The new visa rule hubbub

**Mr Earl** · 17-09-2006, 04:15 PM

There is a great hubbub going on at TV over the new visa rules which will come into effect next month.
Article
They want to crack down on the 30 day visa runner who they suspect of working here without a WP and not paying taxes.
Seems like a assbackwards way of going about it though by throwing a wet blanket over all the 30 day visa runners.

I think the immigration officials might be underestimating the negative effect this will have on the economy of small businesses here.

It doesn't bother me much because my working status is all on the up and up.
Some of the small business owners I know here are concerned.
I'm not sure what the happy solution would be.
How may here are 30 day visa runners?

**Gazza** · 17-09-2006, 04:49 PM

I do monthly runs because it suits me better. The change doesn't bother me too much because I'll just go back to getting non-imm O's.

Just don't like the thought of going to Penang again. Had 15 years of going there. Last two years I've enjoyed getting away to a border somewhere every month and making a little holiday of it.

I would've been willing to pay 1000baht for a monthly stamp/visa or paying extra for a non-imm visa obtainable from Bkk or a border imm office that activates when re-entering Thailand.

**Mr Earl** · 17-09-2006, 09:59 PM

If these xenophobic morons who run this country could see!
All they have to do is impose a 1000 baht 30 day visa stamp at the immigration department. The revenue would far exceed their lost tax revenue.
Dumb-shits is putting it mildly.

everyone would rather spend an hour and 1000 baht at immigration that have to travel out of the country.

**Gerbil** · 17-09-2006, 10:18 PM

^

The whole point is that, while the Thai's are quite happy about having 12-15 million visitors a year, they'd like them to be just that - 'visitors', i.e come here for a few weeks, spend their money, then fuck off home again.

They really can't stand their country being seen as a cheap place to live for westerners with more money that 95% of them - it really hurts the national pride

'xenophobic morons' & 'dumb shits' does nothing to further your argument or appease their dislike.

**RDN** · 17-09-2006, 11:34 PM

Originally Posted by Gerbil

... to be just that - 'visitors', i.e come here for a few weeks, spend their money, then fuck off home again....

Yes - just come, and go. Same same bar girls.

**Gerbil** · 18-09-2006, 12:02 AM

Originally Posted by RDN

Yes - just come, and go. Same same bar girls.

Exactly

**mrsquirrel** · 18-09-2006, 01:47 PM

I like the new laws.

I see no problem with them.

I think that 6 months is perfectly acceptable time to be here on holiday in a year.

If you reallly want to stay longer then get one of the visas from a consulate if not fuck off back to Germany or Sweden or wherever it is you are coming from.

**peterpan** · 18-09-2006, 03:14 PM

^ While i would put it a little more diplomatically, I agree with you 100%.
This policy change may impact the teaching industry but I don't know that its going to have a much greater effect. Its my experience that types of long stay visa'a are easy enough to get.
It amuses me to see the Letters to the Ed, all the cry babies, bawling, "they don't want us" "xenophobic Thai's". All whinging their arse off, If they don't like the rules, play somewhere else.

**Begbie** · 18-09-2006, 05:12 PM

You folks are missing the point. Last month I jumped on a plane got off in Thailand walked through immigration stayed a couple of weeks then left. Next month I'm going to have to spend a morning in the Thai embassy and some hard earned cash in order to spend a week or so in Thailand.

This rule change isn't hitting the long term dodgers only a few of them do visa runs, most are on tourist or "O" visas running bars or teaching without work permits.

If the government is serious about stopping the abuse of people who work on the sly and don't get work permits or pay tax the solution is simple, anyone who stays over 180 days should pay tax.

Basically all this new rule chage will do is cause agravation to genuine tourists.

**lom** · 18-09-2006, 05:37 PM

Originally Posted by Begbie

This rule change isn't hitting the long term dodgers only a few of them do visa runs, most are on tourist or "O" visas running bars or teaching without work permits.

I´m not so sure about that Begbie. I´ve done a couple of visa runs in the past to Malaysian border to active my next multiple.
Most , if not all, of the others in the bus were regular customers of that visa-run company, doing their monthly visa run.

Originally Posted by Begbie

Basically all this new rule chage will do is cause agravation to genuine tourists

Most of the genuine tourists comes to Thailand by charter fligth, they stay 2 or 3 weeks, and the majority comes from one of the 41 countries that has 30 days tourist visa exemption. It won´t affect any of them..

**qwerty** · 18-09-2006, 08:05 PM

I suspect that the impact will be fairly big in some localized areas. The farang communties in Pattaya, Phuket, Koh Samui and Chiang Mai will probably be hit hard, with the condo market basically freezing. The Language Schools will lose a lot of their hourly guys, while the schools that actually provide WP's will probably be able to cut their salaries because of all the teachers applying to them!

Overall, the average Thai won't really notice anything or really be effected.

**Butterfly** · 18-09-2006, 08:32 PM

Cheap condos on the way

Cool !!! about fucking time

**dirtydog** · 18-09-2006, 08:36 PM

Visas are visas, I used to have an indefinite multi entry for the states, stay 6 months per time without an exit ticket and then just fly out for the day, ok that was a long time ago, but it is pretty much the same here, get a multi non imm and fly or drive out every 3 months, it really is that easy.

Thread: The new visa rule hubbub

Thread Tools

Display

The new visa rule hubbub

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

Posting Permissions