SURVEY: Proposed immigration changes -- enough to save Thailand?

[clivebaxter]

No need to change the law on 90 day reporting, they could go back to just ignoring it as they did for over 20 years after it was passed in 1979.

[josephbloggs]

16 hours ago, Skeptic7 said:

WAY too little, WAY too late. This place is OVER. Pattaya/Jomtien shuttered and a Ghost Town. Lek hotel and Holiday Inn Express and countless others shuttered.

 

Terminal 21 EMPTY. NO idea how all those restaurants and high end stores are still open. Even if tourists want to come back, which is doubtful, there's nothing to do or even come back to. Pattaya Beach Road is mostly shuttered and much of it ain't coming back anytime soon. 

 

Udon Thani is a Ghost Town, but seems a lot better than Pattaya & Jomtien. 

 

The only positive is Pattaya & Jomtien beaches appear much fresher and cleaner. May even brave a dip. 

Have you heard about this thing called Covid?

Those places being empty has nothing to do with immigration rules or 90 day reporting, but everything to do with Covid.

[josephbloggs]

Nice survey that is entirely slanted to the negative.  Four entirely negative choices as answers, nice.  What is the point?

[Felt 35]

Heard it before. Under/after finans crisis 1997-98 after Tsunami 2004. If and when the tourism/economy ever return to near pre covid all this not need to do 90 day report/ allowed to buying land will slide away. Have we forgot what was a few years ago, out with good boys in with ugly ones?

Felt

Edited April 22, 2021 by Felt 35

[Skeptic7]

34 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Have you heard about this thing called Covid?

Those places being empty has nothing to do with immigration rules or 90 day reporting, but everything to do with Covid.

Many/most of these places aren't ever coming back. What business people/owners with any sense (and whom aren't totally busted already) due to the extreme overreaction nonsense to Covid, are gonna spend another <deleted> load of money on reopening...just to be wiped out all over again and again when just a few old, ill, mostly already dying people die??? Or the next new illness nature or a lab sends our way?

 

And with very little coming back, very few tourists are gonna return regardless of whatrver so-called "easing" of immigration rules they pull out of their backsides.

 

Thailand is all talk and zero action when it comes to any real improvement of anything. And all action only when it comes to BS, scams and scheming. 

 

Just my take, of course. 

Edited April 22, 2021 by Skeptic7

[mikebell]

9 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

 

A start to real estate might be to just allow legal 50 50 ownership.  That would at least give us some protection.  

How?  My wife had me sign papers (in Thai) that made her 50% owner + a 1% friend in the crooked audit company to my 49%.  A Thai court awarded me ONE million on a four million house.

[Litlos]

It is not the rules that need changing so much as clarifying. And then a consistent application of said rules at and between immigration offices. As an example a couple of years ago I needed to get another retirement visa due to previous one lapsing, I went to the desk and they gave me an information sheet on the requirements, the following day back with the paperwork and of to the desk, paperwork not correct! I showed the girl the info sheet, to bad this is desk whatever and this is the way we do it. 

But will not change as will mean less backhanders for immigration from agents. As example recently it looked like I was going to have to travel and my visa would expire while I was away. I could only renew visa 4 weeks beforehand, go to agent who can renew 3 months beforehand. So major structural changes required rather than playing with the "rules" which get reinterpreted by the local office as they see fit.

 

Cheers

 

 

[Skeptic7]

31 minutes ago, Litlos said:

It is not the rules that need changing so much as clarifying. And then a consistent application of said rules at and between immigration offices. As an example a couple of years ago I needed to get another retirement visa due to previous one lapsing, I went to the desk and they gave me an information sheet on the requirements, the following day back with the paperwork and of to the desk, paperwork not correct! I showed the girl the info sheet, to bad this is desk whatever and this is the way we do it. 

But will not change as will mean less backhanders for immigration from agents. As example recently it looked like I was going to have to travel and my visa would expire while I was away. I could only renew visa 4 weeks beforehand, go to agent who can renew 3 months beforehand. So major structural changes required rather than playing with the "rules" which get reinterpreted by the local office as they see fit.

 

Cheers

 

 

Agree that clarity and consistency are a MUST. But also there many ridiculous, redundant and unnecessary rules which need to ease up...or better yet, simply eliminated. 

[BritManToo]

Just now, Skeptic7 said:

Agree that clarity and consistency are a MUST. But also there many ridiculous, redundant and unnecessary rules which need to ease up...or better yet, simply eliminated. 

The chances of immigration making anything easier when they are currently 90% overstaffed are ZERO.

They need lots of paper to push around to justify their continued employment.

 

[BritManToo]

33 minutes ago, mikebell said:

How?  My wife had me sign papers (in Thai) that made her 50% owner + a 1% friend in the crooked audit company to my 49%.  A Thai court awarded me ONE million on a four million house.

No sympathy, you know you can't own property in Thailand.

I think you were lucky to get anything back.

[pizzachang]

Nor many "rich" retirees are going to invest  money in land, without real protections IMO.

The reason people will invest in land in the USA, is because there are plenty of laws that protect real estate investment.  In Thailand you can rarely get a refund if you buy something unsatisfactory! The 90 day report may change...it's redundant and any nefarious activity has 90 days after a report to accomplish whatever it is, Thailand is worried about. I've always enjoyed the outing to make the report, but not the long lines and inefficiency of years ago. Ending the 90 day report, IMO, will not entice anyone, since it is actually a reasonable immigration request, but not really a necessary one for established expats.

[Enzian]

I'm glad someone mentioned the re-entry permit. What is the reason for it? I have a visa for provisional residence good till a certain date; if I leave in that time and come back in, and the date is still the same and still in the future, what's the problem? 

And to me the problem with the 90 day report is not that it is unnecessary for long term expats, but that they know as well as we do that it is unnecessary and still won't do the right thing and drop it-there goes any confidence out the window. My passport is right now in the hands of a trusted agent who takes care of the report for me for 500 baht, which is better than I and my girlfriend going 20 miles for something pointless, but there's always that 1 in a 1000 chance my passport will be lost.

[Skeptic7]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

The chances of immigration making anything easier when they are currently 90% overstaffed are ZERO.

They need lots of paper to push around to justify their continued employment.

 

Right. Didn't say there was any chance of positive change, just that changes, clarity and consistency are needed. In fact, said the opposite in my preceding post to the one you quoted. 

 

Excerpt from preceding post... 

Thailand is all talk and zero action when it comes to any real improvement of anything. And all action only when it comes to BS, scams and scheming. 

[EricTh]

16 hours ago, bobbin said:

I do realize that the financial requirements have been unchanged in the nearly 20 years since I retired here.... on a 1 year visa.

 

 

 

That's not true. There was no requirement for min 800K to be kept after the approval and min 400k for rest of the year.

 

In the past, we don't have to tie down our money for so long.

We only need to top-up our money 3 months before next renewal.

Edited April 22, 2021 by EricTh

[Skallywag]

19 hours ago, Skeptic7 said:

WAY too little, WAY too late. This place is OVER. Pattaya/Jomtien shuttered and a Ghost Town. Lek hotel and Holiday Inn Express and countless others shuttered.

 

Terminal 21 EMPTY. NO idea how all those restaurants and high end stores are still open. Even if tourists want to come back, which is doubtful, there's nothing to do or even come back to. Pattaya Beach Road is mostly shuttered and much of it ain't coming back anytime soon. 

 

Udon Thani is a Ghost Town, but seems a lot better than Pattaya & Jomtien. 

 

The only positive is Pattaya & Jomtien beaches appear much fresher and cleaner. May even brave a dip. 

We are in a global pandemic.  And yes, because of this 3rd shutdown things seem much more empty here, same as during first and second shutdown.  

Every tourist city in the world is suffering because of covid, no way to predict how fast tourism will return after worldwide herd immunity is achieved.

 

Immigration for retirees still easy IMO.  90 day 4 times a year takes 10 minutes. Once a year extension maybe 45 minutes to procure bank letter, get to immigration, then get your documents reviewed.  1,900 baht total

No problem for me.

 

[EricTh]

51 minutes ago, Enzian said:

I'm glad someone mentioned the re-entry permit. What is the reason for it?

 

For other countries, re-entry permit is required  for permanent residents.

 

For other countries, I'm not sure whether education visa/retirement/marriage need re-entry permit or not? Does anybody know?

Edited April 22, 2021 by EricTh

[polpott]

What immigraton changes? Proposals by a nomark who has no influence on the government which even if they were accepted would only affect wealthy foreigners (Chinese?). Nothing here for ordinary retirees.

[mikebell]

21 hours ago, BritManToo said:

No sympathy, you know you can't own property in Thailand.

Now I know!  A smooth-talking English lawyer assured me it was OK and as a newly arrived ex-pat I was gullible.  I am now 78 and much wiser and a lot  poorer.  I still retain my humanitarian nature, however, unlike you.

[marquess]

One real change that would make a great deal of difference, is if they gave married men and women(married to Thais) the right to work.  This could be done after two or 3 years of marriage. 

[gamini]

On 4/21/2021 at 5:31 PM, connda said:

This country pretty much pisses on anyone who isn't considered a Hi-so - Foreigner, Thai, or otherwise.

Hi So in Thailand means a person who pretends to be high class when they are clearly

not. Hated by everyone!!! So what do you mean?