My retirement visa dream

Lacessit · February 8, 2019

Channelling Martin Luther King, I had a dream.

I dreamed 90 day reports were abolished. Retirees are not peripatetic nomads, we like to settle in one spot. Like sex, once a year should be enough.

I dreamed the seasoning rules were scrapped. One only needed to show a balance of 800,000 baht once per year in the extension cycle. People using the income method only had to show an AVERAGE income from overseas of 65000 baht/month.

I dreamed people who were married to a Thai were given 5 year visas after they have stayed together for 5 years. They've proved they are in for the long haul.

I dreamed the cost of a 5-year Thai Elite visa was reduced to 200,000 baht. That's still a profit to Thailand of about 160,000 baht per visa. Any marketer will tell you it's better to sell 100,000 units at a price of $1, than 20,000 of the same units at a price of $3. I dreamed the extra money would be used to increase the pay for IO's.

I dreamed the paperwork was simplified to one page and a photograph, with biometric scans. I dreamed visa agents found something more productive to do, like planting rice. Or were outlawed.

I dreamed Immigration officers were so grateful for the reduction of their workload, they smiled happily as they applied the stamps in my passport. I dreamed one could make an appointment, and the process was cut to 10 minutes per applicant.

I dreamed hospital insurance was compulsory. 30,000 baht a year. Government hospitals only, emergency treatment for accident, heart attack, stroke only.

Stabilise or die. If stabilised, go back to your country of origin. Any profits to increase nursing staff pay.

Of course, then I woke up. Cue the wailing Greek chorus of Hanrahans.