File photo for reference only

 

Thailand is setting up its efforts to attract more foreigners to settle in the country long term.

 

On Monday (Nov 8), Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha met with senior ministers including Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow, Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda, Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, and others to discuss new ways in which attract foreigners to Thailand as part of the country’s post pandemic recovery.

 

The meeting heard a number of ideas aimed at bringing more investment into Thailand by offering foreigners, among other things, long term residency.

 

Government spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said there are still many pros and cons to consider before any formal announcement regarding long term residency for foreigners is made.

 

This year the Thai government has mooted several proposals to attract more foreigners to Thailand.

 

The most significant of which was to offer foreigners 10 year visas, while at the same time easing the rules for property and land ownership, as well as the requirements for foreigners to have a work permit.

 

The plans, which were approved in principle by Cabinet back in September, are now being formulated in greater detail.

 

Previously it had been reported that the government planned to attract one million foreigners to become expats in Thailand.

 

The would-be expats would have healthy bank balances or pension pots and would generate up to one trillion baht for the Thai economy, it was estimated.

 

The expats would be divided into four groups:

 

 1. ‘Rich’ global citizens

 

2. ‘Wealthy’ retirees

 

3. Digital nomads - or professionals working from Thailand

 

4. Highly skilled professionals

 

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Big bucks only need apply.

If they draft this with some normal conditions, I'll welcome it but................

 1. Filthy ‘Rich’ global citizens

 

2. ‘Wealthy’ retirees (1 billion in assets and higher)

 

3. Multi-millionaires 

 

4. Single-digit millionaires

 

5. All the rest - ‘undesirables’

 

 

 

10 minutes ago, webfact said:

The expats would be divided into four groups:

 

 1. ‘Rich’ global citizens

 

2. ‘Wealthy’ retirees

 

3. Digital nomads - or professionals working from Thailand

 

4. Highly skilled professionals

Anyone from these 4 categories, considering coming to live here as an expatriate, (and therefore entrusting a significant proportion of their wealth to Thailand) will of course do some serious research into the country and those who run it.

 

10 minutes on Google should suffice...

I,m in the ’big bucks league’............

WHY would they come? Successful knowledgeable folks more than anyone don’t want strings attached. They expect returns and such. 

they really have no clue

 

the filthy rich will go and retire somewhere that isn't filthy

Well........ layout the dollar ( BAHT ) figures, see where folks stand..........they better change their Thai bank deposit insurance figure as well.........

How about banning dual pricing and making farang feel more welcome

How about a little more consideration for those of us who are here? Regardless of income bracket, most are supporting the economy to one extent or another, but perhaps those in charge are simply just looking only at how many zeroes are on the end of our wealth with no further analysis needed.

32 minutes ago, webfact said:

This year the Thai government has mooted several proposals to attract more foreigners to Thailand.

Don't you mean "We threw it against the wall and it didn't stick?"

How about giving residency rights (or even fixed visa extensions based on the current rules) to those of us who remained in Thailand through the pandemic and didn't bug out when things looked bad?

I'm guessing most of us invest about 2,000,000 baht minimum in thailand every 3 years, merely through expenditure. I think that should count for more than it does.  

Do i count as "highly skilled"?

 

I master the art of bringing happiness to women.

Maybe some consideration for existing expats who have been here long term.

Could even be graded based on 5 years, 10 years,15 years etc.

Unfortunately we do not meet trillionaire status but we have spent over 20 million baht in our time here so far. And for that we get in total - sfa..

22 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

How about banning dual pricing and making farang feel more welcome

No, what's important is getting rid of the medical insurance requirement for the Thailand Pass for all Thai residents and ditching the 90 day reports.

5. The intellectual ability to sort through the TM 30 and TM 47 problems they will still have to face.

I'm in Canada and, as of today, I can drive across the American border with proof of Vaccination and my passport. That's it. No Covid insurance, Covid test, foolish paper work, visa, or quarantine. With my Canadian passport, I can stay six months Go anywhere, stay anywhere and not report anything to anyone. So that's the competition Thailand. Go for it.

Maybe it would be a good idea to take care of the expats who have been in Thailand for many years by making things less complicated by scrapping the TM 30 and 90 day reporting both of these are a total inconvenience 

Soon they'll all start to sing the Eagles Desperado, 

why don't you come to your senses
You've been out ridin' fences for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
I know that you've got your reasons
These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow...

Maybe abandon the discriminating dual pricing system.?

I understand the want to filter out all the begbackers!

Hmmmm..... I did just that Mr Prayut. I came here after I married my thai wife. We bought a house, and some land to make a village to retire from. Then EGAT came in 2017 and said we are going to put a tower and a transmission line right through the middle of it. It is almost 2022 and we still haven't received any compensation. Almost broke we had no other choice to return to Europe now. But thank you for taking such good care of the 'expats'!

They been mulling this for 10 years and every final proposal is dependent on pensioners having 10 million baht in a Thai bank blah blah 

I was recruited for a job here 11 years ago as a category 4 person, with a work permit and have paid a good amount of tax each year.

 

I have not experienced anything that made my remaining here year to year easier, doing my 90-day report, and in fact the paperwork requirements have increased.

 

i do have to admit that showing a copy of my WP has resulted in my getting the thai price for entering some double priced places

 

I have never experienced an immigration officers saying that a slight error in the paperwork, or missing one out of 4 required signatures was not a problem, lets stamp your passport and work it out later.

 

In fact, an immig officer made a mistake one time, and when they realized it a few years later, said too bad, you need to do all this to fix it.

 

 

 

 

They come up with all these ideas but one has to wonder if any of the persons discussing new proposals actually know any expats?  Or dare try ask any expat or foreigner in generally why they go to Thailand?

3 hours ago, peter zwart said:

If they draft this with some normal conditions, I'll welcome it but................

Agreed. Could be step forward for many of us while making it more difficult for the unwashed and undesirable dodgy bar lurkers.

Just now, 86Tiger said:

They come up with all these ideas but one has to wonder if any of the persons discussing new proposals actually know any expats?  Or dare try ask any expat or foreigner in generally why they go to Thailand?

thats because they already know the answer, which they have been taught since elementary school, that thailand is the greatest place in the world and any foreigner here should feel overjoyed that they have been permitted to be here

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The meeting heard a number of ideas aimed at bringing more investment into Thailand by offering foreigners, among other things, long term residency.

Basically, they want to bring investment into Thailand and recognise that they probably have to accept a foreigner attached to it. They will be welcome for as long as the economy is in the doldrums and after that, change the deal.

 

They have yet to perfect the "stay at home and send the money visa", but are sure with enough effort they can crack this one.