Frequent, keep talking like this and I'm in danger of growing fond of you.
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Frequent, keep talking like this and I'm in danger of growing fond of you.
Of course obtaining a Schengen visa isn't as easy as a foreigner obtaining a free visa exempt stamp in Thailand. Not by a long shot actually. I have obtained schengen visas for two Lao guys (my boyfriend x6, his brother x1) and one Thai lady (4x) and whilst it isn't all that difficult, it is still much more difficult than getting a visa exempt stamp (which basically only requires you to show up at the border with a passport) or obtaining a Thai tourist visa, which is as easy as filling in the form, attaching a passport photo and pay 1000 baht.
Going the sponsor route is most definitely the easiest way to obtain such a visa for a Thai/Lao citizen, as the burden of proof of income does not lie with the applicant but with the sponsor.
If you are afraid to go this route due to concerns about the guy doing a runner, maybe you should not even bother in the first place.
If you decide to go the non sponsorship route, Good luck, he needs to provide proof of funds and each Schengen country can and sometimes does apply their own rules, for the Netherlands, it is currently 34 euro per day, so for a 90 day trip for instance, this means 3060 euro. I see a much bigger risk in sending your guy this kind of money, It is pretty save to say he will probably never make it into any Schengen country, at least not to visit you.
There are a few more things the applicant needs to provide proof for, like letter of employer in case of a job, but the biggest hurdle will be the financial requirements. And making the appearance the applicant is actually going to leave Schengen after the 90 days is up. As such there isn't all that much difference between Schengen and Canada :)
Your info is hopelessly outdated. Quite a few Schengen countries now use VFS Global, so no applicant is going to ever set foot in any of those embassies you mentioned. They all need to go to the Trendy building on Sukhumvit soi 13. And that farang in tow isn't even allowed into the area where the applicant needs to apply for the visa.
And at least for the Netherlands, it is not as easy to just sign some form as "sponsor". In fact, such a form has to be obtained IN THE NETHERLANDS, prior to application, legalized by the municipality with the intended applicant name on that form. This form has to be completed and paid for by the sponsor, who of course has to show identification prior to legalization. So getting a boy out of a bar and then applying as sponsor on the very same trip isn't even possible. And this procedure was in place back in 2006 when my boyfriend first applied for a Schengen visa, and was still in place a few months ago when I helped a Thai lady apply for a schengen visa.
Incidentially, no-one is picking up their passports anymore either, for the Netherlands, they are send to the Dutch embassy in KL and mailed back to the applicant to their home address, and this process can take anywhere from one to two weeks, depending on luck.
It is most definitely not easier to get a Schengen visa for a Thai, then it is for me to obtain a visa to Vietnam. It beats me how any sane person can claim that, unless they have no clue about the proces, which shines right through in your post !
Yes when you are guarentee it is easy. But that means all costs he makes will be billed to you. If he crosses the street, doesn't pay attention and a car crashes you have to pay (your insurance only covers you, not your friend). If he decides to stay in Europe illegally and run away all government effort to find him will be billed to you. And there are so many things that can happen.
So it is quite a risk to be guarentee. Yes with guarentee it is easy indeed.
I think most farang sponsors aren't aware of these risks. One bad thing not under your control, and they could have a big financial debt because of them being guarentee. So is it a fair world where dumb people who don't think about the risk get the boy back home, and people who think and decide - knowing about the risks - to not do it, do not end up with a boy at home? Is this fair that dumb people have a happier life this way? They don't realize the risk and enjoy their boy back home and of course in 90% of cases all goes fine. But 10% is not a low risk, so the smarter person ends up without a boy. Life is unfair.
Oh my !
One would have thought if the boy gets involved in a car crash as a pedestrian, the mandatory travel insurance would cover it no questions asked. The risks you state are so remote (especially if one actually knows the applicant, and I would surely hope that to be the case... ) that they aren't even worth mentioning.
It is also good to know that cost incurred that might not be covered by the insurance is up to 10.000 euro per year maximum, The person that ends up without a boy because he thinks the risks you mention are too big, isn't really a smart person, and in more than one ways apparently...
Tell me more of that 10.000 EUR max. If something happens then I need to pay max 10.000 EUR? Or I need to pay max 10.000 EUR each year thereafter?
per calendar year for a maximum of 5 years. most people just leave in 90 days like they are supposed too !