Thailand should welcome retirees

[Fred31]

17 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Yes, there are 3000 homeless people in Thailand compared to 550,000 in the USA.

 

 

What, only 550 000? There are more than that in England, of course they are mostly welfare scammers,  wink wink nod nod...........

Edited February 2, 2019 by Fred31

[Odysseus123]

3 minutes ago, balo said:

Interesting project. 

 

You only need around 20k US dollars to refurbish the homes.  Sicily , great food , sun , beaches. Maybe not very cheap but it's very beautiful there. And clean , fresh air from the Mediterranean . 

 

 

 

Sardinia..Corsica..but Sicily is great.

 

From the bishop's palace in Palermo you look south to a zillion square acres of citrus trees..the smell of lemon,thyme,lavender,basil etc is quite splendid..

[NoshowJones]

"together with a health insurance based on the costs of a public hospital".  It would be wrong to insist on health insurance the way things stand at present, what about existing health conditions that many retirees will have. is it going to be bye bye to them?

What about when they reach a certain age and no one will insure them? Is it bye bye again? The only way it will work is for insurance companies to be fair about their policies, and I don't think they are capable of that, or the Thai government to come up with some arrangement to suit these retirees, and I don't think they are capable of that either.

[bkkgriz]

19 hours ago, Brunolem said:

Retirees act like a natural fertilizer

Hey, how did you know that most of my friends are full of $hit? 

[Mavideol]

19 hours ago, jackdd said:

When you work you don't have time to spend money, so when you don't work you need more money ????

I worked had a lot of free time and spend 2 x more than I do now

[NoshowJones]

16 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Thailand does welcome retired people as long as they have 800,000 baht and health insurance. 

Or if your married 400,000 baht that's the way it is. 

As long as this 90 day reporting is going on with us being treated like criminals, Thailand does not welcome retired people.

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, Old Croc said:

I would think there are many, many more, who, before moving here understood that the visa conditions required 800k in the bank, and didn't consider that that money would also double as day to day living expenses.

In fact I don't understand how it can be used for both things. After meeting that condition, you still need to import money, over and above,  to live on.

If the 800k is used for expenses it must be replenished anyway. That is, unless it doesn't actually exist and is temporarily conjured up for the once-a-year purpose. To pay agents a fee to temporarily lend you that money is a scam, and I can understand why Immigration want to end this form of cheating.

I also don't like my money sitting idle in a bank, but know it is still mine, and regard it as an emergency fund if ever needed.

Virtually all countries place financial requirements on people wanting to live there long term, for good reason. Wide open borders attract criminals, beggars, scammers and other scum of the earth. I've had more Westerners trying to rip me off here than Thais, not talking small money.

As someone who understood the requirements, and made the effort to meet them, I don't have a great deal of sympathy for those who didn't. Although, I do get the anguish of people with families who have made their life in Thailand for many years and now find they may be in trouble. Perhaps there should be some sort of case by case exemption for these people.   

 

 

"and I can understand why Immigration want to end this form of cheating".  Really! Immigration are making a lot of money from it as are the agents.

[Mavideol]

1 hour ago, 300sd said:

It's principle in my opinion and I don't think they want us or like us much.

 

you just realized that now 555

[roo860]

Why would you come here if you had enough money to live in your home country?

Some posters split it between their home country and Thailand, having property in both locations.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Or considered that income could be accumulated in their home country while they comfortably lived off the  800k for 9 months in Thailand, and had money in their home country if they visited. 

When I first came to live in Thailand, all that was required was an every 90 day trip out of the country, I would think that a lot of retirees came here then and bought houses, raised Thai families, not suspecting that Thailand would eventually come up with more hoops to jump through for these same people.

Thailand has no thought for retirees at all apart from what they can get out of them, it is still the same old story.

They do not want us here, they just want our money.

[BritManToo]

56 minutes ago, balo said:

Interesting project. 

You only need around 20k US dollars to refurbish the homes.  Sicily , great food , sun , beaches. Maybe not very cheap but it's very beautiful there. And clean , fresh air from the Mediterranean . 

Having just worked my way through that site, classic bait and switch.

There are 17 properties listed, thousands of interested parties already registered, and each property will be sold to the highest bidder by sealed bids. So no 1 Euro properties, just an auction with no minimum bid.

Edited February 2, 2019 by BritManToo

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Why would you come here if you had enough money to live in your home country?

Because there are people who actually like the country and most of its people.

[roo860]

From the So what else is new? department:
 
The average Brit spends 10 months of their adult lifetime moaning about the weather, according to new research.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4564935/brits-spend-10-months-of-their-lifetime-complaining-about-the-weather/
 

And the new Tetley Sunshine Tea, a brew and sunshine without going out.
[emoji23]

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[FritsSikkink]

16 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

When I first came to live in Thailand, all that was required was an every 90 day trip out of the country, I would think that a lot of retirees came here then and bought houses, raised Thai families, not suspecting that Thailand would eventually come up with more hoops to jump through for these same people.

Thailand has no thought for retirees at all apart from what they can get out of them, it is still the same old story.

They do not want us here, they just want our money.

If you had money, you wouldn't have a problem staying here.

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, GalaxyMan said:

Thailand does welcome retirees, but they only want retirees that are NOT going to become a burden on their system. Can't blame them at all. They want high-quality (read monied) retirees, not people who can't afford to live in their own home countries. Might not seem fair if you're one of those who will be negatively impacted by this, but it's smart from their point of view. The real screaming is going to start when they add an insurance requirement to the game. It's only a matter of time, IMHO.

"not people who can't afford to live in their own home countries." So you really think that most retirees only live here because they cannot afford to live in their home countries?

i would bet that the biggest majority of retirees can afford to live in their own country, I can only speak for those who come from the UK.

They come here for the better weather,  their pensions go much further. There are many other reasons, that is just two of them.

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Why would you come here if you had enough money to live in your home country?

Better weather, less rules to keep on breaking, don't have to bother with this tax and that tax, don't

need a very expensive TV license etc, etc, etc, etc.

[Mavideol]

12 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

From the So what else is new? department:

 

The average Brit spends 10 months of their adult lifetime moaning about the weather, according to new research.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4564935/brits-spend-10-months-of-their-lifetime-complaining-about-the-weather/

 

that's why a lot of them moved to Thailand, weather is good.... but the moaning keeps going about the visa requirements

[NoshowJones]

12 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

If you had money, you wouldn't have a problem staying here.

Who said I had a problem staying here, or did not have money. Some people, honestly?

12 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

If you had money, you wouldn't have a problem staying here.

 

Edited February 2, 2019 by possum1931

[AlexRich]

They make a notable contribution to property development in Issan.

[Kwasaki]

47 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

As long as this 90 day reporting is going on with us being treated like criminals, Thailand does not welcome retired people.

I know the 90 day can be annoying for some but to say we are treated like criminals is an exaggeration.

As I would say " as long as " scumbags keep coming here it's needed.

[Jaxxper]

I think that they do welcome retirees, but only those that can prove they are financially stable, and can contribute to the Thai economy. If you can't or won't put up the Thb 800,000 ( Only £20 K even at the current low exchange rates) then probably best those individuals leave, or don't come. Sounds harsh, but it's reality.

To be clear, the Thb 800,000/400,000 is still yours, you just have to demonstrate that you have it.

[NoshowJones]

5 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

I know the 90 day can be annoying for some but to say we are treated like criminals is an exaggeration.

As I would say " as long as " scumbags keep coming here it's needed.

I agree about the need to keep scumbags out of the country, but surely there are ways of doing that without giving us decent retirees all the hassle of 90 day reports.

It is no exaggeration saying we are treated like criminals, there is no need to do this nonsensical reporting every 90 days, even once a year would be OK.

[Pattaya46]

6 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

It is no exaggeration saying we are treated like criminals, there is no need to do this nonsensical reporting every 90 days, even once a year would be OK.

It's exaggeration

For many of us this 90-Days report is just 3 minutes on a computer, up to 4 times a year.

I would complain about many other things before complaining about 90-Days reports...

[dbrenn]

I think people should think twice about moving to any country where they can only just meet the immigration requirements, and live there from one year to the next on temporary visas. Rules change all the time, so making sure that you can exceed the requirements by a very significant margin, before moving, would be a much better approach if you value peace of mind. 

 

Thinking that Thailand needs (or cares at all about) old farang geezers spending a couple of thousand bucks a month each is setting yourself up for a disappointment. Why do you think that the Elite visa was introduced?

 

[NoshowJones]

2 minutes ago, Pattaya46 said:

It's exaggeration

For many of us this 90-Days report is just 3 minutes on a computer, up to 4 times a year.

I would complain about many other things before complaining about 90-Days reports...

Really! That is very selfish thinking, it is about 60 Ks to my nearest IO. Most of the people who

think like you have an IO nearby.

[sirineou]

21 hours ago, Brunolem said:

Why would they need the equivalent of 2,000 USD per month, when more than a third of working Americans don't even earn that amount? 

I agree with most of what the OP said except for the above.

Americans who earn less than $2,000 per month are in their own country and enjoy social safety nets that an expat in Thailand does not. That's why IMO I think the requirements for a marriage extension is less than the requirements for a retirement extension .

  A Married expat has the support of his/hers family, much in the way that an American in the US has the support of his own country. 

Personally I don't think  requiring $500 a week income from someone retiring  in a foreign country with no social support system  is unreasonable. IMO anyone with less than that is not a retiree but an economic refugee.

[Pattaya46]

Just now, possum1931 said:

Really! That is very selfish thinking, it is about 60 Ks to my nearest IO. Most of the people who

think like you have an IO nearby.

No necessarily. I make my reports Online, no need to go to an Immigration Office.

Also many people who do it mail, and again not trip needed.

[connda]

Thailand should also welcome foreigners who marry and then support their spouses.  By the way, I wear two hats here: one as a retiree and another as a foreign man married to a Thai national.

 

Ironically, that's the way it works for foreigner females married to a Thai man.  And their is no expectation that the foreigner female even provide any support.  The onus of support is entirely on the Thai man, and the foreigner female spouse does not have to show any financial supporting documents in order to remain in Thailand until they die or choose to leave.  So essentially marrying a Thai man leads to permanent residency - as it should.

Foreign men married to a Thai national wife?  Lordy!  You are simply a walking ATM with the same status as a tourist and as such your stay is only year to year and can end on the whim of the Thai government.  I took my Thai wife and her family out of poverty, built them a good home which is the foundation for my wife's retirement, my son, and his children, provide for them, sent my stepson to private school, and paid off my family's debt in order to unburden them.  The money I bring is multiples of what the average indebted Thai earns.

But:

Foreign woman married to Thai man - good.
Foreign man married to Thai woman - bad (and you're probably married to game the immigration system as well).
That's the perception.  Even my own wife holds this perception, although it will be a sad day for her and the rest of my family if the Thai government eventually make it a bureaucratic nightmare to remain here, because the Thai perception is that we are all "Takers" who are potential criminals when if fact most of us are "Givers" who support our families as well as our communities.
Most other countries have their eyes open and see that both retirees and men supporting a native wife of the host country are net 'givers' who add to the economies and in the case of men married to native wives, raise the standard of living for their families. 
Why Thais can not wrap their collective heads around that concept boggles the mind.
Imho, given the trajectory of this stupidity, eventually this leads to an exodus of both retirees and men married to Thai women.  No doubt the exodus will be cheered and jeered on with glee by the elitists among the expat community who will join in a farewell banter of, "Don't let the door hit ya in your butts Cheap Charlies!" <laughs all around>.  But if those of us who support Thai families are forced out, well - there goes the support that has kept the wife and family solidly in the Thai middle-class and out of poverty and out of debt.  Then what? 

Do the math. 

[NoshowJones]

Just now, Pattaya46 said:

No necessarily. I make my reports Online, no need to go to an Immigration Office.

Also many people who do it mail, and again not trip needed.

Again, very selfish thinking, what about those whose IO does not allow you to do it by mail.

Not all IO offices have the same rules. This is Thailand.

[Nanaplaza666]

21 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

Daft.  You must not have read the most recent rules. It is because of the brown envelopes that all the recent hassle has started.  BJ is trying to get rid of the brown envelopes to his people without firing them ergo retirees suffer and pay the price because of the brown envelopes not because they want brown envelopes but because they want to rid the system of the brown envelopes.  So you are 100% in error nuff said wink wink.

Excuse me, but do you really think thailand will ever get rid of the brown envelope. you must be wink winking in your dreams.