Govt approves 10 year visas for foreigners over 50

[smedly]

2 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

 

How can anyone be "kicked out"?  It's about a visa requirement, which enables you to enter a country.  Nothing to do with Extensions of Stay.

100% correct but nobody is listening lol

[mettech]

What are they thinking really??? Who of the foreigners that are living on government or companies ension would have 100k per month revenue and still go report every three months???

They will have to rethink this one am looking at Vietnam for future decision.

[Peterw42]

1 minute ago, brewsterbudgen said:

 

How can anyone be "kicked out"?  It's about a visa requirement, which enables you to enter a country.  Nothing to do with Extensions of Stay.

 

Currently the financial requirement for a visa and extension of stay are the same. most are presuming if the visa req goes up, so does the extension req, they are linked

[DavisH]

2 minutes ago, smedly said:

This thread is unbelievable, it is amazing how many people read stuff then add their own narrative and get into a wild panic making stuff up that isn't there.

 

Lets imagine for a moment there was no such a thing as a Thai Elite Card and this topic was about its introduction, the thread would still have developed almost identical to this one with all the imaginary doom and gloom that has developed here .......................too funny

 

"It would replace one-year renewable visas and come in two installments of five years each"

 

I wonder why all the panic? 

[smedly]

2 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

There is no indication that a simple Non O visa is being phased out and cannot be obtained.  The only thing I gather is that this is another Visa Class- When issued the expiration date on the Visa wil be 10 years hence. Right now the End date of the O-A visa is 1 year. The only issue is whether there will be a change for the regular O Visa that is extended in Thailand for retirement purposes.

 

If so, I would expect it would apply to new extensions after a certain date. I would also expect that there will be grandfathering- if you already have a retirement extension the requirements would be the same as when you initially applied and were granted the extension. This has happened twice before- the first time at 200,000 Baht per year/20K per month and the second at 500,000 Baht/50K per month. There are still people in Thailand on retirement extensions getting them at those financial requirements and not the 800K current requirement. Remember, it i the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that set the Visa requirements and then a Police Order that is formally isued explaining the requirements for extensions to include the financials.

you are talking about an extension of stay on a Visa thread but your post is quite correct, some people that have been getting extensions for a long time still only require 200k baht and not 800k baht for their 12 month extensions

 

anyway somewhat off topic

[zaphod reborn]

Lots of unanswered questions:

1) Would you be able to apply for the visa in Thailand, or do you have to apply in your home country?

2) Can your monthly income be earned in Thailand, or does it have to come from a foreign source?

3) Can you work in Thailand on this visa, or do you have to get a non-B or non-O anyway?

 

Until immigration comes up with real ministerial regulations (not the ridiculous rules that are invented by each individual officer, depending on their mood on that particular day), no one knows how this will pan out, and whether it will just be another failed effort at making ex-part life tolerable.

[elgordo38]

13 minutes ago, mettech said:

What are they thinking really??? Who of the foreigners that are living on government or companies ension would have 100k per month revenue and still go report every three months???

They will have to rethink this one am looking at Vietnam for future decision.

Your right on the money. I find it hard to figure out who they are targeting with a program? like this. Their present system needs streamlining and fine tuning not this pie in the sky stuff. They sure have some geniuses here. God help us. 

[nasa123]

2 hours ago, Grubster said:

I would guess nothing.

The same price singel 1 year 1000 Bath Multi 1 Year 3800 Bath ??

[bamukloy]

Seems some cant comprehend English so good,

or are not reading many of the posts

 

or are paid to keep the clicks and thread going.

555

[Grubster]

1 minute ago, nasa123 said:

The same price singel 1 year 1000 Bath Multi 1 Year 3800 Bath ??

Until they say otherwise, yes.

[Peterw42]

9 minutes ago, zaphod reborn said:

Lots of unanswered questions:

1) Would you be able to apply for the visa in Thailand, or do you have to apply in your home country?

2) Can your monthly income be earned in Thailand, or does it have to come from a foreign source?

3) Can you work in Thailand on this visa, or do you have to get a non-B or non-O anyway?

 

Until immigration comes up with real ministerial regulations (not the ridiculous rules that are invented by each individual officer, depending on their mood on that particular day), no one knows how this will pan out, and whether it will just be another failed effort at making ex-part life tolerable.

1) No

2) No

3) No

 

All Visa's are issued outside of thailand, you cannot work in thailand unless you get a nonB Visa and Permit. income is from outside Thailand.

[mstevens]

33 minutes ago, i claudius said:

After reading the article and ,reading some of the alarmist rubbish on here , i am off for dinner ,

this looks like just another spin on the elite card , do any off you honestly think that the Thai govt are going to force thousands of "Farangs" onto planes leaving behind their wives and kids ,with the western newspapers taking picture of the weeping hordes of family members crying as their husbands and fathers are booted out? never to be seen again , even they are not that stupid.

 

Why wouldn't they do it?  The next President of America is talking about doing exactly the same thing!

[nasa123]

6 minutes ago, Grubster said:

Until they say otherwise, yes.

But government has NOT said it will be 5 or 10 years `s visa yet (Maybe) ?   That's a lot wrong info In this case a belive ?

[khunpa]

Guess the THB 100.000 must be earned abroad. So most would be working outside of Thailand and living here more or less part time. Then not much point in getting this expensive visa.

 

If working in Thailand, you would already have a visa and work permit, so would not need this kind of visa.

 

I dont understand the logic behind this new visa, unless you are working illegally in Thailand and getting paid from abroad or you retired at 50 and just transferring money from abroad each month.

 

Anyway, much I dont really understand, when it comes to "Thai-logic" and new ideas. 

Edited November 23, 2016 by khunpa

[JLCrab]

54 minutes ago, smedly said:

you are talking about an extension of stay on a Visa thread but your post is quite correct, some people that have been getting extensions for a long time still only require 200k baht and not 800k baht for their 12 month extensions

 

anyway somewhat off topic

Just to note that in the JAN 2008 Police Order 2551/777 the 20K baht monthly /  200K annually figures for retirement 'grandfather clause' applied to persons "consecutively" receiving retirement extension since October 1998 so slightly less than 10 years 

Edited November 23, 2016 by JLCrab

[zaphod reborn]

13 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

1) No

2) No

3) No

 

All Visa's are issued outside of thailand, you cannot work in thailand unless you get a nonB Visa and Permit. income is from outside Thailand.

 

I guess you know the Ministerial Regs before this even becomes law.  Have you tried plying a trade as a fortune teller?  It's a profession that is as well-respected as a teacher or politician.

 

By the way, your statement that "all visas are issued outside of Thailand" is incorrect.  You can convert certain visas at Chang Watthana (for instance, an exempt entry or tourist visa into a Non-B), assuming the immigration officer is in a good mood that day.

Edited November 23, 2016 by zaphod reborn

[Peterw42]

Just now, zaphod reborn said:

 

I guess you know the Ministerial Regs before this even becomes law.  Have you tried plying a trade as a fortune teller?  It's a profession that is as well-respected as a teacher or politician.

 

No, they are the broad immigration laws that apply to all visa's, working in thailand, and funds required for a visa.

[smedly]

I think most here are struggling with the concept behind this new proposed Visa and who they are targeting, for me that isn't quite clear and to an extent makes no sense.

 

There are however two groups of people that find it difficult when it comes to a Visa and want to stay here for prolonged stays and have the funding

- those under the age of 50 and/or

- those that work offshore and like to spend their leisure time in Thailand

 

These two groups are not finding it easy, the proposed Visa being discussed in this thread would have made a lot of sense if it didn't have the proposed age restriction of 50

[zaphod reborn]

16 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

1) No

2) No

3) No

 

All Visa's are issued outside of thailand, you cannot work in thailand unless you get a nonB Visa and Permit. income is from outside Thailand.

 

And what do you know about the law?  You were incorrect about all visas having to be issued outside of Thailand.  I'm a labor lawyer, working 10 years in Thailand in HR-Legal.  I think I might know a thing or two about how immigration and work visas actually play out in Thailand.

[Veritas48]

Headline says 10 year visa....and then it's two by five years........and then affluent foreigners only........back to the drawing board!!!!!

[Jingthing]

 
How can anyone be "kicked out"?  It's about a visa requirement, which enables you to enter a country.  Nothing to do with Extensions of Stay.

You're too literal. Yes if this really is about Replace then indeed many thousands of retired expats would indeed be getting kicked out.

IF

[Straight8]

10 hours ago, jing jing said:

Just pointing out the drama is not justified, sorry you've taken offense. 

 

No, but it certainly will be a huge wake up call regardless which way this goes, to those (as another poster said) 800k untouchables.

 

 

[patrick1968]

why cant they just give it to every one......30 - 40 - 50 - 

[elgordo38]

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

You're too literal. Yes if this really is about Replace then indeed many thousands of retired expats would indeed be getting kicked out.

IF

It looks like just another pie in the sky trial balloon filled with hot air. Who in God's creation dreams this stuff up when more important immigration issues are left by the wayside. Blow the trumpets and lets have the next pistol of an idea. The hornets here are all stirred up.

[JLCrab]

Based upon the post above by Moojar it seems to be just a change or option added to the Long Stay O-A Visa.

[siam2007]

59 minutes ago, LannaGuy said:

 

ahh Thaksin...

 

yes Thaksin. Because he was the one who introduced the THAI ELITE Program in 2005 or so and announced this would attract Millions of folks, when in fact it was just a few Thousands  (which everyone with a brain would have predicted)

[smedly]

10 minutes ago, patrick1968 said:

why cant they just give it to every one......30 - 40 - 50 - 

I agree with you as I mentioned above, why put an age restriction on these visas if you have the financial means to retire under the age of 50, I retired at 44

[smedly]

1 minute ago, siam2007 said:

 

yes Thaksin. Because he was the one who introduced the THAI ELITE Program in 2005 or so and announced this would attract Millions of folks, when in fact it was just a few Thousands  (which everyone with a brain would have predicted)

If they had made the Elite Card at half the cost it would have been very popular indeed 

[sandmike]

Ah, but then it would not have been an "Elite" card ...

[JLCrab]

24 minutes ago, patrick1968 said:

why cant they just give it to every one......30 - 40 - 50 - 

I agree -- you should go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs -- Visa Section and look for this: