chiang mai Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 (edited) Spend THB 1,000,000 a year? That's below the poverty line in most western nations. Actually not! THB 1 mill. a year is about £18,500 a year, in pre tax terms that would equal a salary of about £22,000 which is only just under the average wage in the UK. But that THB 1 mill./£22k doesn't include mortgage costs hence it is significantly higher than the average UK salary. Next! http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/mar/25/uk-incomes-how-salary-compare Edited August 9, 2014 by chiang mai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christie Paul Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I know a dozen or so young to middle aged progressive people, who generally speaking, are an asset to any country or place they inhabit. An asset because they are driven to create, to build, to develop things and ideas. The rules and regulations here, have and are forcing them to move on. And there are no shortages of places for them to go. I also know several well traveled moderately wealthy folks who have looked at Thailand as an additional residential bolt hold. They still visit occasionally and they love it. But for them, what's on offer doesn't compare favourably with too many other places. The place has its charms, but the cheap/tacky ratio is too narrow. Investment is insecure. And the tendency toward an authoratarian and harshly prejudicial approach toward foreigners and their capital is something they would prefer to avoid. They also have calculators, maps and are too well traveled to enticed by the Elite Card. As for the very wealthy, Thailand is not on their radar at all. The Gulfstream's parked at Don Meung are mostly owned by Thais who also prefer the South of France. It has occurred to me, that not much thought has been put into the policies of dealing with the international traveler, business person, entrepreneur, investor or retiree. Who has provided the philosophical model upon which the rules are predicated - Robert Mugabe, perhaps? how does your home country attract all these assets? It does try. Rule of law. Foreign ownership of land. Special arrangements for those who they think can contribute. And they do manage to attract the very well heeled to some degree. But onerous bureaucracy, high taxation and the development of a business/government oligarchy has meant that it looses a huge number of its most talented and productive folk. I think they are aware of this - but it hasn't yet reached the threshold of concern around the cost/benefit of the present system. so if I can contribute (whatever the hell that means) and want to buy land I can get a visa that allows me to stay in your country permanently? Certain professions are fast tracked and various obstructions removed, this varies from country to country. Austria - academics. Singapore - scientists. Australia - theatre and the arts. The Netherlands - artists. Sri Lanka - IT. It goes on and on and changes from time to time. Just about any foreigner can buy land in a dozen different countries. And if you're retired/entrepreneur/trader of fairly modest means, there are a slew of countries that are not difficult. The Philippines, Hungary, Indonesia, Bolivia, Ecuador... to mention just a few. And if you should develop a relationship, even de facto in numerous first world and even some third world countries - the visa process is more predicated on the rights of the local to enjoy your presence - than your desperate begging to stay with them. In Indonesia a foreigner can get a social visa for six months - based on friendship alone. The regulations and rules here are fairly tough by any standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinhead Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I suppose poverty is in the eye of beholder… Those maybe the statistics, but what quality-of-life can one have with such little in the way of funds? Not to sound pompous, but these are hardly the quality tourists that Thailand would probably like to see… There are some would spend that much in one night on accommodation and entertainment alone. Spend THB 1,000,000 a year? That's below the poverty line in most western nations. Actually not! THB 1 mill. a year is about £18,500 a year, in pre tax terms that would equal a salary of about £22,000 which is only just under the average wage in the UK. But that THB 1 mill./£22k doesn't include mortgage costs hence it is significantly higher than the average UK salary. Next! http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/mar/25/uk-incomes-how-salary-compare Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christie Paul Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I suppose poverty is in the eye of beholder… Those maybe the statistics, but what quality-of-life can one have with such little in the way of funds? Not to sound pompous, but these are hardly the quality tourists that Thailand would probably like to see… There are some would spend that much in one night on accommodation and entertainment alone. Spend THB 1,000,000 a year? That's below the poverty line in most western nations. Actually not! THB 1 mill. a year is about £18,500 a year, in pre tax terms that would equal a salary of about £22,000 which is only just under the average wage in the UK. But that THB 1 mill./£22k doesn't include mortgage costs hence it is significantly higher than the average UK salary. Next! http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/mar/25/uk-incomes-how-salary-compare Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand Anything less than GBP 50,000 pa nett in the UK, is virtual poverty. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christie Paul Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I suppose poverty is in the eye of beholder… Those maybe the statistics, but what quality-of-life can one have with such little in the way of funds? Not to sound pompous, but these are hardly the quality tourists that Thailand would probably like to see… There are some would spend that much in one night on accommodation and entertainment alone. Spend THB 1,000,000 a year? That's below the poverty line in most western nations. Actually not! THB 1 mill. a year is about £18,500 a year, in pre tax terms that would equal a salary of about £22,000 which is only just under the average wage in the UK. But that THB 1 mill./£22k doesn't include mortgage costs hence it is significantly higher than the average UK salary. Next! http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/mar/25/uk-incomes-how-salary-compare Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand Anything less than GBP 50,000 pa nett in the UK, is virtual poverty. Make that GBP 80,000 pa nett. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerry1011 Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 If you're not 50 and not on a retirement visa... Why did you compare the Thailand Elite program with a retirement visa? I am not 50 either by the way... But with my Thailand Elite PE visa I don't have your worries... and I don't have to stay away till an immigration officer allows me to enter. What a strange way of doing (and thinking) you have... And "you're not paying 50 times more (it was 60 in your previous post) for an inferior visa"... Which visa are you talking about? Your tourist visa? Or a retirement visa again? I don't follow... Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand If you're OK with spending 100K/year just for the privilege of spending your money in a developing country, sure, buddy, go for it. I am very much ok. 100,000 a year would mean only 8,300 a month... It's a really affordable peace of mind. I understand that many posters here live on a tight budget, but others live more comfortably. What can we compare 8,300b/month with? The depreciation of a luxury car? Depending on the car it can be a lot... The rent of a two bedrooms condo? Such a 90,000/month condo in The Met? A First (or even Business) class ticket to Europe? That is already 200,000b per trip... The refueling of a motor yacht? Over 200,000 per time... For a mid sized one. A good restaurant for two? 8,300 at the Sirocco in Bangkok would not even give you a good wine to drink... One night at the Kempinski hotel? That's about 8,300, without eating anything or adding any extras... A night out? That varies a lot ... :) So, 8,300 a month for an Elite card (or more if you add the 20,000 annual fee and bla bla bla...) is rather insignificant compared to other expenses of wealthy or wealthier people... Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christie Paul Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 The OP thread is " No Visa Options for the ones who are young and have money?"...well there are options. They might not be great options but it's not like Thailand has decided to persecute the young wealthy people just as Thailand is not picking on the old with no money. It's been suggested that if one is not sympathetic with the OP that one is jealous of his lifestyle. Personally I wish he could have an easy option...I have never taken the ED Visa option..but sounds like a relatively easy process & many go this route & to pass is ..as expected easy also. But unfortunately. Thailand gets to decide what the rules are...and if you want to live in Thailand on your criteria not Thai Immigration then yeah you might not have any options. I am more sympathetic to those foreigners that have a Thai family..married with children...& they don't have money. But in the end it doesn't matter what I think...or what they do in my country... Thailand decides & one has to figure how best to navigate the process in order to live here. Luckily the OP is wealthy & young so he has many options...but they might not include Thailand. I too am sympathetic towards this foreigners who struggle financially and who face such miserable obstacles to keeping their relationship with their Thai family. But there is another dimension to this. It demonstrates a certain official cruelty, a petty nastiness, that when combined with an authoritarian system, can send a shiver up the spine of even the well to do and raise a host of subtle questions. Is my acceptance here pro rata, with my ability to pay? Is loyalty perceived as a weakness to be exploited? These are questions, we naturally ask of any host, but its the answers which guide us and ultimately determine the benefit which the host obtains as well. I think youre far too sensitive to be an expat You could be right. But I've been an expat for over 30 years. And the way that authorities treat the most vulnerable, the weakest and the poorest, I have found to be a reliable guiding principle of how I can expect them to act in other areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiang mai Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I suppose poverty is in the eye of beholder… Those maybe the statistics, but what quality-of-life can one have with such little in the way of funds? Not to sound pompous, but these are hardly the quality tourists that Thailand would probably like to see… There are some would spend that much in one night on accommodation and entertainment alone. Spend THB 1,000,000 a year? That's below the poverty line in most western nations. Actually not! THB 1 mill. a year is about £18,500 a year, in pre tax terms that would equal a salary of about £22,000 which is only just under the average wage in the UK. But that THB 1 mill./£22k doesn't include mortgage costs hence it is significantly higher than the average UK salary. Next! http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/mar/25/uk-incomes-how-salary-compare Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand For us at age 65 that amount is ample, we have no mortgage costs or vehicle rental costs, we eat extremely well at home and we eat out perhaps five times a week, we holiday inside Thailand every couple of months and overseas twice a year. But we don't have to pay rent, pay bar fines, pay large bar bills, shop for lots of stuff we don't need and our entertainment is likely to be far simpler (and less expensive) than what a twenty one year old might want - our home is very comfortable. So how does our quality of life compare? Against the local population it compares extremely well, by UK standards it compares even better. If I was living in the UK full time at my age currently I might do some gardening, some exercise and some shopping from time to time, here I do all those things but more often by virtue of the weather. Here we are likely to go to the movies once a week, something we probably wouldn't do in the UK because of the higher cost - it goes without saying that eating out in the UK is a rare event for many retirees for the same reason. I'm struggling, honestly, to try to imagine what material or comfort type things I might want here that I don't already have and I can't think of anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueEasySleep Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Thailand doesn't want young foreigners with money, because some people would slip through the cracks and work illegally as English teachers or tour guides in their native European language or some other similar job that most Thai people are 100% qualified to do if not for these dastardly foreigners. They prefer lots of elderly Pattaya sexpats on retirement visas instead. That is how you maintain a positive image in the eyes of the world. Really. The preference given to elderly men on pensions who will soon need healthcare they can't afford will never make sense to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oorinara Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 One can extend non-immigrant visa for a year and thereafter with at least THB 10 million deposited in Thai bank, invested in Thai government bonds, invested in condo, or combination thereof. Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamahele Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Gee, sorry that some application of the rule of law is spoiling your life long vacation. If you spend so much money in Thailand like you claim, why don't you get a business visa which will allow you one year each time while you look for business investments etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemguy Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 And reading all his criticisms of the country I am wondering why he is so upset he has to leave? Awwww.....He is just frustrated...like when a girl does not like a guy and will not put out for him and the guy can not figure out why ...so he bad mouths the girl all over town...like that...lol 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATF Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Gee, sorry that some application of the rule of law is spoiling your life long vacation. If you spend so much money in Thailand like you claim, why don't you get a business visa which will allow you one year each time while you look for business investments etc. Please stop talking nonsense these people are incredibly wealthy they don't need all the aggravation of filling out forms and getting letters from here there and everywhere. Thailand should be welcoming them with a red carpet and a bottle of champagne at the airport. About $800 for a Biz Visa you've got to be joking why should they pay that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duanebigsby Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Anyway my point was that there is a missing Visa in Thailand, the equivalent of the "Exceptional Ability" Visa in the USA. People who are successful in business, or have done something out of the ordinary should be able to come here to bring their brain and experience in this country (their money too). But something that is not only based on old retired falang or people who are running a local business. Thailand doesn't want you to thrive, it wants you to help Thai employees to thrive. Like most countries they want investors. The "I spend blah, blah, blah every month" thing doesn't cut it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemguy Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Gee, sorry that some application of the rule of law is spoiling your life long vacation. If you spend so much money in Thailand like you claim, why don't you get a business visa which will allow you one year each time while you look for business investments etc. Please stop talking nonsense these people are incredibly wealthy they don't need all the aggravation of filling out forms and getting letters from here there and everywhere. Thailand should be welcoming them with a red carpet and a bottle of champagne at the airport. About $800 for a Biz Visa you've got to be joking why should they pay that? Everyone has to make some sort of arrangement...even if they do have a lot of money. It seems that they have fallen into a routine over the years and now they are out of their comfort zone. They should go out to immigration and ( make some Friends ) and tell them what they want to do and ask the immigration officers how they can arrange long stay immigration status. The immigration officers are very accommodating and smile a lot ..especially if you give them your money for services rendered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post tboxcar Posted August 9, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted August 9, 2014 Let's face it, Thailand is changing, the whole world is changing, and fast at that, no one place stays the same. Been coming here since 1988 and it's not the exotic little place it was back then, but it still has redeeming qualities. It's their country and they can run it the way they want, with these new rules maybe they are trying to 'change the atmosphere' and rid the place of people such as the one who started this thread? Don't let the door hit you in the back of the Ass....and I have never been to Miami but I hear it sucks..... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post duanebigsby Posted August 9, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted August 9, 2014 Yes, I agree the ED visa is useless. Why would anybody living in Thailand actually want to learn Thai? Sheesh. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post hiso1956 Posted August 9, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted August 9, 2014 Why keep comparing Thailand to cambodia and other countries. There is no place like thailand. Love it or leave it! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATF Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Gee, sorry that some application of the rule of law is spoiling your life long vacation. If you spend so much money in Thailand like you claim, why don't you get a business visa which will allow you one year each time while you look for business investments etc. Please stop talking nonsense these people are incredibly wealthy they don't need all the aggravation of filling out forms and getting letters from here there and everywhere. Thailand should be welcoming them with a red carpet and a bottle of champagne at the airport. About $800 for a Biz Visa you've got to be joking why should they pay that? Everyone has to make some sort of arrangement...even if they do have a lot of money. It seems that they have fallen into a routine over the years and now they are out of their comfort zone. They should go out to immigration and ( make some Friends ) and tell them what they want to do and ask the immigration officers how they can arrange long stay immigration status. The immigration officers are very accommodating and smile a lot ..especially if you give them your money for services rendered. You're missing the point although you are speaking the truth. These clowns don't want to start a biz or get married in Thailand. They just want a cheap cost of living so they can peddle their wares online. So they contribute their food and accommodation expenses but that's about it. They believe the World owes them a living that's the whole point my friend. Visa lawyers are two a penny will they speak to them - no. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utley Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 If you have the money then why don't you obtain an investors visa? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudcrab Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 After the OP's rant I can't see him staying even if they gave him a Visa for free. Apart from a girlfriend he surely hates the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post jacksam Posted August 9, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted August 9, 2014 Typical childish OP. Here are the facts. You cannot just " go and live somewhere for 4 years " . Try doing this in Australia, where I'm from. What makes you think you have a god given right to live where you please. Yes, I'm 60 so can have a retirement visa. That's not why i am sounding high and mighty. You sound like a typical spoilt brat. Go back home. It isn't USA because your grammar is poor. Oh, and all that money oh yours!! Give us a break. The expats that have actually worked all our lives spend a tad more. My annual outgoing here is about 2.1 million. I'm sure Thailand will survive without you. Also can you post all the girlfriends cell numbers. Mind you cant see em heart broken missing your 8000bht outlay. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theguyfromanotherforum Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I am very much ok. I am against the OP and his rant about the right to stay in Thailand..... but why do you have to mention in every single thread that you are an owner of Thailand Elite card as if that gives you any more rights than the regular Visa holder? Perhaps repeating this over and over in every single post of yours makes you feel better about sinking 500k into this dud? If that is it I understand.... we all make mistakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirbergan Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I don't agree with everything the OP said but many parts ring true, especially the Thai language/Ed visa part, I mean really, why would a westerner truly want to do that, because it looks good on the CV, come on now! Best of good fortune to you regardless. Yeah, learning languages is such a waste. I wish I was monolingual like most people on this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stgrhe Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Is it trolls day? They seems to be out and in good shape. What is Thailand Elite Program? and btw the reason I am upset that I have to leave, is because I have a girlfriend I love, and she has a boy, we stay together 3 years but I will have to leave her behind. She makes 8500 baht / month working in a hotel in an Island, and it is a quite sad situation. A simple search on the internet is all that is required to find the information about the Thai Elite Program. Also, there is an oportunity to get a temporay permission to stay in Thailand if one invests 10M baht or more in a condominium or government bonds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanata Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 As a visitor three or four times per year, each staying at most two weeks, I spend several times more than the OP per year. I do not frequent bars or the night life. I mainly spend the money doing tourist activities & shopping. The amount of money that I spend is still peanuts compared to few of my friends who are millionaires & billionaires. So OP...if you do not feel appreciated here, do not return. It is their country, their rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiang mai Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I don't agree with everything the OP said but many parts ring true, especially the Thai language/Ed visa part, I mean really, why would a westerner truly want to do that, because it looks good on the CV, come on now! Best of good fortune to you regardless. Yeah, learning languages is such a waste. I wish I was monolingual like most people on this forum. The reference was solely to Thai language, a language that is almost entirely useless outside Thailand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFishman1 Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 You make some Good Points so where are you moving to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnglishJohn Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 The point of the OP is that Thailand is very unfriendly to people like him when it comes to visa options. If nobody keeps saying it on forums like this, you can be sure it will never change. Maybe it won't anyway - but Thailand is being very short sighted driving people like this away. They are pure profit. This 'elite card' is yet another scam from the authorities hoping to bleed farang of cash. If he earns 60K/month, does he really want to spend nearly 2 months of his year simply working to pay for this visa which just gives him the right to bring his money in and spend it ?. Catching people working without a permit is fine because they are losing tax $$, but the responsibility should be on the employers to enforce it, not employees. They should be clamping down on them instead. As usual, Thailand has it arse about face. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expatsupreme Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 What is Thailand Elite Program? THB 500k, stay 5 year visa, no problem...you said you have money so no problem ? yes ć what does this mean, if you pay 500k bht, you get 5 year visa? so you can buy your stay here? I get 6 month tourist visa each time and then extend it f needed...to 1year, go back to EU for a month or two and come back.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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