In a surprising move, the Immigration Bureau has announced that it will accept applications for Permanent Residence (PR) permits from September 1 to December 30, 2016, during office hours on any official working day. The annual PR application process is always an issue of great interest to foreign nationals who are eligible to seek PR permits, on the basis of having lived in Thailand on a non-immigrant visa for at least three years. In most years, the PR application process opens in December, so the early timing this year will be welcomed by PR applicants.