Canadian Snowbird

12 hours ago, CANSIAM said:

True enough, Canada will have a Sikh PM soon......😉

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.

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.

11 hours ago, Karma80 said:

I don't think Europe/N America matters as much as it did to Thailand's tourism much now post covid. Things have changed. Look at the top arrival countries - China, Russia, India, Australia, Malaysia and so on. Many are not paying long haul prices for flights and Thailand remains very affordable.

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.

58 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Sounds just another post self entitled person.

 

My point was that you are very lucky to have the options that Thailand provides.

Example visa exempt entry.

 

Just chose a nearby country such as Vietnam.

Being Canadian you would require a Visa.

Currently only visa would be a single entry 30 day tourist visa.

 

Spare me sob story about border runs in a mini van. 

 

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.

18 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Don't understand your post.

Both options available.

The choice up to the individual.

 

Prior to METV you could buy a triple entry tourist visa.

Only difference is METV was required to be applied for in own country. 

The triple entry could be obtained in consulates eg Saigon.

 

Border visa exempt entries and hence allowing for border runs (2 per calendar year) is a godsend for many. 

 

So what's your compliant? 

Thailand offers too many options for tourists? 

 

 

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. 

On 11/19/2022 at 10:46 PM, Celsius said:

 

Yes, I understand that. I am just wondering if that means all the documents are approved or they may still ask for something.

Your guess on that one is as good as any other. I just received an email from the embassy saying I no longer need to resubmit on the 4 items they asked me to submit 34 days ago, 43 days after my original submission .... and my METV application is still pending. All I can do is shake my head.

19 hours ago, Celsius said:

Submitted on 9th. Pending approval since 15th? Does that mean they approved the documents or it really means nothing? 

It means no approval yet. Pending means they still haven't gotten around to it. 

4 hours ago, Des1 said:

An update if anyone is interested.

I just received (finally) my METV from the Thai Embassy in Ottawa.

How they managed to send it to me at 3 a.m Monday morning in Ottawa I have no idea.

They told me in a previous email they have received MANY visa requests, thus the delay.

I started the process Oct. 01, on the 12th they requested more information on my travel plans.

 

This, I think, is what confused many of us. They wanted a PDF document. I think now it did not matter the content, just the document format to plug into their system.

 

They never replied to emails saying documents had been received, so we were left wondering. They should have, like other embassies, acknowledged receipt of information.

 

Oh well. lesson learned.

Good to hear and thanks for the update. I'm still waiting for mine so that makes me hopeful it may finally come through in the next week. Not sure what the problem has been, but they've sure messed things up for some of us.

29 minutes ago, d4dang said:

Try the Vancouver Consulate. 

A little late for that now. My flight leaves in less than 60 hours.

25 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

yes, however it was incorrectly reffered to as "visa-on-

 

it's not semantics, the two are completely different visa classes. you don't become a seasoned traveller by pretending such details are unimportant.  

 

but if you want to continue being ignorant and call a spade a shovel then be my guest...

Its semantics to me; and ignorance is bliss if it helps me ignore the always correct crowd always looking for the opportunity to put others down. Have a nice day. 

1 minute ago, kwonitoy said:

What city are you from or close to? A consulate might be a better choice

I found the Ottawa Thai embassy to be slow same as you

I've used the thai consulate in Edmonton before, but I see that they've closed shop

Vancouver and Toronto have them though

I'm in Kingston, which is closer to Ottawa. I used the Toronto consulate about 6 years ago and they sent my passport back through the wrong courier company and barely got it in time for that trip, so haven't been back since. 

1 minute ago, Lemsta69 said:

@Onerakis spot on, Canadians are not eligible for Visa On Arrival. VOA is not the same as Visa Exempt. a seasoned traveller should know this!

Semantics. Some seasoned travellers are accustomed to having a visa in hand before departure and don't pay much attention to what its called for arriving without one. 

32 minutes ago, Des1 said:

Not sure what you are saying .. visa exempt can be with extension = 75 days. So a border run after that ( before march deadline) for another visa exempt, with extension = another 75 days.

 

Total: 150 days .. not six months

This is considering immigration will even let you in again.

Do I have this wrong?

You have it correct, Onerak has it wrong. You've obviously already arrived from Canada on a "visa-on-arrival", so he obviously has that wrong too. Apparently, maximum of 2 border runs per calendar year too, so depending on your length of stay, you may want to consider doing one of those border runs this calendar year.