johnbkk

corvette lover: your math is slightly off. By those figures it's 2 billion baht a month, 24 billion baht a year.

I agree they probably don't work the numbers. Even if they did, I don't think they could get over their huge egos and nationalism long enough to see the benefits.

The way the immi laws are set up, most of the money you spend chasing long stay visas still goes out of the country on plane tickets, hotel rooms, and the like. It isn't like they're capturing that money by shutting down the 30 day runs to the Cambo border, or the 60 + 30 day visas from regional consulates.

If things were more logical, you could just buy a B visa downtown for a varying fee depending on what your situation is. Could use that money to build schools or buy lambos or whatever.

I see the retirement and marriage visas as just barely tolerated exceptions to the general rule of 'you can't stay here'. That rule itself is based more on emotional / political considerations than rational ones.