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Different Voices on Thai Immigration Policy?

Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggest, we are discussing “different voices chiming in on Thai Immigration Policy”. I get a lot of correspondence where people are asking "why is everything so kind of convoluted with respect to Thai Immigration until sort of a finalized rule comes down?" Generally speaking, that is because there are a lot of people chiming in on that. I got to thinking of this more precisely, I started putting a finer point on my thoughts after reading a recent article on this from the Pattaya Mail, pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Thailand's latest 10-year Retirement Visa available from September. Quote: "The matter of immediate concern to Thai retirees is the future of insurance requirements - not Covid cover, but the comprehensive type. Already, those holding O-A visas from an Embassy must possess comprehensive hospital cover when annually extending at Immigration. The annual minimum rises to US$100,000 in September according to earlier announcements," (and we have talked about this in other videos on this channel) quoting further: "with an option for self-insurers too old or sick to obtain cover. One of the many problems of Thailand's Immigration policy is that several Government Ministries are free to express their views. But they are not singing from the same hymn sheet." Good point. Well said.

That being said, they tend to kind of talk across each other from time to time until the final rule is ultimately promulgated. We saw this with respect to Insurance when the insurance requirements were first rolled out, I think it was 2018 going into '19, I think was October '19, if I remember correctly when that rule came online officially. Up to that point, there had been some back and forth and then the official rule came in and that just was it. Once it was promulgated, it just was what it was and we all kind of had to deal with the aftermath of that. So from one standpoint yeah I am sure it is a bit vexing to folks who are looking at this that don't deal with it all the time, someone like me, who unfortunately spends an inordinate amount of time analyzing Thai Immigration Policy. Yeah from just sort of a lay person or just a casual observer perspective, I am sure it does look very convoluted and a lot of back and forth but that is also kind of what happens in the Legislative process in the US and even in the rule making process in the US for example. You have got a lot of folks that chime in and ultimately the rule just looks as it does or the law just looks as it does. Kind of similar over here in Thailand although it can be a little more confusing for many Expats because you have the language barrier on top of everything else.