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As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing "Sponsored Work Permits". This has been a topic in a number of videos I have done, and the notion that, I have heard it said: "if you want to live freely in Thailand use a "sponsored work permit." 

Well let's go ahead and define freely. If you are using a "sponsored work permit" which in my opinion is fraudulent; it is Immigration fraud because this notion of a "sponsored work permit" is basically where a Company that really doesn't have anything to do with you basically just gets you a Work Permit under their corporate umbrella but you are just operating out on your own or you may just be paying for it, just buying it essentially or renting it as they say. We have seen direct problems with "Sponsored Work Permits". It is Immigration fraud; it is labour fraud but another thing that I don't think people quite understand is they say "well you know, if I don't get caught, not everybody gets caught, I can just live freely in Thailand." Well in point of fact issues associated with your corporate sponsor can have tremendous implications on your day to day life. For example if you need to deal with your taxes, well your corporate sponsor needs to provide that documentation so you can keep your personal taxes in order. How willing are they to do that? And, are they going to charge you an arm and a leg to go ahead and just provide basic documentation? Meanwhile, where you may be trying to get things like a Thai driving license, other documentation that gives you more ease of living, convenience of living in Thailand, look that is very much contingent upon things like your Work Permit and certain documents associated with your Work Permit. So here again, you are at the behest, you are beholden to your "sponsor". How free is that? My opinion - not very, to say nothing of the Immigration and Labour Department fraud implications. You are beholden to somebody else for all your documentation. 

Now compare this to in my opinion a far superior method, which is if you are looking to do business in Thailand maintain a small business; maintain one's own company and go ahead and use that as a vehicle for maintenance of a Work Permit and Visa and you have control of your own documents because it is your Company. You have presumably if you are a Director of your own Company, you can access those documents as and when it is necessary. 

So again, "Sponsored Work Permits" are problematic for a number of different reasons but just as a practical matter, the notion that there is a lot of freedom associated with these documents, I think that notion is rather dubious at best.