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.Originally Posted by colmx
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
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