Canadian Snowbird

Like he** we will. He'll be out along with the liberal drama queen.

Pretty sad state of affairs when you have to wear a rain poncho on the motorbike just to go out for dinner. I had planned on leaving April 11 just to avoid the nonsense. If they move it forward to April 1, I will not be a happy tourist.

Yes, but that only gives you 30 days plus 1 extension. For 5.5 months you need an METV and are required to do border runs every 60 days.

Thailand better send some additional help to the Thai Embassy in Ottawa if they are serious about attracting more long haul Canadians. I come for 5.5 months during the winter stretch but the past 2 years it has taken 7 to 8 weeks to get an METV, which is ridiculous. I was so P.O.'d this year with all the BS they require and the length of time they sit on your application before processing, that I've been seriously considering spending my winters elsewhere starting next year. Someone at TAT better clue in the Immigration people that they need to streamline and simplify the visa process if they seriously want to encourage more long haul tourists because the current process is becoming a huge deterrent.

It used to be fairly simple to get an METV prior to covid for those of us who prefer to spend our winters here. The evisa system, however, seems to be serving more as a big deterrent to spending more than a few weeks in Thailand. You have to pay for your flights and put a deposit up front for a condo rental. They want a copy of all of your bank activity for 3 months, which is extremely intrusive. Some embassies will take their sweet time before they will even look at your application, and they don't seem to care if you have to pay extra to change your flights or pay on a condo you can't get too if they do not issue your visa in time to make your flights. The entire experience is becoming such a frustrating hassle that for many of us, Thailand is quickly losing its attraction as a winter destination. Maybe it will start to sink in when they cannot fill up all the condos they have overbuilt, or keep the golf courses open because the golfers have gone elsewhere.

They better hope their evisa program is working more efficiently in other countries than through the thai embassy in Ottawa if they expect to see those kind of arrivals. 4.5 weeks now since application and still no word. You can't even access the evisa site at the moment because it's down for maintenance.

I sure hope you are applying for your visa through the Vancouver Consulate and not the Thai Embassy in Ottawa. A friend of mine recently got his visa through the Vancouver Consulate in 1 week. I applied through the Ottawa Embassy back on Sept 26 and I'm still waiting. My flight is in 2 more days. The same thing happened last year and I had to fly in on a visa exempt. It took 5 to 6 weeks to get my visa last year. The problem ... they keep moving the goal posts and extending the time they say they need to process after you have made your application. I'm going to have to seriously consider moving back to BC next year, or try a different winter destination.

How about a similar visa free for those from the east side of Canada. Waiting for over 4 weeks now and still no METV via the Thai Embassy in Ottawa, yet only a 1 week turnaround through the Thai Consulate in Vancouver. I have a number of friends who have cancelled plans to spend 3 months in Thailand because of the hassles and up-front costs of the evisa program and the uncertainty of getting their METV in time for their flights. Two years in a row and the Thai Embassy in Ottawa keep moving the goal posts. Last year their website said 10 business days at time of application, then doubled it to 20 after application submission. It took 6 weeks to get that METV. This year it said 20 business days at time of application, and now up to 25 after application submission. My expected approval time this year .... maybe 8 weeks if lucky. So much for Thailand being a good winter destination for snowbirds.

The embassy in Ottawa has posted 20 business days turn around time on their website. I applied Sept 26 and waiting, but its only been 7 business days so far. I fly out Oct 29 so hoping it arrives this time. Last year I had to arrive on a visa arrival and finally received my evisa 3 weeks after I landed. Ended up costing me the price of an extra extension of stay to finish my trip.

Tell that to the golf course owners in Thailand. It's not the tourists from China, Russia or Malaysia that go there to play golf.

If international flight prices remain where they are today, it will be a dismal high season for Thailand because people will change or cancel their plans. I like to spend my winters in Thailand but had to pay an 80% increase last year and currently facing prices 280% higher than pre-covid.

I recently had to apply for a 30 day extension. Took the lady friend with me to the Jomtien IO just hoping to pick up the correct form to take home and apply when I had everything together. It was an absolute <deleted>-show, long cues and very hot. No directional information to assist, and they wouldn't let anyone in the building, they made you stand in the cue. My Thai lady friend simply tried to ask how we could just get the form and come back another time. The guy was young and extremely rude to her. So I said to hell with it and contacted the agent I normally do visa runs with. 1,900 baht IO fee and 2,100 baht agent fee. They did all the paper work. All I had to do was follow their guy to the Jomtien IO, then follow him in through the side door. He took me up to a specific booth inside and handed them a piece of paper (I'm assuming they had submitted everything on-line). Then the guy in the booth took my picture to confirm it was me .... easy peasy, in and out in 2 minutes. Let's face it, they are set up to make life frustrating for you so you will spend the extra money to hire an agent. It's all about employment generation and greasing the wheels Thai style.

I'll be happy to spare you any further sob stories when you get a real life that goes beyond criticising other people's posts.

Read my post again and maybe you will understand. My complaint is having to risk one's life spending 6 to 7 hours in a van on Thailand's hwy's while doing a border run. That should be simple enough for the average person who has ever done one to understand.

Too bad Thailand wouldn't change the METV and get rid of the border runs. They had a good idea going during the covid period years with the special tourist visa ... good for 90 days, then another 90 days by way of extension at the local immigration office. That would be a huge improvement for us snowbirds from northern countries trying to escape winter for 5 to 6 months then returning to our home countries each year. I for one am sick and tired of putting my life on the line spending 6 to 7 hours in those commuter vans to do a border bounce to Cambodia and back twice each winter.