Why are people staying in Thailand when then can't meet TI's financial requirements?

[EVENKEEL]

4 minutes ago, checkered flag said:

Taxes in California killed it for me. Gas taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, car taxes. Plus I'd have to pay Calif income taxes. I'm glade to be gone. 

I've been a Nev resident for years as I worked overseas, I pay property taxes on 4 properties but I like Calif just not the inhabitants. But understand your sentiment.

[thaibeachlovers]

3 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

I did as well when I was 30, but worked hard and got back on track. I don't consider myself privileged, never lived beyond my means. Never had a new car, didn't eat out, no Starbucks, worked as a Merchant Seaman for 20 yrs. away from home, no I'm not  privileged but understand my position is better than many. I have a friend back home who at age 63 can't stop working and won't until his health forces him to stop.

I have enough for life's basics and something put aside for emergencies, but I don't have a house. I could have bought one after working in Saudi, but never wanted a future wife to steal another one that I put everything into.

Now, however I do wish I'd given the money to my sister to buy one for me, and strict instructions to never let any future wife know it was mine. My life would be a lot better if I had my own place already, as cost of houses in NZ means that it's impossible for any but the rich to buy one.

[sandyf]

46 minutes ago, checkered flag said:

According to them you probably over invested in real estate. They used to teach in the west that real estate was always your greatest asset. It's not necessarily true in Thailand, and resells are often difficult. My wife's friend just sold her place for 50% of the cost to build (cement house). Teak houses hold there value better because they can be dismantled and sold for the wood (esp old houses). It can take years to sell a house especially if built to western standards and are better than the neighbourhood will bear.

Investment and value have nothing to do with it, it is about having somewhere to live.

Two people have the same gross income, one pays rent and the other lives rent free, in reality who has the greater income?

As for my personal situation, I don't see my house as having any value. I have occupied it for almost 11 years and would say it had paid for itself a few years back.

[transam]

15 hours ago, JTXR said:

Can Google tell me the meaning of "to pull someone's leg" as well?

https://www.google.com/search?q=pull+someone's+leg+meaning&rlz=1C1GCEA_enTH899TH899&oq=to+pull+someones+leg%2C+mea&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0l5.13329j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[thaibeachlovers]

13 hours ago, Eindhoven said:

What if the fellow has invested millions in a home, but has an income of 60,000 baht per month?

He has to go back to his former home country? Idiocy.

IMO that person hadn't done sufficient research to know it was a bad idea to invest millions in a home that he could never own, and if his situation changed he might have to go home.

It's not like things haven't changed significantly many times in the past few decades.

 

IMO the fault lies with the naive person that thinks things will never change and acts as though they have a right to live in LOS, when they do not.

 

It is the right of Thais to set whatever requirements they like, just as it is the right of other countries to stop Thai girlfriends visiting the boyfriend's home country because they can't satisfy the imm. officer that they will leave.

[pineapple01]

5 minutes ago, transam said:

https://www.google.com/search?q=pull+someone's+leg+meaning&rlz=1C1GCEA_enTH899TH899&oq=to+pull+someones+leg%2C+mea&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0l5.13329j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Not on Your Nellie has always baffled me. Brits dream up some weird stuff

[thaibeachlovers]

2 minutes ago, pineapple01 said:

Not on Your Nellie has always baffled me. Brits dream up some weird stuff

Google is your friend. Explained right at the top of first page.

[sandyf]

44 minutes ago, checkered flag said:

Decent people don't get hit with corruption bribes unless they are in a seedy place, IMO. I have a longer experience in Thailand than most and have never been hit up for a bribe.

Your IMO is wrong and all I can say is you have been fortunate, every chance that corruption in the various entities varies from province to province. Also it may no longer exist where it once was, and vice versa.

[thaibeachlovers]

13 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Investment and value have nothing to do with it, it is about having somewhere to live.

Two people have the same gross income, one pays rent and the other lives rent free, in reality who has the greater income?

As for my personal situation, I don't see my house as having any value. I have occupied it for almost 11 years and would say it had paid for itself a few years back.

However, if you were married and your wife divorced you and you lost the house 10 years ago, which of the two of you would be better off now?

Life's a gamble and you just happened to win that time.

[luckyluke]

13 hours ago, Eindhoven said:

What if the fellow has invested millions in a home, but has an income of 60,000 baht per month?

Spending big/small money, in Thailand, for whatever, is a choice.

Complying to the laws and rules of Immigration is a necessity to be able to get the permission to stay for a laps of time,

despite the laws and rules may appear as being stupid/unrealistic.

 

 

[jaideedave]

1 hour ago, mokwit said:

The rule is that if you come here with a nest egg, by hook or by crook she'll get it. The people who have lived here for years are on defined benefit pensions.

mokwit: I'm a good example of a retiree on a defined benefit pension. I worked at a stinking pulp mill for 30 years in Canada. I retired as soon as I could at 55 but took a big hit of 25% on the pension.

<deleted>ty conditions but now I'm thankful for what I get.At 3% I would need to have 700 k in the bank to equal my pension.I'm one of the lucky ones here I see it all the time.So many guys here with 0 or next to no income. DB pensions are slowly being eliminated. "Fat dumb and happy" Dave

[kingdong]

1 hour ago, checkered flag said:

Life in most areas of Thailand can be very comfortable on 65K baht/mo. As you said, the US would be quite a bit more with less comforts. 

Thai life is very comfortable for me.

i,me myself,how wonderful it is that you personally are doing ok and long may it continue,however in the meantime perhaps you might consider sparing a thought for those not as lucky as you.

[BritManToo]

13 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

It is the right of Thais to set whatever requirements they like, just as it is the right of other countries to stop Thai girlfriends visiting the boyfriend's home country because they can't satisfy the imm. officer that they will leave.

Would agree with you, but Thais have almost no rights or say in anything.

"It's the right of General Prayut to set whatever requirements he likes"

is more accurate IMHO.

Edited August 8, 2020 by BritManToo

[redwood1]

14 hours ago, checkered flag said:

Sorry you're offended. I've never tried to show off what I have, but as having more in Thai society has obligations to help those in need. I never make a big deal of it and usually ask someone else to do the giving.

That being said, foreigners without sufficient means to meet legal requirements have no business living in Thailand.

Checkered flag.......I think I need to go take a shower now to wash off all the dirt I have accumulated from having to read all your endless boring, self righteous, smug, comments in this thread......

 

I got a message for you Cheap Charlies Lives matter....

 

If the Thais would just kick out the smug rule-following farang Thailand would be a better place.....

Edited August 8, 2020 by redwood1

[transam]

12 minutes ago, pineapple01 said:

Not on Your Nellie has always baffled me. Brits dream up some weird stuff

Hey, my mums name was Nellie.....????

 

Remember, it is English slang, nellie (nelly) meaning ...

 

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Not+on+your+nelly!

[mokwit]

5 minutes ago, jaideedave said:

I'm one of the lucky ones

Really respect you for recognising and stating that. A whole raft of people are being screwed/affected by the interest rate policy. Some on private [defined benefit] pensions are already being asked to accept a cut.

[amexpat]

7 minutes ago, transam said:

Hey, my mums name was Nellie.....????

 

Remember, it is English slang, nellie (nelly) meaning ...

 

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Not+on+your+nelly!

Just paste that link, hit enter, and "Bob's your uncle"!  

[EVENKEEL]

47 minutes ago, checkered flag said:

I guess I been here too long to know. Is this a Covid thing.

No, I read somewhere. Money issue.

[kingdong]

5 minutes ago, mokwit said:

Really respect you for recognising and stating that. A whole raft of people are being screwed/affected by the interest rate policy. Some on private [defined benefit] pensions are already being asked to accept a cut.

and the kak hasn,t hit the fan.......yet

[BritManToo]

21 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Your IMO is wrong and all I can say is you have been fortunate, every chance that corruption in the various entities varies from province to province. Also it may no longer exist where it once was, and vice versa.

I learned from losing my house in the west.

Now I'm living in someone else's house and I only paid 300k for the deposit.

Monthly repayments of 10k, if I don't live there, I don't make the repayments.

[sandyf]

8 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

However, if you were married and your wife divorced you and you lost the house 10 years ago, which of the two of you would be better off now?

Life's a gamble and you just happened to win that time.

You are quite right, you can only play your cards as you see them at the time. It is all about outlook and perspective, I was 62, been coming here for about 8 years and divorced twice already, so not entirely naive. I also recognised that living out in the sticks could also be a problem and saw a house as a worthwhile pastime. I put 900K into the property, not a lot more than an extension and certainly not the millions you suggested.

For the record, I totally agree with your comments regarding the rights of foreigners. I see some differentials that could be addressed but certainly acknowledge there is no right for change.

Many complain about double standards but little gets said when double standards suit the agenda. 

[Falconator]

Millions of Americans scrape by with only around $1,000 per month, living in mobile homes and dilapidated structures.

 

So why put all these ridiculous onerous financial requirements on Chinese and Indian immigrants? Many Asians can live frugally right?

 

But I've yet to hear one of them complain about such US immigration policies. They perfectly understand why they were implemented, even if some of the rules were bureaucratic policies that didn't make much sense.

[checkered flag]

1 hour ago, sandyf said:

Investment and value have nothing to do with it, it is about having somewhere to live.

Two people have the same gross income, one pays rent and the other lives rent free, in reality who has the greater income?

As for my personal situation, I don't see my house as having any value. I have occupied it for almost 11 years and would say it had paid for itself a few years back.

I was fortunate that my wife really didn't have to work, but wanted to. My income was probably 2 1/2 times greater but it was a matter of pride with her. A good portion of her pay went into savings, that will someday make her a rich widow. 

In Thailand she owns a nice house and car that's paid for. We usually live on my 80K+ social security transfer and bank her's in the US. If we need more I can transfer from a US account or draw in IRA accounts. 

Someday our children will be well off from what we can't spend, but it makes us happy. 

We're not traveling this year because of Covid, so our Thai bank account continues to grow.

[RJRS1301]

1 hour ago, amexpat said:

Just paste that link, hit enter, and "Bob's your uncle"!  

Thank your mother for the rabbits

[KhunFred]

On 8/7/2020 at 9:01 AM, sanuk711 said:

 

 

Unless her name is Grace........................

Many here, seem to be missing the fact that the "Grace agency" was using counterfeit stamps and NONE of the paperwork ever went to Immigration. This is vastly different than an agent splitting the proceeds with Immigration and getting legitimate stamps. The farang and his Thai wife stand to be in prison for a long stretch, unless they can buy their way out. Assuming that ANYTHING in Thailand is done legitimately, is pure fantasy.

[NanLaew]

On 8/6/2020 at 9:25 AM, Boomer6969 said:

There is a very active thread about a busted agent where some people are trading insults which lead me to reflect on people's motivation to stay in LOS: if you can't afford a legit visa you can afford bar girls either, so why do you stay here?

Maybe, just like yourself, they like to poke their noses in other people's business, pigeonhole them and recycle the old tropes?

 

Oh... it's just started to rain. Excuse me, I have to go get the laundry in...

[FritsSikkink]

19 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Thailand is a bit of a poophole, if it weren't for cheap women women of lower expectations there's not much reason to come here. And yes I realise the usual sad and confused crowd will be upset, but they all seem to be living with a Thai woman, life in denial must be wonderful. Maybe I should replace 'cheap women' with 'women of lower expectations', but I expect they'd still be sad or confused.

 

I've never understood why the few odd western women wash up here, when they get to the stage where they're telling me they can't find the right man, I always excuse myself saying I have to meet my 20 year old Thai girlfriend.

 

Same for the schoolteachers, they could be earning decent money and a pension in their home countries, plenty of demand for schoolteachers in the west.

It isn't your girlfriend, it is a prostitute.

[amexpat]

5 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

It isn't your girlfriend, it is a prostitute.

Troll

 

[KarenBravo]

On 8/6/2020 at 12:53 PM, BritManToo said:

Say's who?

Thais are happy enough living on 9k/month in 7-11/Tesco/BigC, etc.

Why can't we be happy living on the same amount?

Because Thai government wants retirees with money. They have enough poor people of their own without importing from abroad people that may become a burden.

[BritManToo]

43 minutes ago, KarenBravo said:

Because Thai government wants retirees with money. They have enough poor people of their own without importing from abroad people that may become a burden.

I would say having 50K GBP in a UK bank account as well as a monthly pension lifts me above 'poor Thai people' status.

But there's still a mountain of (sometimes insurmountable) hoops to jump through if I don't pay them a 25kbht bribe through an agent. If I do pay the bribe, I can be as poor as a Thai and immigration are totally happy.

 

Why do I need to provide them with letters from my bank, written less than a day ago?

They can look at my bank balance on my phone apps if they like, no way to falsify.

Oddly enough I can buy a m/c (as I did earlier this week) and pay all sorts of bills on my phone app, Thai person totally happy in shop to take a photo of my transaction on their phone as evidence and hand over the goods.

 

Why do I need my landlord to turn up at immigration? (especially if he doesn't live in Thailand)?

They gonna turn up where I live anyway and have a look for themselves (and I've lived in the same place the last eight years).

 

Why do I need to show a Kor Sor 2 to prove I'm still married or still a parent? 

My wife or kid is required to be at immigration with me.

 

It's all BS, and I'm tired of the white expat Thai bum lickers hating on me and my family.

If you don't have a family or kids, immigration should chuck you mongers all out.

Edited August 8, 2020 by BritManToo