's my thinking: I make money while I'm sleeping thru my various income streams, which more than covers the Visa agent costs. On the other hand, I've never found a way to make time. So the money spent allows me to optimize my time; that's not throwing money away at all.

@Kim *********

I hear ya... and agree. I procured a really excellent agent who facilitated setting up the bank account for me, where I then supplied my own funds. I've maintained the required balance fully on my own ever since. She also did help immensely with the time spent at immigration; most of it was setting in the coffee shop while she worked her magic. Thus I have nothing but positive experiences with the Visa agent method.

@David ******

Visa agent is the way to go. Saves time and stress. I'll always use my agent for anything immigration related.

No. You can choose whomever you wish. I really like mine so I use her for everything, but not mandatory.

@Mike *****

I wouldn't say I'm uncaring about finances. But I put a high value on my time. If I can outsource tasks to other people that know far more about it than I do, I will do it without question, especially since it's not expensive.