4-year Professional Visas Get Green Light

[rooster59]

Smart visas get nod to spur investment

By The Nation

 

 

The Committee on National Strategic Management yesterday gave the green light to the introduction of smart visas for foreign business operators, investors and employees.

 

They will be able to stay and work in Thailand for a maximum of four years, as an encouragement for the private sector to invest in Thailand's 10 targeted industries under the government’s technology push. The smart visas will be issued to foreign businessmen, investors and highly skilled workers from January next year. The move came after requests by foreign businessmen for the government to extend the visa periods for foreign experts and investors, allowing them to stay longer in Thailand and facilitating investment. 

 

After a meeting of the committee chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday, Ampon Kittiampon, director for the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit (PMDU), said that three groups will be permitted to hold smart visas.  Among them is the highly skilled group, made up of people with high innovation expertise. The other two groups include investors who gain the Board of Investment’s (BOI) investment promotional privileges for the 10 targeted industries; the third group comprises those undertaking startups.

 

Prayut assigned the BOI, the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to follow up with amendments to related agencies' regulations and to finalise them within three months, or by December.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/Economy/30324276

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-08-19

[cumgranosalus]

...and they're looking at 5 year tourist /long-term visas and dropping the 90 day requirement in favour of a 1 year sign-on.

 

in the meantime Sri Racha immigration are refusing one year B visas for teachers at private language schools and requiring them to extend their visas every 90 days at a cost of 1900  baht.(7600 p/a)

[NoBrainer]

Why do all the Smart People in this ad look like Africans?

[ToddinChonburi]

So are Highly skilled Russian bar girls on the list ?

[micmichd]

Any age limits?

Would it be possible to change from retirement to smart visa? 

[irwinfc]

most druglords are highly skilled. hitmen even more.

[StraightTalk]

14 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

Well, I have a Bachelor's degree in Engineering, and a Master's degree in Math.  I would love to tutor high school or college level people.  I don't want to work full time, and have no desire to work under a strict university system.  But I do have teaching experience and do like to teach and help.  Teaching/tutoring part time would keep me occupied as I would be bored just being purely retired.  Plus the tutoring keeps the brain active.   I would be very interested in this type of visa

You need to have a confirmed job offer from a Thai company/institution before applying this type of visa.

[StraightTalk]

14 hours ago, Paul944 said:

So if you are considered to meet the highly skilled professional "requirements" you can get a 4 year visa. With this visa you are allowed to work, but what if you do not want to work?

You need to have a confirmed job offer prior applying for this visa, i.e. no work no visa.

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, David Walden said:

Does a 4 year smart visa include a work permit???

 

On first glance the Smart Visa is probably quite interesting to many folks but the WP part needs a lot more clarification. Hopefully that will all be explained soon.

[Alphy]

Mmmm that's as clear as mud!! Ambigous Vague Puzzling and requires a serious injection of clarity? But I may just be dumb??

[digger70]

An other useless Idea (: 

[digger70]

25 minutes ago, micmichd said:

Any age limits?

Would it be possible to change from retirement to smart visa? 

I would think so "if you Smart enough"

[gk10002000]

14 minutes ago, SouthernDelight said:

You need to have a confirmed job offer from a Thai company/institution before applying this type of visa.

the article used the words "without applying for a work permit.  Yet in the same sentence it also mentions spouse and children.  So ..., assuming the spouse and children is separate, does the sentence mean one does not need a work permit, but as you say, would still need a job offer? So a job offer but won't need a work permit?  That doesn't seem to be much of a deal.  I mean if one has a valid job offer, why wouldn't the employer be able to get you a work permit?  Anyway,  it is worth monitorin

 

Those who obtain the so-called “Smart Visa” can stay in Thailand with their spouse and children for up to four years without applying for a work permit. Unlike other visa holders who have to report to the authorities every 90 days, they would only need to present themselves to the Immigration Bureau annually, according to information published online by an agency promoting the prime minister’s agenda.

[gk10002000]

27 minutes ago, ToddinChonburi said:

So are Highly skilled Russian bar girls on the list ?

And of course the ones that hand out the pamphlets on walking street in pattaya.  Exactly what visa are they holding?

[MartinKal]

19 hours ago, Raymonddiaz said:

highly skilled professionals????........not to many will be qualified for that visa.

First requirement is too be able too spell right.

[StraightTalk]

10 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

the article used the words "without applying for a work permit.  Yet in the same sentence it also mentions spouse and children.  So ..., assuming the spouse and children is separate, does the sentence mean one does not need a work permit, but as you say, would still need a job offer? So a job offer but won't need a work permit?  That doesn't seem to be much of a deal.  I mean if one has a valid job offer, why wouldn't the employer be able to get you a work permit?  Anyway,  it is worth monitorin

 

Those who obtain the so-called “Smart Visa” can stay in Thailand with their spouse and children for up to four years without applying for a work permit. Unlike other visa holders who have to report to the authorities every 90 days, they would only need to present themselves to the Immigration Bureau annually, according to information published online by an agency promoting the prime minister’s agenda.

As this type of visa is target specifically to a certain group of professionals I suspect the work permit is included as is the requirement of frequent address confirmation.

[thairookie]

19 hours ago, gandalf12 said:

What do they consider as "Highly Skilled"?

Providing for your Thai girlfriend and her family ?  Including her lazy brother and sick cow.

[Bartman1369]

Many companies like my self provide technical support to different companies on short term contracts. I have no problem getting a business Visa for China but Thailand is much more difficult. This would be ideal for me as I plan to marry my Thai girlfriend next year and would allow me to take short term contracts whilst staying here. For China I only need a letter of invitation from one of these companies to get a Visa. Getting a employment offer would be much more difficult.

[scorecard]

16 minutes ago, SouthernDelight said:

As this type of visa is target specifically to a certain group of professionals I suspect the work permit is included as is the requirement of frequent address confirmation.

 

As mentioned several times, the WP part needs lots of clarification.

 

 I guess part of that clarification would be 'how many' total employees could an employer have on the Smart Visa, and perhaps goes back to some sort of quota or similar. One structure could be (could be, not fact, just my dreaming:

 

- Up to two? staff on Smart Visa but no Thai employees needed in terms of total staff.

 

- Up to two? staff on Smart visa (as above) but any further staff on Smart Visa the employer must have 2 Thai staff to each extra one Smart Visa holder. Or something similar.

 

- Another factor - will the categories of employment on Smart Visas prohibit certain types of work as currently, and my guess is yes, in fact it's already mentioned 'highly skilled' and 'tech' type employment already mentioned and I saw a ng mention of the need for highly skilled tech professionals to fulfill the Thailand 4.0 goals.

 

More info. needed.

[StraightTalk]

12 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Those occupations are reserved for Thais only.

kinda offending...

[wobalt]

I would expect that this visa is possibly not bond to direct employment to a particular company or organization, but on independent consultancy or advisory contracts. At least this is the case in other countries in the region.

[Zikomat]

Highly skilled professionals = all digital nomads

[impulse]

From the linked articles:

 

Prayut assigned the BOI, the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to follow up with amendments to related agencies' regulations and to finalise them within three months, or by December.

 

Call me a skeptic, but I'm wondering which agency is going to poop in the punchbowl, or take months to get someone to do some translating?

 

The plan was first proposed in March 2016 by an umbrella federation of trade groups to attract investment and foreign talents.

 

Again, call me cynical, but I suspect the plan will be big on investment, and talent will be an afterthought.  A distant one.

I hope I'm wrong, but I can't see anything better coming out of this than is already on offer with the Elite visa, or existing BOI programs.  And not until 2020 at least if they need to get 3 agencies to agree on anything.  We've been waiting 6 years to get 2 agencies to agree on terms to let us sell some scrap materials taking up space in our warehouse.

 

Edited August 19, 2017 by impulse

[StraightTalk]

3 hours ago, JAS21 said:

In the past I was responsible for operating what was the largest Power Generating Plant in Western Europe ...now it's dust ... wonder if I would qualify ?

Industrial sites/plants are designed and build by 'highly skilled' professionals; Developing countries employ these people for specific times and projects. Modern plants do not require this type of "highly skilled" ability to operate the day-to-day activities and is usually handed to (prior) trained natives.

[elliss]

20 hours ago, gandalf12 said:

What do they consider as "Highly Skilled"?

 

   Tefler ?? .

Edited August 19, 2017 by elliss

[khwaibah]

Sin City is overflowing with Highly Skilled Pro's.

[ujayujay]

Whats the definition of highly skilled?

[fforest1]

There are many farangs who are highly skilled experts at sniffing out which bars have balloons every night in order to get a free dinner....I wonder if they would qualify for this visa....

[eeyang wah]

5 hours ago, dotpoom said:

The first topic I read today and already the "moaners" are in full swing.

  Life must be pretty dull for so many foreigners here. No wonder they left their own countries.......but,....I ask myself....would they have a positive bone in their bodies no matter what country the found themselves in.

   There should two forums....1... For positive and constructive people....and .....2. ...For the rest of you who see nothing but "doom and gloom" and are negative concerning every faccet of life.

Separate the two sides of any given argument? Sounds like you're slightly missing the point of a forum. 

[eeyang wah]

The concept of coming here to conduct business but not actually "working" makes sense to me.

What's to stop you having meetings? I'm sure if for some strange reason immigration or department of labor were to catch you just talking to people, they could not feasibly do you for not having a work permit! Especially if you had this type of visa.

They are trying to catch people who are doing manual work or handling cash or otherwise obviously working, I don't think this includes just talking to people.

Edited August 19, 2017 by eeyang wah