He-man gets Thai visa
Thank you for your visa suggestions. There are few alternatives left as Thai Immigration has closed one option after the other.
Marriage visa: I can’t get one because am not married to a (real) Thai woman. Any marriage of convenience (perish the thought!) is quickly exposed by zealous agents who interview maids, security guards and neighbours.
Work permit: Most English teachers in Thailand are visa runners, regardless of what their schools told them when they were hired. Only a few higher end schools can provide work permits. I am semi-retired. I don’t want to teach and I am not qualified to do it either.
Missionary visa: I am afraid my faith isn’t strong enough.
Journalist visa: A big name media organisation must hire me first. Do I look like Anderson Cooper?
Research visa: Getting a degree in Boyologi?
Business visa: I don’t have a business. This used to be a loophole but they have closed it now, demanding lots of paperwork to prove minimum turnover and profit, taxes, the number of Thai employees and so on. And they often don’t give a year even so.
Diplomat or NGO visa: I don’t think what I do is sufficiently diplomatic or charitable.
Retirement visa: I can’t get one because I am under 50.
What is left: tourist and visit-friends visas, and the dwindling number of generous Thai consulates.
Anything else?
Tag: visa Thailand
December 19th, 2007 at 12:39 am
Double entry non-immigrant type o will give you 6 months. There are still some consulates giving these. My local one here in Toronto for example.
December 19th, 2007 at 1:48 am
How long before 50? 21 years?
December 19th, 2007 at 1:50 am
You have so many people staying at The Mansion, surely that would qualify you to run a bed and breakfast.
December 19th, 2007 at 4:03 am
With the large amount of money you give non-deserving bois, you certainly should quality as a charity under NGO rules.
December 19th, 2007 at 7:05 am
One thought. Only one million baht for the Elite Card, and you get a five year visa with that. I wonder if the new visa regulations could be a inventive way of selling the cards? Anyway, another condo in KL + lots of tickets + shopping with lots of malay boys - sureley that will cost you at least 200 thousand baht pr year? Go for the card, after all it’s only money. In fact it’s only funnymoney :=)
December 19th, 2007 at 10:00 am
Where do I get a million baht?
You never know if they are going to honour the Elite Card in the future, “lifetime” it might be but the whole thing is shaky. Thaksin said they would sell a million such cards. He was 99% off target.
December 19th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
one year education visa - can be used to learn Thai part time….
December 19th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
I asked about an education visa at my Thai school. They said I had to study (and pay for) four hours a day minimum. That would cost 30,000 baht a month.
December 19th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Non imigrant visa?
December 19th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
I am sure you can sign up for classes in a university for a lot less than 30′ a month…
Did you ever do a visa run to Cambodia btw? Really enjoyed my one short trip there. Much better value for your money than in KL. Probably not as safe as Malaysia but it sure is a lot friendlier. I would not mind staying in Siam Reap half the year…
December 20th, 2007 at 6:44 am
How about moving right next to a border, so you could stroll out in your slippers for a gentle walk in the morning, and come back again before your breakfast is cold?
December 20th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Re Education visa - try AUA in Rajmadri. Cheap, friendly, lots of eye candy, a/c classrooms
December 20th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Sounds like Thailand is really not wanting people to stay in their country. This is Sad.
December 20th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
education visas can be given for one year and some require about 180 lessons in that time. and that’s for under 30,000 baht per year, not per month.
you can get education visas for studying thai language, budhism, scuba diving, culture, etc.
thaivisa.com has a lot of info on this. see also:
http://www.thaiwalen.com/html/student_visa.html
http://www.learn-in-asia.com/visa_run_thailand.htm
December 21st, 2007 at 9:48 am
As netrix says - look at this:
http://www.thaiwalen.com/html/prices.html
December 21st, 2007 at 7:30 pm
A discussion about Walen here
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=147028
December 22nd, 2007 at 7:08 am
Qualifications for Thai Elite Card (in their words [and mine]):
-Being sui juris under Thai law and be at the age of or over 20 years old;
[what is sui juris?]
-Being allowed to stay in Thailand in accordance with the immigration laws or any related law of Thailand;
-Not being a Thai citizen or the foreigner who have obtained a permanent residency status in Thailand;
-Not having been sentenced by a judgment to imprisonment in any countries except for an offence committed through negligence;
[the country will be overrun with negligent foreign criminals!]
-Not having been adjudicated bankrupt; and
]
[aha, now we see where priorities lie
-Not having been declared as a person of unsound mind, incompetence, or quasi-incompetence.
[oh great, who amongst us survivies this last qualification?]
-Whystler
December 22nd, 2007 at 7:11 am
Oh yes, and I’m seriously willing to throw in 5,000 baht towards Silom Farang’s Elite Card fund. Anyone else? It would be great to hear his reviews on what the service *actually* gives.
-Whystler
May 20th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
You can try Walen School of Thai @ http://www.thaiwalen.com
There are students from more than 40 countries. I have some friends study there.
The course costs only 28,400 bht applicable for ED Visa.