#Thailand - A third of expats may have to leave – Survey on new ‘retirement’ visa extension

Thailand’s farang forum, Thaivisa, has conducted two unofficial polls that indicate that many expats will be calling it quits and leaving the Kingdom. The polls are a response from the affected ThaiVisa audience, not indicative of the total expat population living in Thailand.

The polls have been undertaken in the wake of new regulations issued by Thai immigration requiring retirees to lodge money for several months in a Thai bank account.

The unofficial polls report that, while nearly half of those on the Facebook poll say they would be leaving, nearly 70% on the website pages say they expected to “ride out the storm”.

On the ThaiVisa website the question was asked… “Will the new financial requirements force you to leave?”

• 7.9% said Yes

• 22.72% said it would seriously jeopardise their stay

• 69.38% said they would not have to leave

On their Facebook page, a similar question was more clear cut. Asked if the tough new financial requirements for retirement extensions (visas) would force people to leave:

• 49% said Yes

• 51% said No

On the website forum 461 people responded to the survey. On their Facebook page, 968 people responded.

Some opined (grammar and spelling corrected)…

“It does appear that this administration, and especially the biggest joke, are trying to do everything in their power to discourage expats from staying here.”

“To call them ignorant, fearful, xenophobic, non-visionary, and misguided would be a vast understatement. Biggest Joke said he would make things easier and simpler. He is doing just the opposite, and barely even disguising his contempt for foreigners.”

“He is the single biggest threat to the expat community right now.”

“One can only hope that, come election time, all of this nonsense will be over, and both Prayuth and especially the biggest joke, will be sent out to pasture for the rest of their lives.”

“These new rules will hurt the Thai economy if almost half leave unless they change to a spousal visa if they are married of course.”

“The Thai Baht is another major factor in how people can survive here and only the Government can step in and bring it back out of its inflated state which will also improve exports as we all know the weaker the baht the more other countries can import just common sense instead of greed .”

“I will take a wait and see approach before cashing in my chips here in Chiang Mai.”

“One week it’s a new set of financial criteria, the next week it’s something different. I tend to agree that Thai Government Officials simply don’t want us here on a long term basis so they go about putting these ridiculous impediments in our way.”

SOURCE: ThaiVisa

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Thai immigration to show leniency to foreigners applying for retirement & marriage extensions

Thai immigration say that they’re willing to show leniency to foreigners in the prickly subject of proving income when applying for retirement and marriage visas and extensions.

Immigration chief Police Lieutenant General Surachete Hakparn acknowledges that some applicants may have difficulty in providing the now required 12 months worth of bank statements.

Where this is the case Surachete has instructed immigration officers that, up to the end of 2019, they will have discretion to accept evidence of less than 12 monthly transfers from overseas.

Appplicants given leniency in this case are being told that this is a one-off exemption and that their applications for the next renewal will not be accepted without a complete set of documents according to the order.

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The order comes after revelations last year that a number of embassies in Thailand, including the UK, USA and Australia, would stop issuing income letters or affidavits, which had been used by expats to confirm their income when applying for a retirement or marriage extension.

This was forcing some foreigners applying for ‘retirement’ or ‘marriage’ visas to show 12 monthly transfers of either 65,000 baht or 40,000 baht paid into a Thai bank account.

Those affected by the new requirements are questioning if they will still be able to obtain a retirement or marriage extension even though they were not able to provide the 12 months worth of statements now required.

Best to consult your visa agent or go directly to your local Immigration office for an ‘off the record’ chat before you submit your documents.

Source - TheThaiger & Thaivisa

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Thailand - EDITORIAL: Tracking you down... for safety!

Thai Immigration Pattaya / Chonburi

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The new immigration form mandating foreign nationals disclose various personal details is intrusive, much like distrusting parents tracking their children’s smart-phones. Not only do authorities appear to lack subtlety and a clear understanding of how technology works, they also seem to lack the capacity to safely manage and protect the extensive data they are collecting.

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 Thai Immigration Chiang Mai

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 At best, they can hope to better “track down” foreigners when problems arise. Though such a move should surprise no one in this age of mass surveillance, perhaps what is hard to swallow for many foreign residents is the utter lack of subtlety – the perception that officials view all foreigners as potential criminals, and possible scapegoats in any legal unpleasantness that might arise.

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 Bank account numbers will not give authorities access to your money. Knowing what websites you visit and where you hang out sounds more like an awkward first-date script.

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 Thai Immigration Bangkok

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 Your licence plate numbers should already be easily accessible for any functioning bureaucracy.
Your social media details are already on the internet – if you were worried about privacy, you should have read the fine print and never signed up to disclose your personal content on the internet in the first place.
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At worst, the form may invoke fear amongst some alien denizens, who may or may not be deterred from committing any nefarious deeds for fear of being traced. Not exactly the most scientifically proven method of crime-prevention, but fairly standard for authoritarian states throughout time. Human Rights Watch also thinks the form “risks alienating foreign investors and tourists who play a major role in the Thai economy”... which is the standard response to xenophobic polices worldwide.

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 Thai Immigration Phuket

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What is not pointed out is that xenophobia is the foundation of all immigration policies that exist today, worldwide, and foreign investors already absorb it into their cost-benefit analysis. And as Thailand makes a rather endearing effort to catch up with the modern surveillance states, lives will
not change, nor will they be destroyed any more than usual.

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Source:  thephuketnews.com/
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