Are Farang coming here full time a thing of the past?

[thaibeachlovers]

17 hours ago, Jim Turner Mad Punx said:

I hated patts after a month and left. Seems exciting at first but the feeling soon wears off.

 

towards the end I would look up at empty condos along the beach at jomtien and hope I would never end up there without other options.

 

why did I leave?

 

Was not fun anymore

tired of being in bars

drinking too much and was not getting work done

tired of seeing old guys with prostitutes

tired of emotional immaturity of ladies and no genuine relationships

thai males were revolting and I was having trouble avoiding them

No one HAS to hang out in bars, take ladies out and drink too much in Pattaya.

However, I doubt there is any place on the planet that will tick every box.

[tropo]

 

4 hours ago, wildewillie89 said:

  Immigration is annoying, but once you do it once, then it is a non-issue (just keep what you did last time and update it). The wife does it all, i just sign. Much easier that way as she can get a better understanding from asking the staff. 

2

That's no reason to bury one's head in the sand and expect things won't change.

 

As they say in investing: part performance is no guarantee of future results.

 

It's better to stay in touch and expect things will change than being caught out by surprise.

[wildewillie89]

5 hours ago, tropo said:

 

That's no reason to bury one's head in the sand and expect things won't change.

 

As they say in investing: part performance is no guarantee of future results.

 

It's better to stay in touch and expect things will change than being caught out by surprise.

I don't understand people's troubles with Immigration. If it is a marriage visa anyway. Other visas may be more difficult. Marriage visa is an extremely simple process according to the Mrs. Bring the relevant paper work, and pay the 1,900 odd baht or whatever it is. All I need to make sure is that they one, give a receipt to go and collect the stamp (which I don't even have to attend), and two, look at the dates I need to report next. 

Any future changes I am sure would be easier understood by the Mrs than me.

[wildewillie89]

9 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Many of them are knobs who never want to see the country develop. 

 

IMO not so. What they ( we ) complain about is things getting worse, not better. No body WANTS to live in a decrepit s***hole, but it's never getting better, just more bureaucratic.

From the general feel of the forum I have got, the initial reason people move here is as it is cheaper than back home. Why it is classified as a retirement destination for many (can get more for the pension). 

The other feel is that people always are commenting that it used to be better years ago. Now it is expensive. Better to live in a different country.

Combining those feelings together it seems that the country has moved forward a little bit. At least the areas I live or spend time in are developing anyway. 

Bureaucracy can be annoying (in any country), but once you get your head around it, it isn't all that difficult and you adjust to it. The problem is people do not bother to learn it, so never end up adjusting to it. 

[taipan1949]

I had the most beautiful spot to live for 11 of my 30+ years in Na Klua/Bang Lamung but with the traffic and the new mall down at the dolphins I felt the death knell to my way of life here in Thailand. March 1st. 2017 I moved to the cheaper quieter Philippines and am getting used to not getting my wonderful Thai food but I will survive like I said the beer is half price. I don't regret one day in my beautiful Thailand and I have two wonderful children from my Thai wife and they live in the quieter Krabi.

[taipan1949]

8 minutes ago, wildewillie89 said:

From the general feel of the forum I have got, the initial reason people move here is as it is cheaper than back home. Why it is classified as a retirement destination for many (can get more for the pension). 

The other feel is that people always are commenting that it used to be better years ago. Now it is expensive. Better to live in a different country.

Combining those feelings together it seems that the country has moved forward a little bit. At least the areas I live or spend time in are developing anyway. 

Bureaucracy can be annoying (in any country), but once you get your head around it, it isn't all that difficult and you adjust to it. The problem is people do not bother to learn it, so never end up adjusting to it. 

For those not tied to a Thai woman the Philippines make it 100% easier to retire here. For starters just being married to a Filipina as I enter Manila Airport with my wife and in the little spot that shows how long I am allowed to stay in the country and the Officer just writes "BB" Balikbayan which is sort of a resident and I don't have to do anything again for a year and by holidaying in Thailand I will get the BB every time I enter the country. With me and my Filippina wife having to get visa renews all the time it was expensive and a waste of time to have to travel when we did not really want to go anywhere.

[wildewillie89]

4 minutes ago, taipan1949 said:

For those not tied to a Thai woman the Philippines make it 100% easier to retire here. For starters just being married to a Filipina as I enter Manila Airport with my wife and in the little spot that shows how long I am allowed to stay in the country and the Officer just writes "BB" Balikbayan which is sort of a resident and I don't have to do anything again for a year and by holidaying in Thailand I will get the BB every time I enter the country. With me and my Filippina wife having to get visa renews all the time it was expensive and a waste of time to have to travel when we did not really want to go anywhere.

Thai is easy re bureaucracy once you get your head around it. But, yes, I have heard other countries like the Philippines are alternatives that many are looking at. I really do believe it comes down to, one, how much people are expecting to get for what they put in, and two, failure to understand systems. 

[morrobay]

16 minutes ago, wildewillie89 said:

Thai is easy re bureaucracy once you get your head around it. But, yes, I have heard other countries like the Philippines are alternatives that many are looking at. I really do believe it comes down to, one, how much people are expecting to get for what they put in, and two, failure to understand systems. 

Its not really all that complicated here :

Its warm, inexpensive, available girls everywhere + anything you want in 2 km radius.

Ok ya all go back to this. Just better for those remaining here.

The  67 - NYC , 20 th @ 8th av

 

[wildewillie89]

3 minutes ago, morrobay said:

Its not really all that complicated here : Its warm, inexpensive, available girls everywhere + anything you want in 2 km radius.

Ok ya all go back to this. Just better for those remaining here.

The  67 - NYC , 20 th @ 8th av

 

I would tend to agree (better for those remaining here). It isn't too different from back home with all the things you require. Am from Australia, so I get the nice weather anyway. The only issue for me is the kids education, but we developed a solution for that.

But everything is kind of handed on a platter to you if you are smart in the way you do things here. I think moving from a first world country to a third would country is hit and miss. If you  cross your ts and dot your is then you can get the things you got back in your own country. If you are not thorough about what you expect, then you really will take a big hit (unless you have crap loads of money). I came in my mid 20s a few years ago with no real money (other than for the visa), but have incurred no real problems like many seem to on the forum. 
 

[Ling Kae]

13 hours ago, wildewillie89 said:

I do think 'full timers' will be a thing of the past. I don't particularly see that as a bad thing though. Many of them are knobs who never want to see the country develop. 

Many of them just know the country will never develop, they just heard it all before.

[wildewillie89]

1 hour ago, Ling Kae said:

Many of them just know the country will never develop, they just heard it all before.

Depends how developed someone is looking for. If they are looking for similarities to back home then they may as well just live back home. A third-word country obviously cannot compete with a first-world one, it is naive for people to think it can. But, for me, my area has all the things I need, and has all the government offices I need. Previously, it did not - so I guess that means it has developed a little bit. Has what I need to live everyday life without having to travel more than 10kms. 

[tropo]

4 hours ago, wildewillie89 said:

I don't understand people's troubles with Immigration. If it is a marriage visa anyway. Other visas may be more difficult. Marriage visa is an extremely simple process according to the Mrs. Bring the relevant paper work, and pay the 1,900 odd baht or whatever it is. All I need to make sure is that they one, give a receipt to go and collect the stamp (which I don't even have to attend), and two, look at the dates I need to report next. 

Any future changes I am sure would be easier understood by the Mrs than me.

You don't understand troubles with immigration because, as you're stated twice, your Mrs takes care of it for you, and you're only dealing with one particular visa situation.

 

A quick perusal of the Thai visa forum could make you more sympathetic to the troubles people have. Thaivisa.com is built on dramas people have with visas in Thailand. It's what brought me here 11 years ago.

[tropo]

4 hours ago, taipan1949 said:

I had the most beautiful spot to live for 11 of my 30+ years in Na Klua/Bang Lamung but with the traffic and the new mall down at the dolphins I felt the death knell to my way of life here in Thailand. March 1st. 2017 I moved to the cheaper quieter Philippines and am getting used to not getting my wonderful Thai food but I will survive like I said the beer is half price. I don't regret one day in my beautiful Thailand and I have two wonderful children from my Thai wife and they live in the quieter Krabi.

There's no way the Philippines is cheaper than Thailand. For starters (I won't bother going any further so as not to hijack this thread) rent is way more expensive. I've made an extensive check on the rents in Cebu City as I was considering moving there last year. 

 

You've only just moved. Once your honeymoon period is over you'll be dreaming about your life in Pattaya.

[tropo]

4 hours ago, taipan1949 said:

For those not tied to a Thai woman the Philippines make it 100% easier to retire here. For starters just being married to a Filipina as I enter Manila Airport with my wife and in the little spot that shows how long I am allowed to stay in the country and the Officer just writes "BB" Balikbayan which is sort of a resident and I don't have to do anything again for a year and by holidaying in Thailand I will get the BB every time I enter the country. With me and my Filippina wife having to get visa renews all the time it was expensive and a waste of time to have to travel when we did not really want to go anywhere.

The problem is that if you leave and return on your own you won't get that BB one year stamp.

[wildewillie89]

16 minutes ago, tropo said:

You don't understand troubles with immigration because, as you're stated twice, your Mrs takes care of it for you, and you're only dealing with one particular visa situation.

 

A quick perusal of the Thai visa forum could make you more sympathetic to the troubles people have. Thaivisa.com is built on dramas people have with visas in Thailand. It's what brought me here 11 years ago.

Didn't you say that in your last post that you were married and in a genuine relationship? Wouldn't Immigration be just as easy for you as it is for me. I obviously had to do different visas before I was married, and again, no dramas relating to them. It is a pretty basic system, produce the documents, pay the fee and wait for approval. The only way dramas could possibly develop is if people do not provide the documents that are listed. Which is a problem with the person, not the specific system I would think. 

 

People could complain about the requisites of a visa, for example having to have x amount of money in the bank. They could also complain about it only lasting one year. But if people are half capable, they should have no complaints about the actual system. 

[impulse]

12 minutes ago, wildewillie89 said:

Didn't you say that in your last post that you were married and in a genuine relationship? Wouldn't Immigration be just as easy for you as it is for me. I obviously had to do different visas before I was married, and again, no dramas relating to them. It is a pretty basic system, produce the documents, pay the fee and wait for approval. The only way dramas could possibly develop is if people do not provide the documents that are listed. Which is a problem with the person, not the specific system I would think. 

 

2 comments.  

 

1) Maybe it's easy for you and for him.  But you're in a specific situation that most of us aren't.  The thread is about all of us, not just the married ones.

 

2) Things were easier before you got married.  They're not as easy today for many- impossible for some.   Many loopholes that you probably enjoyed have slammed shut just in the past 1-2 years.

 

On a more general note, I suspect that a lot of the drop is in the 28 and 28 offshore guys who no longer have jobs.  (Nor do they need a place to crash so they don't owe taxes back home for living there too many months a year).

 

[wildewillie89]

31 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

2 comments.  

 

1) Maybe it's easy for you and for him.  But you're in a specific situation that most of us aren't.  The thread is about all of us, not just the married ones.

 

2) Things were easier before you got married.  They're not as easy today for many- impossible for some.   Many loopholes that you probably enjoyed have slammed shut just in the past 1-2 years.

 

From memory from looking at the process, all visas had sub-headings and then a list of documents needed to get those visas. Correct me if I am wrong, but I really cannot see how if someone has the documents then it can be all that difficult. If someone does not have the documents then they should not be eligible for the visa. The same in any country. 

 

I only moved here not long ago (I am 27). So every visa I have dealt with (short and long term re visas), including the marriage visa has been in the last 2 years. I just renewed my marriage visa and it took all of 5 minutes. We just looked at what we did the year previous and updated it (all that was needed was new photos and a change of address). Just use last years as a template. 

I do complain about the money I need in the bank and I do complain about the length of the visa...but the actual process is written in black and white. 

[wildewillie89]

Re visas and the 'difficulties' of obtaining them:

I think it is a simple issue of laziness or education in some cases to be honest (on both sides if talking marriage visa). The Mrs just said there are similar forums for the 'wives of farangs' to share their experience regarding all things farang (including Immigration). The general consensus seems to be that they just get their husbands to pay for agencies as they are too lazy to follow the process. Tell their husbands that is is a fussy system, which needs to be done properly through an agency. But like the Mrs, there are obviously many who are half educated, not lazy and see agencies as a waste of money...and they find the system incredibly easy. 

Mrs seems to think getting any visa in Thai was/would be much easier than when she was getting her tourist visa for her to visit Australia. Says it all I think. We are complaining about something that isn't all that hard and could be much harder. 

[tropo]

1 hour ago, wildewillie89 said:

Didn't you say that in your last post that you were married and in a genuine relationship? Wouldn't Immigration be just as easy for you as it is for me. I obviously had to do different visas before I was married, and again, no dramas relating to them. It is a pretty basic system, produce the documents, pay the fee and wait for approval. The only way dramas could possibly develop is if people do not provide the documents that are listed. Which is a problem with the person, not the specific system I would think. 

 

People could complain about the requisites of a visa, for example having to have x amount of money in the bank. They could also complain about it only lasting one year. But if people are half capable, they should have no complaints about the actual system. 

No, for me it's probably more difficult than for most as I'm married to a foreign lady. That gets even more complicated because she is a different nationality to me and our passport expiry dates don't coincide, so there's a lot of juggling to do.

 

I don't think you quite get the point. Personally, I've been lucky and everything has gone very smoothly for my last 8 retirement extensions. It's not about the past, but about preparing for the future. Things are going wrong for a lot of people because they (immigration) do change the rules a lot or the interpretation thereof, and it varies from day to day and office to office.

 

It's strange that you're going on about who's "capable" when you claim it's your Mrs that does the heavy lifting when it comes to extension renewal time.

[wildewillie89]

12 minutes ago, tropo said:

No, for me it's probably more difficult than for most as I'm married to a foreign lady. That gets even more complicated because she is a different nationality to me and our passport expiry dates don't coincide, so there's a lot of juggling to do.

 

I don't think you quite get the point. Personally, I've been lucky and everything has gone very smoothly for my last 8 retirement extensions. It's not about the past, but about preparing for the future. Things are going wrong for a lot of people because they (immigration) do change the rules a lot or the interpretation thereof, and it varies from day to day and office to office.

 

It's strange that you're going on about who's "capable" when you claim it's your Mrs that does the heavy lifting when it comes to extension renewal time.

Again, whatever the visa, it has a list of documents you would have to produce and then magic appears.

She does do it all, the Immigration staff even tell her to come back and not bother bringing me with her. The Immigration prefer it due to purely the ease with communication. 

Looking at the documents I have to sign, as I do have to sign each one. It is incredibly basic.

If you are so worried about 'future' change, then surely the question would have to be, why are you living here? No one can predict the future so there is no reason to be worried about it until it happens. 

[whitemouse]

10 hours ago, wildewillie89 said:

Re visas and the 'difficulties' of obtaining them:

I think it is a simple issue of laziness or education in some cases to be honest (on both sides if talking marriage visa)

 

 

You say visa rules here are clear, easy to follow, and people complaining are lazy or uneducated.

 

You are 27 and married to Thai, I can see how visa is not hard for you. What if you are 27, but not married, yet retired. Still easy to stay here full time? Have you tried? 

[whitemouse]

9 hours ago, wildewillie89 said:

Again, whatever the visa, it has a list of documents you would have to produce and then magic appears.

 

 

Not exactly!

 

On your 4th attempt at Tourist Visa in the region, you are likely declined, suspected of illegally working  in Thailand. It's almost as if you have no idea what you're are talking about, you go by your experience of Non O. I agree, it is very, very easy to obtain and extend. 

 

Not everyone is married, and not everyone is over 50, as you seem to think. Just head over to Visa sub forum, and read about people wiggling to stay here more than, say, 9 months at the time. Without bending rules, mind you, since you are all about how clear and easy to follow the rules are.  Trust me dude, we are not all uneducated, or illiterate to the point of unable of grasping the rules.  Please head to Visa sub forum, and read about people being denied visas, denied entry. Do you think they are uneducated, or they're making up stories? 

[Destiny1990]

29 minutes ago, whitemouse said:

 

Not exactly!

 

On your 4th attempt at Tourist Visa in the region, you are likely declined, suspected of illegally working  in Thailand. It's almost as if you have no idea what you're are talking about, you go by your experience of Non O. I agree, it is very, very easy to obtain and extend. 

 

Not everyone is married, and not everyone is over 50, as you seem to think. Just head over to Visa sub forum, and read about people wiggling to stay here more than, say, 9 months at the time. Without bending rules, mind you, since you are all about how clear and easy to follow the rules are.  Trust me dude, we are not all uneducated, or illiterate to the point of unable of grasping the rules.  Please head to Visa sub forum, and read about people being denied visas, denied entry. Do you think they are uneducated, or they're making up stories? 

The morron is just trolling.

[wildewillie89]

4 hours ago, whitemouse said:

 

Not exactly!

 

On your 4th attempt at Tourist Visa in the region, you are likely declined, suspected of illegally working  in Thailand. It's almost as if you have no idea what you're are talking about, you go by your experience of Non O. I agree, it is very, very easy to obtain and extend. 

 

Not everyone is married, and not everyone is over 50, as you seem to think. Just head over to Visa sub forum, and read about people wiggling to stay here more than, say, 9 months at the time. Without bending rules, mind you, since you are all about how clear and easy to follow the rules are.  Trust me dude, we are not all uneducated, or illiterate to the point of unable of grasping the rules.  Please head to Visa sub forum, and read about people being denied visas, denied entry. Do you think they are uneducated, or they're making up stories? 

And why is that a problem? If your 4 attempts don't come one after another and have a legitimate amount of time in between them, then they probably will not be denied. If they are, then also, what's the problem? There will always be a minority who lose out to stop a majority.

 

Why wouldn't a country deny it due to fear of illegally working? If the person wants to live here they should be getting the proper visa, not continually running tourist visas. I did run a couple of tourist visas (by myself) and then got the proper visa. 

 

All I am saying is the process isn't that hard. Get the list of documents, take them to immigration, sign and pay the fee. It is the reason why so many people do it without any problems. A minority complain on a forum. Immigration staff like people who are prepared. I think that's where the lazy comes in, people don't do their preparation, go to immigration and then claim it's difficult. Immigration get the shits having to spoon feed babies. Happened when i last went with another marriage visa case. The husband and wife were not prepared, nor could they communicate with each other. I would get the shits too.

 

As long as I can read the list of documents, then it would be very concerning if I couldn't obtain a visa as an older man. If I can't do a simple visa, then probably don't have the skills to get involved in the community. 

 

The visas are incredibly basic compared to the visas Thai have to go through to live in our countries. Even when we have it easy we just complain on this forum.

[Rimmer]

Please stay on topic which is about Are Farang coming here full time a thing of the past?  If you want to discuss obtaining a visa please do so inthe Visa forum, thank you

 

A couple of off topic posts after this public notice have now been removed, stay on topic

 

 

[whitemouse]

2 hours ago, wildewillie89 said:

And why is that a problem? If your 4 attempts don't come one after another and have a legitimate amount of time in between them, then they probably will not be denied. If they are, then also, what's the problem? There will always be a minority who lose out to stop a majority.

 

 

 

And here we are getting back to topic. You ask what is the problem. The problem is that THEY CAN NOT STAY HERE LONG TERM.  You can, they can not. 

[wabear]

Speaking for me only, Thailand has gotten a lot more expensive. I'm a gay man, and Thailand is no longer the only gay friendly country. Even China is opening up in the big cities. I've been vacationing in Thailand for almost 30 years, obviously I like the place, but I'm thinking in a few years when I retire, I'd prefer the freedom of spending time in different places in Thailand, and in Asia. And am I wrong that the weather is getting worse in Thailand?????

[wildewillie89]

To go back on topic, I think variables (other than Visas), will be probably be having impacts on if people stay here full time. Instability within the political system, prices of things increasing vs them being possibly cheaper in other countries. People maybe are starting to feel the positives of the place are not worth the hassles of moving here (if they indeed do find them hassling). 

No way would have I moved here if I couldn't get what I was getting back in Australia. I wonder why half the people I met when I first moved here did move here. They didn't seem particularly happy. Same with many of the members on the forum. Seems to be once big sook fest. With members vocabulary being limited to 'corruption' and 'twerking'. It is a third world country, what did they expect on moving here? For it to be exactly the same as back home only a lot cheaper? Seems most people come for holidays, love life, then reality hits when moving here. Run out of money, need something to complain about. Third world countries are places you really need to prepare for if moving here...unless you have money coming out of your ears. 

 

[starky]

On 7/26/2017 at 4:14 PM, balo said:

The crime rate is higher in PI. More unsafe for foreigners . And more expensive as well. If I had to leave Thailand my next stop in Asia would be Vietnam or Cambodia.

Vietnam already gone mate and personally I think Cambo is a shithole. I did my PI time but I couldnt live there gun crime (on foreigners as opposed to Thailand) infrastructure and food all did me in but the biggest turn off was having to go to Manila airport which could the lowest f"ing airport on the planet. No thanks for all its warts Thailand will still do me...but not Pattaya

[starky]

1 minute ago, morrobay said:

Care to elaborate ?

Mate ive worked offshore oil and gas nearly 20 years the joint was full of expats back then and there is zero undiscovered little treasures. In truth most of my ex pat Vietnam mates are pulling the pin precisely because they are being overrun, by mostly pattaya expats, looking for the "next big thing" IMHO there aint gonna be one, not now not ever. World is too small and the internet <deleted> the best spots for pioneers and proper travellers. Sure they may be some interest in Vn for some expats from Thailand an SE asia noobs but I wouldnt moving there hoping it was "better" than pattaya for instance.