Our Story

1997: The Founding Legend

CP International was founded in 1997 by Khun Pip Panasbodi and Khun Chris Panasbodi. Both of our co-founders were previously international students and later migrants to Australia – meaning that they both understood the wonder, fear and excitement that came from arriving in a new country for the first time.

At the time, both were actively involved in the Thai community in Sydney, Australia. Through casual conversation with the then Royal Consul General of Thailand, Dr Chaiyong Satjipanont, whom had expressed concerns over many Thai students who came to study in Australia needing help and services for correct advice both for their education and visas, and there wasn’t an education agent who speaks Thai to help them. So the Consul General was very kind to encourage Khun Pip and Khun Chris to start up one in Sydney.

On Dr Satjipanont’s advice, Khun Pip and Khun Chris opened CP International – and we have since gone on to work with not just thousands of Thai clients but many more from all around the world.

From the very beginning, we have always believed that it is our job and duty to help people build better and brighter futures. To give our clients the opportunity to build a better life for themselves and their families. We’ve always been willing to help the disenfranchised, the illegal aliens, the people that no one else would help and had no one else to turn to – and to give them a chance to build a better future.

1999 to 2002: CP International Bangkok

In 1999, as a result of our high visa approval rate, CP International was appointed as an OTSA – On the Spot Visa Approval Agent by the Students Centre of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA – now the DHA).

After practicing in Sydney for 5 years, we discovered that a lot of our Australia-based clients came to see us with problems that originated from bad or out-of-date information and advice being given to them in Thailand. We wanted to give future clients better advice and a chance at a better, brighter future, so that they could achieve their education or migration outcomes faster, and with fewer issues.

So in 2002 we opened CP International Bangkok in Bangkok, Thailand with the blessings of Austrade, and an opening ceremony attended by Mr Michael Carney, the Australian Counsellor for Politics and Economics, on behalf of HE Miles Kupa, the Australian Ambassador to Thailand. We also received messages of congratulations from the Hon John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon Bob Carr, Premier of NSW and other prominent Australian leaders.

By opening an office in Thailand, our clients were able to talk to someone always – whether they were in Thailand, or in Australia. It also brought us closer to the hearts, hopes and dreams of the Thai people.

2004 to 2007: CP International Melbourne

CP International Melbourne

After 2 years of operating in Bangkok, in 2004, as a result of our continuing high visa approval rate and professionalism, we were appointed as one of the first 6 initial education agents in Thailand as Australian offshore Student e-visa Centre in Thailand, with training provided at our Bangkok office by DIAC officers from Canberra and Bangkok.

Back in Australia, we began noticing a trend of clients from Victoria flying up to Sydney to visit our office and seek advice. As a result of this, we decided to open CP International Melbourne in 2007, with our opening ceremony attended by Dr. Simon Wallace, the Honourable Thai Consul of Victoria. At the time, Melbourne was starting to gain attention as one of the most liveable cities and one of the best student cities in the world, and we felt that our clients needed a local and experienced presence to help them achieve their goals.

2008 to 2010: CP International Chiang Mai

In 2008 we opened CP International Chiang Mai in an effort to bring our professionalism, client service standards and get it done attitude to Northern Thailand.

Thai nationals from Northern Thailand have statistically always had higher visa refusal rates and we felt that with the correct advice, and eye for detail and better applications we could help reverse this trend – and give our clients more options and choices for a better, brighter future.

Alongside this, we signed additional partnerships with institutions and schools in the UK, USA, Canada and Singapore to give our clients and students more destination options.

2011 to 2018

In 2011 we moved CP International Bangkok and CP International Chiang Mai to new office locations – our Bangkok office being located in the trendy neighbourhood of Ari (Phaholyothin) and our Chiang Mai office being conveniently located behind Chiang Mai University.

We celebrated 20 years of helping our clients build better, brighter futures in 2017 with our 20-Year anniversary celebrations, hitting a milestone of over 15,000 study abroad, migration and language service clients and over 10,000+ successful visas granted.

We also recently celebrated 10 years of CP International Chiang Mai with the CP International Australian Education Fair, which was opened by Mr Ronald J Elliott, Honorary Consul of Australia in Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand.

Today

Today, CP International is a vibrant, thriving team of young and old professionals spread across 4 offices, all dedicated to helping our clients build better and brighter futures for themselves and their families.

If you think we can help you with your study abroad or migration matter, please contact us here.

If you think that you share our core values of Believing and Investing in Our People, Getting It Done, and Teamwork on a daily basis (read more about them here) and would like to join the CP International team, please apply here.