Let us all hope Thailand does not copy this brain fart by the Indonesians.

 

https://michaelwest.com.au/digital-nomads-preferred-australian-retirees-in-bali-being-told-to-pay-up-or-move-out/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2022-11-23&utm_campaign=Michael+West+Media+Weekly+Update

 

Pay site..

 

Why post this?

6 minutes ago, bobbin said:

Pay site..

 

Why post this?

I don't pay anything. The website solicits donations.

Why? I would have thought a sweeping change in immigration law in one of the ASEAN members, seriously affecting thousands of retirees of limited means, would be of interest to

most on this social media site.

3 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I don't pay anything. The website solicits donations.

Why? I would have thought a sweeping change in immigration law in one of the ASEAN members, seriously affecting thousands of retirees of limited means, would be of interest to

most on this social media site.

It might be of interest.. if we didn't have to pay to read it. The pop-up cannot be dismissed, so it's not possible to read the article. Did you contribute?

 

If the thread doesn't die from lack of responses, you will be seeing more comments like mine.

6 minutes ago, bobbin said:

It might be of interest.. if we didn't have to pay to read it. The pop-up cannot be dismissed, so it's not possible to read the article. Did you contribute?

 

If the thread doesn't die from lack of responses, you will be seeing more comments like mine.

Zero issues to read it for me. The only popup was for a newsletter.

1 minute ago, Myran said:

Zero issues to read it for me. The only popup was for a newsletter.

How did you dismiss the pop-up?  I saw no way to X it out..

Just now, bobbin said:

How did you dismiss the pop-up?  I saw no way to X it out..

X in the top right corner.

2 minutes ago, Myran said:

X in the top right corner.

I just visited the site again to find the X..

 

Now no pop-up..

 

 I'll read the article..

 

Ok.. I've read it.

 

Foot. Bullet. Pain comes to mind..

 

I predict an adjustment. As the article notes, attracting retirees is a competitive market.

22 minutes ago, bobbin said:

It might be of interest.. if we didn't have to pay to read it. The pop-up cannot be dismissed, so it's not possible to read the article. Did you contribute?

 

If the thread doesn't die from lack of responses, you will be seeing more comments like mine.

Perhaps your software does not enable an ability to cancel the pop-up, mine does.

Summary for you: Change of Immigration law there means if a retiree does not cough up USD 200,000 on deposit in an Indonesian bank, they are required to leave after 180 days.

 

I quote:

 

"The real catch causing uproar among existing and prospective expat retirees is that the new visa is supposed to replace the current retirement visa – the KITAS (KITAP for longer term).

The retirement visas have been in place for years, allowing people over 55 to use their home nation’s pension or savings to settle in Bali, get a long-term home lease and hire staff to service it. The only caveat is that you have to show proof of having the money to sustain yourself, have health insurance and a guarantor, usually organised by a local visa agent. KITAS/KITAP holders also cannot work or earn income in Indonesia.

Although it allows holders to work, the new Second Home Visa has other restrictions. To qualify, a deposit of approx. $200,000 is required to be made into an Indonesian bank, and to remain there for the duration of the visa (five or ten years). Alternatively, a “luxury home” may replace the bank deposit as surety. The definition of “luxury home” is unclear, and it only applies to certain types of leases. There are also many restrictions on foreigners owning property in Indonesia."

Just now, Lacessit said:

Perhaps your software does not enable an ability to cancel the pop-up, mine does.

Summary for you: Change of Immigration law there means if a retiree does not cough up USD 200,000 on deposit in an Indonesian bank, they are required to leave after 180 days.

 

I quote:

 

"The real catch causing uproar among existing and prospective expat retirees is that the new visa is supposed to replace the current retirement visa – the KITAS (KITAP for longer term).

The retirement visas have been in place for years, allowing people over 55 to use their home nation’s pension or savings to settle in Bali, get a long-term home lease and hire staff to service it. The only caveat is that you have to show proof of having the money to sustain yourself, have health insurance and a guarantor, usually organised by a local visa agent. KITAS/KITAP holders also cannot work or earn income in Indonesia.

Although it allows holders to work, the new Second Home Visa has other restrictions. To qualify, a deposit of approx. $200,000 is required to be made into an Indonesian bank, and to remain there for the duration of the visa (five or ten years). Alternatively, a “luxury home” may replace the bank deposit as surety. The definition of “luxury home” is unclear, and it only applies to certain types of leases. There are also many restrictions on foreigners owning property in Indonesia."

Thanks for the summary but I went back to the site and the pop-up was not longer there.

 

Bad Public Relations, but these are the people who shoot Australian citizens, so I was never going to give them my money anyway..

 

Lots of beaches in Asia.

Clicked the link / read the article no issues

 

Suspect my trusty 'Brave' browser did its stuff and stopped at source the nonsense mentioned here that others seem happy to inflict on themselves

They've clamped down hard on scientists doing research in the country, too. Just a sprawling, deforested, ungovernable country. 

Thanks for posting. I appreciate any and all updates on expat visa policy changes in the ASEAN region. I had no trouble reading it at all. 

11 hours ago, Myran said:

Zero issues to read it for me. The only popup was for a newsletter.

Same here, got the pop up, hit the X at the top, and read the article. I am no techy geek, but am using Chrome on Windows 10 with adblocker.

What concerned me in the article is that in 180 days an awful lot of retirees there will be kicked out. The article does however point to the fact that these retirees employ a lot of people, rent a lot of properties, and motor bikes etc. So it may not be viewed as a popular decision. Is the Indonesian government as Authoritarian as here? if so the idea could easily spread to here.

11 hours ago, bobbin said:

 

 

Bad Public Relations

 

 

Par for the course in Indonesia..aka...screwing the infidel as instructed by the religion of peace playbook.

12 hours ago, bobbin said:

It might be of interest.. if we didn't have to pay to read it. The pop-up cannot be dismissed, so it's not possible to read the article. Did you contribute?

 

If the thread doesn't die from lack of responses, you will be seeing more comments like mine.

Block the pop up.  I read it without a problem or paying.

Not home country related. Moved to the Indonesia Visa & Immigration forum.

I see no reason that Thailand would follow and make those who already have a Visa such as the LTR or an extension of stay jump to just one or two types of Visas.  Were they to do that, I believe you would see many use there feet and leave.  The real losers would be families who are stuck here without the breadwinner/retiree and the local establishments, restaurants, shops etc.....

Welcome to Thailand.

13 hours ago, bobbin said:

It might be of interest.. if we didn't have to pay to read it. The pop-up cannot be dismissed, so it's not possible to read the article. Did you contribute?

 

If the thread doesn't die from lack of responses, you will be seeing more comments like mine.

I just read it and didn't have to pay anything.

1 hour ago, wombat said:

Par for the course in Indonesia..aka...screwing the infidel as instructed by the religion of peace playbook.

Islam was one of the drivers in my rejection of Indonesia and Malaysia as retirement destinations. Too many nutters.

This is exactly why I bought a house worth only 270K THB.  

 

LOL...my fishing gear is worth more.

 

The 800K non-o will not be around for long. It is a mathematical certainty in the face of inflation.

 

And there won't be any grandfathering this time around when the changes are made.

 

 

13 minutes ago, Adumbration said:

This is exactly why I bought a house worth only 270K THB.  

 

LOL...my fishing gear is worth more.

 

The 800K non-o will not be around for long. It is a mathematical certainty in the face of inflation.

 

And there won't be any grandfathering this time around when the changes are made.

 

 

Cheerful chap, aren't you? First it was the AUD crashing, now a change in the 800K.

Excuse me if I take your predictions with a pinch of salt.

 

https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=AUD&To=THB

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

I see no reason that Thailand would follow and make those who already have a Visa such as the LTR or an extension of stay jump to just one or two types of Visas. 

Hey--where's the paranoia? We wanna talk about Plan Bs now and Cambodia.

 

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

Were they to do that, I believe you would see many use there feet and leave.  The real losers would be families who are stuck here without the breadwinner/retiree and the local establishments, restaurants, shops etc.....

Get with the narrative. Everybody's been heading for exits for the last 20 years to escape the rampant xenophobia and horrible mistreatment here always getting worse. Those remaining are of course already stuck.

14 hours ago, Myran said:

Zero issues to read it for me. The only popup was for a newsletter.

Same her, no problem, just hit the X and it disappears.

If I recall correctly Indonesia had proposed similar a few years back and like a lot of these things became a Ping Pong match… … it sounds good to gov on paper and few take the bait.. back to the ping pong match..

20 hours ago, Myran said:

Zero issues to read it for me. The only popup was for a newsletter.

Same here - Chrome browser on Windows 10 (with Adblock Plus extension)

One visit was enough.  It was obvious they hate Westerners guts.

Filthy Muslim country that is very unappealing. 

Fortunately, aside from the "Thai are best" thinking, the government here does not seem to have any real bias. While foreigners will be used by the media and government when convenient, that is, as they say, just politics. I feel like the government recognizes the value of expats, and generally does a decent job of accommodating us.

 

What confuses foreigners the most at the start is the convoluted nature of immigration here. But once you understand the driving forces behind this convolution, you will also understand that immigration will fight tooth and nail to prevent such a a valuable industry from being squeezed. So, confusion and frustration is guaranteed, but it seems unlikely that Thailand would choose a direction that results in a mass exodus of expats.