Another crackdown on border runners

[Khundon1975]

Khundon, your description of a Vogon is Gordon Brown to a tee!!!

Yes true but I think "his stubbornness" will finish him off.



I'm glad I am retired and don't have to go through all this crap, in order to reside in LOS.

Though tying up 400k (or is it 800k) each year, doesn't make me smile when dealing with folks in Immigration.

buksida said

"uncle tom, nice idea but it won't work as they move the goalposts every few months so it'll be a full time job just keeping up with it and re-writing the damn thing"!


Not only do they move the "Official Goalposts" every few months, many people find they are moved, when they are sat in front of an IMM officer.

I have never been to a country where the "officials" are allowed to make up the rules as they go along, not just with visas but with any rules that are meant to apply across Thailand.

This includes Police and Land dept officials, who interpret the rules as they see fit, some due to ignorance of the rules, some for money.

I am now waiting for a post calling me a whinger or moaner, as some people think that saying TIT makes it all OK.

[johnnyk]

Not wanting to be rude, but I've never understood the anxiety about putting 800K baht in a Thai bank in order to live in Thailand.
Its money to live on.
Most countries worth living in require something in the way of guaranteed funds so they don't have to foot the bill for non-citizens.
Yes, bank interest is lost.
But these days how much are banks paying on 800K baht/$25K/15K sterling?
2% maybe.

[The Dude]

I am in a different situation than most people of this forum. I am in my late 20's, single and no kids. I work for 6 to 7 months in the states and live in Thailand for 4 to 5 months. For the last 3 years I have stayed in Thailand during the winters. In 2006 when I lived in Thailand I didn't get a tourist visa at home and had to go to Burma once and fly to Singapore and Vietnam. It was a huge pain. The last two times I got a 60 tourist visa. I still had to fly to Singapore after my extension. Most of these trips out of the country cost more than 10000 baht each time and a few days. I would much rather pay 5000 to 15000 baht and get a five or six month tourist visa. You would think that Thailand would want to charge a large amount for a long tourist visa and keep the money in Thailand and not promote tourism in other neighboring countries. But that would just make it to easy on everyone. I guess I will just have to wait another 25 years.

[Name Taken]

However it might also be because they are a bunch of moronic idiots that have no idea what to do.

I think you may be right spitfire.
I don't think Thailands tourism industry is going to start making a recovery anytime soon. The impression that Thailand seems to give off is that westerners are not welcome here.

Au contraire. Western tourists are very welcome, courted in fact, and Thailand is without any doubt one of the greatest holiday experiences on the planet. Thailand is also not bad about welcoming wealthy westerners over 50 who wish genuinely to retire. What it is not so keen on is too many people in the middle.

So what you're saying is that Thailand should only welcome westerners that are wealthy and have alot of money.

[hhfarang]

I think he/she's just saying that is their target market. I believe it is true, and can you blame them?

They want tourists who will come here and spend money and retirees who will bring money here and not take a job away from a Thai and not take money out. A lot of countries are the same and in a selfish way it makes sense.

What they really don't want are broke backpacker types deciding they want to stay because the place is cheap and wonderful and then working illegally and making visa runs to get around the immigration laws, entrepreneurs (some with no money and no or very little experience in their chosen field) coming here and using loopholes in Thai law or fake Thai partners to start businesses, and speculators coming here buying land or businesses (again using loopholes in the law or fake partners) that run up the prices for everything so that the Thai people cannot afford to live in their own towns and cities.

Is that so unreasonable?

[uncle tom]

Not only do they move the "Official Goalposts" every few months, many people find they are moved, when they are sat in front of an IMM officer.

I have never been to a country where the "officials" are allowed to make up the rules as they go along, not just with visas but with any rules that are meant to apply across Thailand.

Frequent rule changes are an obvious pain. Maybe a large part of the problem is that the officials themselves are not adequately trained, informed, and kept up-to-date.

The daftest thing is that providing a commercial service to assist ex-pats almost certainly falls foul of the restricted professions list, so would have to be done by someone living outside the kingdom.

Tom

[Tony_S]

I am in a different situation than most people of this forum. I am in my late 20's, single and no kids. I work for 6 to 7 months in the states and live in Thailand for 4 to 5 months. For the last 3 years I have stayed in Thailand during the winters. In 2006 when I lived in Thailand I didn't get a tourist visa at home and had to go to Burma once and fly to Singapore and Vietnam. It was a huge pain. The last two times I got a 60 tourist visa. I still had to fly to Singapore after my extension. Most of these trips out of the country cost more than 10000 baht each time and a few days. I would much rather pay 5000 to 15000 baht and get a five or six month tourist visa. You would think that Thailand would want to charge a large amount for a long tourist visa and keep the money in Thailand and not promote tourism in other neighboring countries. But that would just make it to easy on everyone. I guess I will just have to wait another 25 years.

Go for a 1 year Non Immigrant 'O' Vsa (for extended travel or visiting family/friends) .... Multiple entry (90 pounds in UK) ..... I work for 6 months and then stay in Thailand for 6 months....done this for the past 3 years

[Super Joe]

I won't be close to 50 for many years to come and have lived here for quite a while so my options are rather limited despite the fact I have a wife and kids to support here - immigration doesn't have a category for that!

Buksi, what do you mean by there not being a category for that, ie: support of family ? There is isn't there, the farang needs to show an income of 40k a month or 400k in bank, or has that changed ?

The Philippines on the other hand doesn't care how physically old you are

Yes, but they do care that you are wealthy. Their 'retirement visa' (should read investment visa) starts at 35 years old. But if you're 35-50 years old, there is an investment requirement of 50,000 USD, and this only allows you bring spouse and 1 child, each additional child require an extra 15,000 USD each. Therefore 3 kids and the investment to get the visa is 80,000 USD. Annual renewal is 26,000 Baht per year Still at least the option is there for those that can afford it.


Regarding other posts suggesting Thailand is targeting wealthy foreigners:
-Retirees (over 50) in Thailand just need to show the 800k, savings, income or combination. That is not for the wealthy only.

-If under 50 (no work, family etc) Thailand provides you the Non-Imm 'O' for just 150USD, (visa runs and a 15 monthly trip renew in local Asian country). That is not for the wealthy only.

-No visa at all 30 days free, plus another 60 days visa these border runs

-Tourist visa 45 USD, gives you 60 days , plus the extensions for just 1,900 Baht.

Looked into this before and Thailand has just about the cheapest legit visa options for longer stays of all the neighbouring countires, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia etc, unless you're married to one of their nationals.

SJ

[Super Joe]

Not only do they move the "Official Goalposts" every few months, many people find they are moved, when they are sat in front of an IMM officer.
I have never been to a country where the "officials" are allowed to make up the rules as they go along, not just with visas but with any rules that are meant to apply across Thailand.
This includes Police and Land dept officials, who interpret the rules as they see fit, some due to ignorance of the rules, some for money.
I am now waiting for a post calling me a whinger or moaner, as some people think that saying TIT makes it all OK.

Well I won't call you those things then , just can't understand myself why people choose to live/spend long periods of time in a far away country, that they know will be massively different to their own as it's a 'developing 3rd World country' (or whatever) without, it seems, being bothered to research what to expect.
They get here and it's all shock, horror, there's a lot of corruption here, wish the travel agent had told me.

And we all know full well these constant changes/closing of loopholes with the border runs are, being generous, at least in part due to us Foreigners abusing the system by being 'tourists' for last 12 years

SJ

[dtaai-maai]

... just can't understand myself why people choose to live/spend long periods of time in a far away country, that they know will be massively different to their own as it's a 'developing 3rd World country' (or whatever) without, it seems, being bothered to research what to expect.
They get here and it's all shock, horror, there's a lot of corruption here, wish the travel agent had told me.

And we all know full well these constant changes/closing of loopholes with the border runs are, being generous, at least in part due to us Foreigners abusing the system by being 'tourists' for last 12 years

SJ

[hhfarang]

They get here and it's all shock, horror, there's a lot of corruption here, wish the travel agent had told me.

I was neither shocked nor horrified by the Thai corruption. It was the corruption of the "border running" farang real estate developers and other foreigners taking advantage of their own kind that got to me!

[Spitfire]

Well DM and SJ, the idiots, pricks, blaggers and above all the criminals spoil it for the rest of us that would like to immerse ourselves genuinely in another culture and broaden our minds in a non sneaky way, or even change countries but have not been involved in criminal activities. Those that flee their countries because they cannot go back, because they are criminals or "runners", should be filtered out and consigned to the bin somewhere else, or sent back to the home authorities to face the music.

The problem is that there are simply too many of these nefarius losers that f*** it up for the rest of us and I think it is unreasonable that I am treated the same as a criminal that has fled their home country to hide.

All it would take is a police report from your country of origin/embassy to be able to reside here or even visit, but that would make too much sense. I bet 50% of the farang that live full time here are criminals and would be arrested on return to their home countries.

It's bullshit!

[PeteC]

You have a point SF. As we've discussed on here many times, females go through extensive interviews and questioning here before being allowed entrance to the USA, UK, Australia etc.

Concerning the USA, the questioning continues at port of entry, after the visa already issued (residency visa to boot!), but before official entrance is granted. This was way before 9-11 as well. I can only assume the same or more for a man.

We all suffer everywhere from red tape as it's the standard government approach. Herd the cattle, just common stock.

When the day comes when Thailand admits that good farangs are of benefit to them, it, the future....things will change and we'll have selective processing.

I've been saying this for 39 years. Pete

[lomuamart]

Some of that is bullshit, spitfire
I'd definitely be in favour of police checks and financial stability.
What I'm not in favour of is how old you are and whether you're married to a Thai.
For 10 years here I must have been an idiot, prick, blagger and criminal - all in one.
Get a grip. I was well able to take care of myself and I certainly don't appreciate the inference that those on visa exempt stamps are ant different.
In fact, it's most likely that the transgressors have dodgy WPs or teaching qualifications.
Edited because another member managed to post before I got my idiot brain into gear.
2nd edit - sorry.

[Roel]

prcscct wrote:

When the day comes when Thailand admits that good farangs are of benefit to them

Maybe the bad farangs are more of benefit to the Thais in charge.
Just a tought.