8 hours ago, Sparktrader said:

Rich people dont need cheap visas. What pensioners are rich? 

Why don't they cut retirement visa's requirements from 800k to 400k and married visa's from 400k to 200k to give everyone that's retired here more money to spend and boost the economy?

1 minute ago, vandeventer said:

Why don't they cut retirement visa's requirements from 800k to 400k and married visa's from 400k to 200k to give everyone that's retired here more money to spend and boost the economy?

Most of them have not got it! Boost the economy, high hopes there.... most would be best keeping it handy for medical expenses.

pretty sure us low income lot are well surpassing the spending each month of a few high rollers

5 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Why assume pensioners are men?

Nice one 

Has any visa scheme they've concocted in the last twenty years been judged to have been successful?

 

I see articles frequently that the Elite program is running hopelessly in the red, and the digital nomad program take-up garnered very few candidates.

 

 

6 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Has any visa scheme they've concocted in the last twenty years been judged to have been successful?

 

I see articles frequently that the Elite program is running hopelessly in the red, and the digital nomad program take-up garnered very few candidates.

 

 

Retirement Extension is popular. Most of the new stuff is really heavy on tying up your money.... Perhaps the O-A was good before the insurance obligation was tied to it!

1 hour ago, vandeventer said:

Why don't they cut retirement visa's requirements from 800k to 400k and married visa's from 400k to 200k to give everyone that's retired here more money to spend and boost the economy?

5 year visa for under 50

$500

Report once a year.

Easy. They spend more

4 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Has any visa scheme they've concocted in the last twenty years been judged to have been successful?

 

I see articles frequently that the Elite program is running hopelessly in the red, and the digital nomad program take-up garnered very few candidates.

 

 

Indeed..Visas are never updated or reviewed. Even there are a lot of people living in Thailand are bored of the 90 day reporting, adress reporting and annual extensions. Immigration still is not in the 21st century. Needed copies for everything, every year, no connections between the few computerprogrammes they use...Every office its own rules.. They don't understand that not every foreigner is not a potential criminal or activist...Start to organize this departmnet first and make it easier for people living here and  more will come..

2 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Retirement Extension is popular.

That (Non-O Imm/Ret + Ext stay) was introduced in the last twenty years?

 

 

Just now, mtls2005 said:

That (Non-O Imm/Ret + Ext stay) was introduced in the last twenty years?

 

 

No I think it is a little older than that.... mine not quite. 

1 minute ago, jacko45k said:

No I think it is a little older than that.... mine not quite. 

OK. I did ask, quite specifically

 

15 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Has any visa scheme they've concocted in the last twenty years been judged to have been successful?

 

 

 

 

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand’s cabinet decided to cut the long-term resident (LTR) visa fee by half on Tuesday, to 50,000 baht, for foreigners who have “high capability or potential” and want to stay in the country for up to ten years, according to Deputy Government Spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek

Why not give "high potential, high spending" people who want to stay in the country a free visa...

Maybe you will re-coup via spending power over those years?

Just an idea.

10 hours ago, Sparktrader said:

Rich people dont need cheap visas. What pensioners are rich? 

Rich pensioners?

9 hours ago, Onerak said:

If people under 50 can't meet the requirements, should not they stay in their own country and try to achieve the requirements before moving to Thailand

Maybe people need to leave their country to try to make a better life somewhere because it's not possible where they are.

2 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Rich pensioners?

Rich dont get the pension

1 minute ago, hotchilli said:

Maybe people need to leave their country to try to make a better life somewhere because it's not possible where they are.

Or find young sexy women

38 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Retirement Extension is popular. Most of the new stuff is really heavy on tying up your money.... Perhaps the O-A was good before the insurance obligation was tied to it!

It was good, and I used it for almost 2 years going back and forth to the US after canceling out my Non-Imm O based on marriage and started visiting elsewhere with the ME portion.  I also could get a second year out of it, but then the insurance issue reared its ugly head in 2019, and then covid hit.  Prior to this no money in the bank was needed, but then covid hit and instead of traveling in and out, i turned it into an extension of stay based on the O-A and had to tie up 800k in the bank here. So since 2019 one needed to have insurance here in Thailand as well as money tied up in the bank.

11 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Rich dont get the pension

Says who?

10 hours ago, Onerak said:

Still waiting for this visa availability. 50K USD insurance checked. 100K USD in a foreign bank checked. 80K USD annual income for the last two years checked. 10 year visa. When is it available?

Is that the suggested criteria ? I too would meet that (assuming it was multi entry) so I was wondering how to go about getting one and yet its not available ? or ??

 

 

They seem to be going round in circles for decades now with no clear policy or strategy on amending visa structures to attract groups that they deem of interest. I don't think they even know what these groups are yet. Never ceases to amaze how these government agencies jump all over the latest trends coming out of developed countries and then milk the budget dry on something that sounds progressive but actually has no chance of being successfully implemented.

 

From the current proposals :

- I think many will baulk at the requirement to invest USD100k++ into property or government bonds.

- They continue to have the Thai obsession with Masters' Degrees, which appears a requirement for some of the working visas. Thailand take note : the rest of the world does not give two hoots about Masters' Degrees.

- They typically only aim for retirees and/or rich target groups. Why not implement an easy work/travel visa for Students/under-25s say, who then become the next generation of consistent Thai visitors in future and global 'ambassadors' for Thailand. There you go, I have ticked the trendy 'mango sticky rice' soft power box for them. 

36 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Or find young sexy women

Those would most likely be the 2-week millionaires.

1 minute ago, hotchilli said:

Those would most likely be the 2-week millionaires.

The Brit in CM only dates them.

Another inane move by an inept cabinet. 

 

Either Thailand truly considers those "high potential" people a boon and net benefit to the country, then they should be bold and give the visa for free to those who qualify.

 

Or it's just the usual money grab, but who can they hope to attract who wasn't willing to shell out 100,000 baht but will be enticed by a discounted price of 50,000 baht?

 

High potential remains a pipe dream. 

Some offensive posts and the replies have been removed.

2 hours ago, vandeventer said:

Why don't they cut retirement visa's requirements from 800k to 400k and married visa's from 400k to 200k to give everyone that's retired here more money to spend and boost the economy?

A country would do that if they wanted to attract retired or married foreigners...

 

At the beginning of the pandemic somebody had the idea to encourage expats to travel more by offering some kind of discount scheme. Suffice to say what happened to that idea... Instead they are dreaming of Indian billionaires and the return of the Chinese.

11 minutes ago, Caldera said:

but who can they hope to attract who wasn't willing to shell out 100,000 baht but will be enticed by a discounted price of 50,000 baht?

This is the issue that needs to be addressed.

 

How many folks said, "$100,000 is too much, but $50,000 is acceptable"?

 

Answer: (probably) None.

 

And it, a 50% "discount", makes the original scheme look foolish, over-priced and under thought-out.

 

These schemes seem to jump from a senior government official ordering their minions to get more foreigners with cash, and the minions fashion strange and odd schemes, usually based on the previous strange and odd schemes, without consulting with the target audience.

 

That's why I ask which schemes worked, if any? And if they did, why did they work? And obviously, try to understand why other (most/all) schemes failed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Sparktrader said:

Rich dont get the pension

If you mean the government welfare OAP, true in Australia.

4 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

This is the issue that needs to be addressed.

 

How many folks said, "$100,000 is too much, but $50,000 is acceptable"?

 

Answer: (probably) None.

 

And it, a 50% "discount", makes the original scheme look foolish, over-priced and under thought-out.

 

These schemes seem to jump from a senior government official ordering their minions to get more foreigners with cash, and the minions fashion strange and odd schemes, usually based on the previous strange and odd schemes, without consulting with the target audience.

 

That's why I ask which schemes worked, if any? And if they did, why did they work? And obviously, try to understand why other (most/all) schemes failed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

50,000 baht bit cheaper than $50,000

Only the rich could afford $50,000

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

It was good, and I used it for almost 2 years going back and forth to the US after canceling out my Non-Imm O based on marriage and started visiting elsewhere with the ME portion.  I also could get a second year out of it, but then the insurance issue reared its ugly head in 2019, and then covid hit.  Prior to this no money in the bank was needed, but then covid hit and instead of traveling in and out, i turned it into an extension of stay based on the O-A and had to tie up 800k in the bank here. So since 2019 one needed to have insurance here in Thailand as well as money tied up in the bank.

I also did the same thing using my O-A visa for 10-years. I stay 6-months in Thailand and it was perfect for me. In/out at my will. No need to visit immigration for TM30 (I did 90-day reporting using an agent for 300 baht). When they introduced insurance requirements, I switched to an agent assisted extension for 15K. The money I generated not keeping it in a Thai bank more than paid for agent fees. Also no hassle to keep bank book updated, making sure my money is coded right or not, no TM30 or 90-day reporting or any such nonsense. I just handed over my passport and lease document and got the visa.