Why Does Thailand Fear Foreign Husbands.

[mike123ca]

Getting a marriage visa ( for a man) is as useful as a long-term tourist visa.

You get to stay in this country until your money runs out.

The only difference, I feel is that I have the right to work here

( but with many strings attached.) and pay taxes.

Why so much xenophobia?

[Spoonman]

You do not need a marriage visa to work here.

[poanoi]

The difference is the visa run is down to immigration rather than another country

[Spoonman]

The difference is the visa run is down to immigration rather than another country

Permission to stay extension also = no border run.

[Semper]

Getting a marriage visa ( for a man) is as useful as a long-term tourist visa.

You get to stay in this country until your money runs out.

....or until the wife kicks you out (after you've bought her the house, car etc.)

[Dancealot]

Foreign husbands are welcomed for a certain period of time. It's just being made difficult if they want to stay very long by government rules and society.

It just takes a certain kind of person(integer/independent/clever/resourceful) to be able to live there on the long term. Oh forgot to mention rich and stupid husbands are also welcomed to stay longer.

[cbrer]

Simple Marriage Visa and process = Lots of Westerners coming here, giving some peasant a few thousand baht to sign the docs and then using them to live here long-term.

Many Westerners seem to think they have some sort of birth right to come and live here simply because they want to.

They don't.

So that's why you have to follow the process of living here as an immigrant.

[cbrer]

Long term visas are hardly difficult.

Study, work, retire or marry with an income of 40k baht p/m (in most cases) and it's a case of mailing your passport to the immigration office every few months.

Hardly difficult for a country that you have no birth-right to live in.

Edited November 25, 2012 by cbrer

[Lancelot]

They don't fear westerners, they simply wish us a speedy departure- after we have spent our cash :)