Quote:
Originally Posted by easyrider_au
You'll more than likely find, your home country is tougher towards foreigners than what Thailand is.
With all the whingeing that goes on in this forum about visas etc.....Put the shoe on the other foot & ask a Thai person how how hard it is for them to travel into your country, let alone staying for mths on end.
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That argument is made a lot.. And to be honest is complete crock IMO.
First thing that not apples to apples comparison is what you get when you are there.. The first world provides lots of things free, healthcare, education, benefits, income assistance, housing assistance, etc etc etc.. So any 'poor' person who arrives there is taken care of out of the communual pot. Hence there is a need to stop people drawing out of the pot and never putting in. What does a farang in Thailand ever get a chance to drain from the Thai 'pot' ?? A farang in Thailand is pure foriegn exchange, pure economic benefit.
Secondly, while the entry requirments to the west have a guideline, once that guideline has been met your are then free to come, to stay, to get PR, to get citizenship, to work (without having to have a 10x min wage), to own land, to own companies, equal protections under law, etc etc etc.. We treat each person as an equal. Again nothing like that happens here.
Lastly, While the requirements to the west are initially tougher, those 'tough' requirements are pretty much non existent for anyone of means. If a Thai who earns 10x the UK average salary attempts to go to the UK they dont have much of a visa problem !! If a Thai with saved assets of a similar amount over and above UK norms (hence assuring they will not be a drain on the UK) attempts to get visa's they dont have much problems. I didnt see Thaksin on the channel tunnel doing his 30 day visa runs too often.
Thailand is relatively easy to come for a short stay, but long term staying here gets tougher and tougher if you dont fit some ever decreasing pigeon holes.