Th Latest Night Mare, you need to read.

More like a dream come true than a nightmare, to me anyway.

[Patexpat]

seems straight forward to me .... if you want to stay here legally long term, get the right visa, surely?

seems straight forward to me .... if you want to stay here legally long term, get the right visa, surely?

One would think so.

The problem is mainly the guys who do not come into the retirement VISA domain, under 50s or do not have the money to get a Thai retirement VISA and usually, for what ever reason, go to any where they can purchase a Multi 2/3 month Visa with with extension.

You know there are other people in Thailand than you two, with different reasons not to pay for a years visa, like the fair back to their home Country ever year. May be.

No excuse, visas are for a reason, abide by induvidual countries immigration laws and you won't have a problem. Why should Thailand relax their regulations for certian individuals when other counties do not?.....

:cheers:

How can you relax a law that has been in force since the year dot. :hello1:

It was a question not a statement idiot.........


:cheers:

The problem is mainly the guys who do not come into the retirement VISA domain, under 50s or do not have the money to get a Thai retirement VISA ...


The reason that Thailand wants people to stay here long term, or at least the main reason, is that those people will spend money here and not take employment from Thais. So they want over 50's with money in the bank or an adequate income. Thailand isn't running a refugee camps for people who want to live on the cheap or come here to live off some illegal employment.

Everybody can't have everything they want in life and it isn't up to the Thai authorities to be welfare workers for the world.

[cdnmatt]

The reason that Thailand wants people to stay here long term, or at least the main reason, is that those people will spend money here and not take employment from Thais. So they want over 50's with money in the bank or an adequate income.

Then why don't they offer an entrepreneurial or self-employment visa as well? There's tons of people in my shoes who make in excess of say 200,000 baht per month (ie. we're not poor bums looking for a cheap place to live), can work anywhere in the world, and would prefer to live somewhere like Thailand instead of their home countries.

There is a 3 year non-immigrant visa that mentions self-employment though:

http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2482.php?id=2498

The restrictions seem very simple, but yet quite vague. From what that states, all I have to do is shift some contract work over to a few Thai firms, and voila, I get a 3 year non-immigrant visa. I can't possibly see it being that simple though. Considering I don't quality for a 1 year non-immigrant, can't see how I'd quality for a 3 year. Who knows, still have to talk to some immigration lawyers about it all.

[zinzone]

[quote="Bottoms Up":501ebgbr]The problem is mainly the guys who do not come into the retirement VISA domain, under 50s or do not have the money to get a Thai retirement VISA ...


The reason that Thailand wants people to stay here long term, or at least the main reason, is that those people will spend money here and not take employment from Thais. So they want over 50's with money in the bank or an adequate income. Thailand isn't running a refugee camps for people who want to live on the cheap or come here to live off some illegal employment.

Everybody can't have everything they want in life and it isn't up to the Thai authorities to be welfare workers for the world.[/quote:501ebgbr]


-Agree with this quote. Only have to look around Pattaya to see the amount of penniless losers !

[zinzone]

The reason that Thailand wants people to stay here long term, or at least the main reason, is that those people will spend money here and not take employment from Thais. So they want over 50's with money in the bank or an adequate income.

Then why don't they offer an entrepreneurial or self-employment visa as well? There's tons of people in my shoes who make in excess of say 200,000 baht per month (ie. we're not poor bums looking for a cheap place to live), can work anywhere in the world, and would prefer to live somewhere like Thailand instead of their home countries.

There is a 3 year non-immigrant visa that mentions self-employment though:

http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2482.php?id=2498

The restrictions seem very simple, but yet quite vague. From what that states, all I have to do is shift some contract work over to a few Thai firms, and voila, I get a 3 year non-immigrant visa. I can't possibly see it being that simple though. Considering I don't quality for a 1 year non-immigrant, can't see how I'd quality for a 3 year. Who knows, still have to talk to some immigration lawyers about it all.

Well then talk to some immigration lawyers instead of whinging on here. Get an investment visa or just return to your own country and stop boring us with your complaints.

[cdnmatt]

Love you too, sweetheart. :-)

Then why don't they offer an entrepreneurial or self-employment visa as well?

Because they imagine anything you can do some Thai can do or if not some entrepreneurial Thai should employ you to do it. They see no obligation to set up a level playing field for the whole world in their country.

With respect to the thread title, since I only visit Thailand as a short-term tourist and will probably qualify for a retirement visa, why do I "need" to read this BTW. Can't see the nightmare.

You mean that ne'erdowell "ajarn" are being harassed? My heart bleedeth.

[luvthai-2]

For people newly arrived in thailand the new restrictions won't have much importance but for the expats that have for years relied on the over the border extensions this has been a nightmare. Many have wives and children and homes and have been able to get by with just a small pension every month. Most of these people have been uprooted and had their familes split because they don't have the financial income that is now required. Expats with family should have been given some sort of consideration. It isn't right to just up and change everything on the ones that have lived in thailand all this time.

[Beachlover]

The reason that Thailand wants people to stay here long term, or at least the main reason, is that those people will spend money here and not take employment from Thais. So they want over 50's with money in the bank or an adequate income.

Then why don't they offer an entrepreneurial or self-employment visa as well? There's tons of people in my shoes who make in excess of say 200,000 baht per month (ie. we're not poor bums looking for a cheap place to live), can work anywhere in the world, and would prefer to live somewhere like Thailand instead of their home countries.

There is a 3 year non-immigrant visa that mentions self-employment though:

http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2482.php?id=2498

The restrictions seem very simple, but yet quite vague. From what that states, all I have to do is shift some contract work over to a few Thai firms, and voila, I get a 3 year non-immigrant visa. I can't possibly see it being that simple though. Considering I don't quality for a 1 year non-immigrant, can't see how I'd quality for a 3 year. Who knows, still have to talk to some immigration lawyers about it all.

cdnmatt.... let us know how you go with that will you? I might join you sometime...

So basically, the idea is you have to be doing business with someone in Thailand? For you, this shouldn't be impossible... there's lots of development labs in Thailand.

Do you have to have your own company set up in Thailand? Be paying Thai company tax?

There is a 3 year non-immigrant visa .....The restrictions seem very simple ..... Considering I don't quality for a 1 year non-immigrant, can't see how I'd quality for a 3 year.

If you can read English, which the website is written in, it is simple. Either you qualify or you don't - obviously you don't, from everything you have written previously, nor is this type of visa aimed at your type of profession. This visa does not entitle you to stay for 3 years - it is valid for 3 years and entitles you to stay for 90 days at a time. If you cannot get a 1 year non-immigrant O or B visa (valid for 1 year and entitling you to stay for 90 days at a time, which you would therefore need to renew every 15 months (usually in Canada/UK/USA/Australia/NZ) you must be doing something wrong. I did this for a long time before I was old enough to get a Long Stay / "Retirement" visa extension without any problems at all.



... for the expats that have for years relied on the over the border extensions this has been a nightmare. Many have wives and children and homes and have been able to get by with just a small pension every month..... Expats with family should have been given some sort of consideration.

"Small"? Just how small do you mean? If you are legally married to a Thai you only need half the amount you need if you are single and over 50: 400,000 baht in the bank or 32,500 baht a month pension/income, or a combination of the two (200,000 in the bank & 16,250 a month, etc). If they had been married "for years", before the latest increase, the amount would be even smaller (250,000 in the bank, etc). Just how much more "consideration" do you want?