Chinese jump at 'elite' Thailand visas to escape coronavirus

[daveAustin]

15 hours ago, wasabi said:

I'm sure there are people who regret buying a TE visa but I am not among them and I have never met a holder of one online or in person who does. People say things like oh it's just a tourist visa, it's too expensive. But if those things bother anyone than they must've been expecting something that it is is not. For me it meets all my needs perfectly including being cost effective for my personal goals. In a perfect world there would've been more options for me and my wife to stay in Thailand but it is not a perfect world so I am satisfied with the TE visa with no regrets.

If it weren't for having to still do 90-day reporting and annual extensions (principle of also having to pay the 1900), I'd consider it. Thy're not making it hassle-free. 

[kamma]

19 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

That describes Thailand down to a tee.

And yet here you are.

[vibration]

I have had both marriage visa and retirement visa extensions here since 2004 and changed last year to a Thai Elite PE Visa which I recently extended for another year at Udonthani Immigration.

 

For me the PE Visa is the best type of Visa for staying in Thailand and I can also fortunatly easily afford it.

 

It was for me before I got the PE Visa a terrible stress every time I applied for an extension as the Immigration Officers can and do change the rules and also now with restrictions on using 400 000 THB or 800 000 THB in the bank.

 

Good luck to all with your Visas, extensions and returning to Thailand if you are stuck outside.

[DrTuner]

10 hours ago, daveAustin said:

If it weren't for having to still do 90-day reporting and annual extensions (principle of also having to pay the 1900), I'd consider it. Thy're not making it hassle-free. 

I solved those problems by flying out every 1-2 months. It's the maximum time one can spend in Thailand without starting to lose sanity anyway. Well overdue for a trip to the real world due to covid now.

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 hour ago, kamma said:

And yet here you are.

As are my businesses and source of income.

 

Your point caller?

[pattayadgw]

Whilst tourists are supposedly not allowed into Thailand at the moment then why am I meeting Russian tourists in Phuket who have recently flown in via Dubai?  Something doesn't look right????  And when asked were they quarantined....NO!!

Edited June 30, 2020 by pattayadgw

[Mr Meeseeks]

43 minutes ago, vibration said:

I have had both marriage visa and retirement visa extensions here since 2004 and changed last year to a Thai Elite PE Visa which I recently extended for another year at Udonthani Immigration.

 

For me the PE Visa is the best type of Visa for staying in Thailand and I can also fortunatly easily afford it.

 

It was for me before I got the PE Visa a terrible stress every time I applied for an extension as the Immigration Officers can and do change the rules and also now with restrictions on using 400 000 THB or 800 000 THB in the bank.

 

Good luck to all with your Visas, extensions and returning to Thailand if you are stuck outside.

I would disagree strongly on that. 

 

A Non-B with work permit in a regulated industry (such as petroleum, aviation, BOI etc.) is the best, no question. Hassle free, lightening quick extensions at the one stop immigration building in Bangkok, no money needed in bank, benefits of having a work permit such as social security, free healthcare, etc. etc.

 

PR with a work permit in one of those industries is the best it gets without becoming a citizen.

 

Elite visa is a waste of money and nothing more than a glorified tourist visa with extended validity, IMO of course. I see your point about the hassle of yearly renewals for marriage or retirement, but surely a decent agent (yes, most are useless), should be able to sort all the nonsense out for you. If money is no object, then 800,000thb in the bank is not an issue.

 

 

 

 

[overherebc]

On 6/29/2020 at 7:33 AM, Kerryd said:

"7 applications in one day" - probably followed by 7 cancellations when asked to fork over the (550k-2,000,000) baht for which ever level of card they were seeking.

And the Immigration stats for last year show a whopping 444 people in Thailand on "Thailand Elite" cards and just over 2,000 more on "Thai Privilege" cards. Somehow I doubt there will be an "explosion" of Chinese suddenly flooding the country using a TE card.

How many years have those programs been running now ? They started when Thaksin was in charge and he was ousted in 2006, so at least 14 years now.

Imagine how many members they'd have if they made a realistic card that catered to Non-O (retirement, marriage) holders. One that granted a similar length of Visa (automatically renewed each year so long as the membership was maintained) and Fast Track at the airport.
Screw the golf and massage package c.rap and the "limo" rides to a hotel.

Once a year show up at your local Immigration office, swipe your card and wave good bye for another year. (Add in one free Single Re-Entry permit per year or, for an extra fee, a multi Re-entry permit each year).
When your membership period is up, report to Immigration, pay the fee for the next period or get a different Visa (or leave the country).

I'm sure they'd get a whole lot more members than they have now, unless they decided to charge some ridiculous fee of course. It would also reduce the traffic at the airports (slightly) and the Immigration offices (a lot).

But not likely to happen anytime soon and especially not under this gov't unless they can figure out a way to make it only available to the Chinese.

Only Chinese.

Easy    Asian Elite Class Visa.

[Kerryd]

2 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Only Chinese.

Easy    Asian Elite Class Visa.

Seriously, it would be that easy. They just have to make up a new card (in Chinese and Thai script) and only advertise it in Chinese locations and most of Thailand and pretty much all "Western" expats would never know.

Almost surprised they haven't already thought of that. Or have they.............(insert sinister conspiracy music here) !

[kamma]

46 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

As are my businesses and source of income.

 

Your point caller?

So does that mean that you chose to live and work in a '...country with an authoritarian regime where the people can't change the government...and end up in jail for criticizing the government. And can't get a good education that includes critical thinking...'?

 

Well I guess it must be quite, dare I say 'sad', to have made that choice?

 

 

Edited June 30, 2020 by kamma

[overherebc]

3 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

Seriously, it would be that easy. They just have to make up a new card (in Chinese and Thai script) and only advertise it in Chinese locations and most of Thailand and pretty much all "Western" expats would never know.

Almost surprised they haven't already thought of that. Or have they.............(insert sinister conspiracy music here) !

Music from the start of The Jackal ( Bruce Willis ) would fit.

[mommysboy]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8471533/Strain-swine-flu-virus-prevalent-China-potential-spread-humans-scientists-warn.html

 

Time for a new lockdown!  

 

Of course, it's not in Thailand and travel from China is banned.  But the same is true of Covid19 now.

Edited June 30, 2020 by mommysboy

[DrTuner]

4 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8471533/Strain-swine-flu-virus-prevalent-China-potential-spread-humans-scientists-warn.html

 

Time for a new lockdown!  

 

Of course, it's not in Thailand yet and travel from China is banned.  But the same is true of Covid19.

Great, H1N1 again. It's been making rounds all the time, I think India was hit worst in the last wave. Apparently it was extinct before a Russian biolab accidentally leaked it sometime in the 70's. I'll dig the source.

 

https://nationalpost.com/news/a-brief-terrifying-history-of-viruses-escaping-from-labs-70s-chinese-pandemic-was-a-lab-mistake

Quote

Human H1N1 virus reappeared in 1977, in the Soviet Union and China. Virologists, using serologic and early genetic tests, soon began to suggest the cause of the reappearance was a laboratory escape of a 1949-50 virus, and as genomic techniques advanced, it became clear that this was true. By 2010, researchers published it as fact: “The most famous case of a released laboratory strain is the re-emergent H1N1 influenza-A virus which was first observed in China in May of 1977 and in Russia shortly thereafter.” The virus may have escaped from a lab attempting to prepare an attenuated H1N1 vaccine in response to the U.S. swine flu pandemic alert.

 

Commies. They need a permanent quarantine.

Edited June 30, 2020 by DrTuner

[Monomial]

50 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8471533/Strain-swine-flu-virus-prevalent-China-potential-spread-humans-scientists-warn.html

 

Time for a new lockdown!  

 

Of course, it's not in Thailand and travel from China is banned.  But the same is true of Covid19 now.

 

Edit: sorry. I didn't actually read the article above before responding. My response makes no sense in context.

 

 

Edited June 30, 2020 by Monomial

[chainarong]

On 6/29/2020 at 6:21 AM, ezzra said:

Thailand have been remarkably lucky in containing the virus thanks to the good efforts of the government and the thai people themselves, hopefully it will stays that way and none of those new Elite card holders will spoil the good run by bringing anything with them...

Keep your eye on this crowd , cannot be trusted to do the right thing .

[Airalee]

18 hours ago, ChouDoufu said:

 

3000 yuan indicates middle class?  that's less than the monthly salary of a factory assembly-line worker.  closer to a month's pay for an assistant manager at a burger joint.

3000 Yuan for a holiday just might indicate a middle class Chinese citizen.   I asked the university educated Chinese RE agent who recently handled my condo purchase here why he chose to work in Thailand.  He told me that his salary would have been around ฿10,000/month in China.  I didn’t ask which city but I was quite surprised at the low level.

 

This article from 2018 that I found regarding salaries painted quite a grim picture, where the government stated that the average university graduate was making 4,317 upon graduation.  Also...from the article, many of the commenters on Weibo were skeptical of those numbers as stated in this quote from the article.
 

“In addition, many commenters suggested that they actually earn less than the reported average. Comments include: “I am the one dragging this number down”; “I only earn 2500 yuan ($390) per month”; “I am a nurse. I earn 2,000 yuan ($312) per month.” Some Weibo users questioned the accuracy of the report: “I think the actual number is way lower than that,” read one comment. “Some number in the 2,000s would be more accurate.”
 

https://supchina.com/2018/06/13/report-chinese-university-graduates-average-annual-starting-salary/

 

Of course there are wealthy Chinese.  I see them in Emquartier and Emporium.  With 1.4 Billion people, the top 1/10th of a percent is 1.4 million.   I highly doubt that the package tourists are from this socioeconomic group but if they are, they aren’t the big spenders people make them out to be.

[Mr Meeseeks]

5 hours ago, kamma said:

So does that mean that you chose to live and work in a '...country with an authoritarian regime where the people can't change the government...and end up in jail for criticizing the government. And can't get a good education that includes critical thinking...'?

 

Well I guess it must be quite, dare I say 'sad', to have made that choice?

 

 

I was in my early 20's and Thailand was a lot less authoritarian 30 odd years ago when that choice was made. 

 

Thailand has changed, and not for the better IMO. 

 

Much rather be here than where I was born though, warts n'all. 

Edited June 30, 2020 by Mr Meeseeks

[BritManToo]

12 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Thailand was a lot less authoritarian 30 odd years ago

Almost every country in the world is the same.

Nowhere gets better, only worse.

[zoltannyc]

It's funny that some people come here only to bash TE visa, for me it sounds like going to a BMW website and start argue that a Honda Jazz is in fact is much better car because the BMW is much more expensive (and most importantly I can't afford it but I don't say it that because that puts me in a bad light), and you still need to register it and you need a driving license to drive it and you need a license plate and the insurance is expensive etc.etc. and it takes you to the same places as the other car. 

 

Everyone has different life values and different financial circumstances, so if you like Gucci bags or BMW or Rimowa suitcases, Michelin star restaurants and you feel it gives value (status) for money and you can afford it then just go for it.

Same goes with TE visa, it gives members value and status for money. Some people don't like the stress dealing with Immigration, like to use express lane with TE personal assistant or the golf cart ferrying you around the airport. So let them have it.

[jackdd]

46 minutes ago, zoltannyc said:

It's funny that some people come here only to bash TE visa

This is mainly due to how they market themselves. They call it "Privilege visa", while "long stay tourist visa" would be way more accurate.

The membership is "taking your relationship with Thailand one step further", but in a situation like now their members are at the end of the list together with every other tourist.

They market it for "frequent business travelers", and somewhere in the small print they mention that working is not allowed.

If they were honest with their marketing, they would get way less critic.

 

They could have seriously scored if their members would have been included in the first group of foreigners who are allowed to enter Thailand.

Edited July 1, 2020 by jackdd

[zoltannyc]

11 minutes ago, jackdd said:

They call it "Privilege visa", while "long stay tourist visa" would be way more accurate.

The membership is "taking your relationship with Thailand one step further", but in a situation like now their members are at the end of the list together with every other tourist.

They market it for "frequent business travelers", and somewhere in the small print they mention that working is not allowed.

 

Well, life is all about fine print and semantics now, love the piece of George Carlin on soft language "If crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight?" 

 

[DrTuner]

4 hours ago, jackdd said:

This is mainly due to how they market themselves. They call it "Privilege visa", while "long stay tourist visa" would be way more accurate.

The membership is "taking your relationship with Thailand one step further", but in a situation like now their members are at the end of the list together with every other tourist.

They market it for "frequent business travelers", and somewhere in the small print they mention that working is not allowed.

If they were honest with their marketing, they would get way less critic.

 

They could have seriously scored if their members would have been included in the first group of foreigners who are allowed to enter Thailand.

That's typical Thai marketing. Glossy pictures of people in limos - stepping out to rat infested Chinatown. Not really a Thai only thing but pure BS nonetheless. And yes I'm a member, before anybody bothers.

[Sambotte]

I doubt many Chineese will buy this "not-so-Elite" Visa.

Unless one who plan to stay in Thailand with no travel, or one willing to adapt (when possible) to the numerous travel requirements changes. Today : + 100.000$ insurance. Tomorrow ? So 5 years minimum is just a very risky bet now. 

[MRToMRT]

On 7/2/2020 at 4:30 AM, Sambotte said:

I doubt many Chineese will buy this "not-so-Elite" Visa.

Unless one who plan to stay in Thailand with no travel, or one willing to adapt (when possible) to the numerous travel requirements changes. Today : + 100.000$ insurance. Tomorrow ? So 5 years minimum is just a very risky bet now. 

But if you are under 50 (especially) its quite unique in what it gives you.

Also Thailand might have a government that drives me bananas but I may come from a country where the government has the potential to be "worse".

 

Not saying I would buy one or disagreeing with you, just pointing out it depends on ones personal situation.

Edited July 3, 2020 by MRToMRT