Why is the LTR Visa in Thailand failing to attract its target number of applicants?

LTR Visa Thailand visa regulations Visa for remote workers Immigration Bureau of Thailand Permanent residency Work From Thailand visa Consulting business expatriates DTV Visa Expat challenges in Thailand Visa requirements for foreigners

Jul 8, 2024

4 months ago

Frank-Steven ***********

ORIGINAL POSTER

Here is some strong indicator of what I have been preaching over and over again: The LTR Visa - great as it is - is a failure in its current form!

It was set out a attract 1 MILLION highly sought after candidates - but a mere 4457 applications have only been achieved in total. 

Especially the "Work from Thailand" category is a total misalignment of requirements and realities. Especially the requirement to be an employee of only a big or publicly listed company is just too far off the realities of many remote workers that would otherwise easily meet the rest of the requirements. Why oh why would they even care of I make my high income that I am willing to spend in Thailand from direct employment income of a listed corporation - or as owner of my own medium sized (consulting) business? 

Meanwhile, a DTV Destination Thailand Visa was announced - but as so often not followed through. OK: Rant over. Have a great day, everyone. :-)

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TLDR : Answer Summary

The discussion highlights frustrations with Thailand's LTR Visa, which aims to attract 1 million applicants but has seen only 4,457 applications so far. Critics argue that the stringent requirements, particularly the stipulation of being employed by large corporations, exclude many remote workers and small business owners who meet other criteria. The conversation also touches on the perceived inconsistency of immigration practices and calls for reforms to make the visa more accessible, especially for remote workers and those with varying income sources.

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Bart **************

I fully agree with you. If they want to have a visa for remote workers, why oh why is it only good if you work for Shell or Unilever. Why is someone working remote for some medium sized software or consultancy company not good enough to work remote in Thailand??

But it's not the first time. I remember a visa type launched a couple years ago aiming for people owning property in Thailand. One of the requirements was that you had a couple million baht in the bank still. So pointless; why would someone be required to own that much cash if it is already required that he/she owns a house? Many people do not hold so much cash in the bank but have it invested in multiple houses or in stock. We can all agree that having some money to spend is a reasonable requirement, but enough to buy yet another house, if you are also required to already own one, that makes no sense to me.