What brought you here? What made you stay?

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dagenham
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Re: What brought you here? What made you stay?

Post by dagenham »

Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote:
dagenham wrote:I'm truly flabbergasted at the high number of peeps citing "visa" as the #1 reason for staying here. What an inane reason for choosing a place to live long-term (or for the rest of your days). All other SEA countries have visa rules that can be dealt with in some way (VN, Laos, Thailand, etc.) - mostly by getting a job or crossing the border once in awhile.

Surely the visa should be factor, but not the primary motivating one. It appears that all those people don't really have a "real engaged life" here. It's the only country that they can find that will let them stay easily. Frankly, this is astounding to me as it basically devalues all the other legitimate and valid reasons to live in Cambodia. There are myriad characteristics of Cambodia that influence me to stay here. The visa is way down my personal list.
I have to agree. I never even bothered researching the visa situation until after my first trip. I'd essentially decided to live here (or at least, try it out temporarily) before even looking into visas. Might not have been so wise, but I lucked out I guess. However, I can understand why retirees or people who do freelance work (writers, IT consultants etc) might want to narrow down their "living abroad" choices based on visa requirements.
True that. Of course the visa is a central concern in any foreign country where you live but....the #1 deciding factor? Really now?
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frank lee bent
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Re: What brought you here? What made you stay?

Post by frank lee bent »

it is not only the visa entry- you can also carry out business with no local partner.
this in itself is stunning in the region.
for example in Thailand, whatever business you do- a 51% partner is required.
Many occupations are "reserved" for Thai- gems, farming, aquaculture to name a few out of more than 100.
The relative lack of burdens on small business is highly attractive in cambo.
Tax for example.
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Re: What brought you here? What made you stay?

Post by Rain Dog »

dagenham wrote:I'm truly flabbergasted at the high number of peeps citing "visa" as the #1 reason for staying here. What an inane reason for choosing a place to live long-term (or for the rest of your days). All other SEA countries have visa rules that can be dealt with in some way (VN, Laos, Thailand, etc.) - mostly by getting a job or crossing the border once in awhile.

Surely the visa should be factor, but not the primary motivating one. It appears that all those people don't really have a "real engaged life" here. It's the only country that they can find that will let them stay easily. Frankly, this is astounding to me as it basically devalues all the other legitimate and valid reasons to live in Cambodia. There are myriad characteristics of Cambodia that influence me to stay here. The visa is way down my personal list.
FFS

Why is it astounding?

Everyone has their own situation.

I left Singapore at age 49 --- too young to apply for a retirement Visa in Thailand and not yet looking to jump back on to a career path. Did 9 months of leaving and re-entering Thailand and that get's old in a hurry. Literally living out of my luggage as I did not want the added costs of maintaining apartments in two different countries. I also had advance inside knowledge (Having done a lot of business in Thailand during my 17 years in Asia) that they were looking at cracking down on tourist re-entries --- which they did big time a few months ago. The opportunity to settle down in a place for a year and explore the country and try to understand potential entrepreneurial opportunities was a huge factor in my decision to come here.

What is wrong with that?
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vladimir
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Re: What brought you here? What made you stay?

Post by vladimir »

I do know that Thailand lost a serious amount of qualified, decent teachers, and that the puerile visa process was at the top of nearly 90% of their lists.

If they amended that I can guarantee you hundreds would return tomorrow.

People have this strange aversion to being treated like 2nd class shite.
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Re: What brought you here? What made you stay?

Post by Rain Dog »

vladimir wrote:I do know that Thailand lost a serious amount of qualified, decent teachers, and that the puerile visa process was at the top of nearly 90% of their lists.

If they amended that I can guarantee you hundreds would return tomorrow.

People have this strange aversion to being treated like 2nd class shite.
Yep -- even guys with Thai wives are starting to get fed up.
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Re: What brought you here? What made you stay?

Post by phuketrichard »

Not exactly on topic but related:
something that i have always wondered about an perhaps others that have lived in asia /have wifes, familes can comment on.

Many of my friends here in Phuket, own their homes, cars, motorcycles and are or have raised families

Those that i know in Cambodia, only one owns his home ( seems od has land)
a couple own their own motorbike an less own cars,
Is it cause, even thou they call it home, are ready to leave if things turn bad?

dont have the $$ to buy or build a home, are comfortable riding in tuk tuks or on the back of motos?

Owning a home is no more involved there than here ( my land is owned in a friend's name while the house is in mine)

Or the group of friend's I have are..... ( many of them are photographers in PP and sr) but do know a few that own their own business
and one is own yacht

as to cracking down on tourist entries that is wrong, they are only cracking down on visa exempt entries not tourist visas or long term visas at all ( YET)
It is still not hard to get a non b visa ( hell, my Cambodian gf has a wp an 1 year visa)
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Re: What brought you here? What made you stay?

Post by Rain Dog »

phuketrichard wrote: as to cracking down on tourist entries that is wrong, they are only cracking down on visa exempt entries not tourist visas or long term visas at all ( YET)
It is still not hard to get a non b visa ( hell, my Cambodian gf has a wp an 1 year visa)
No --- it is not wrong. Most of the current crack down is on visa exempt re-entries as that is where the bulk of re-entry abuse (visa exempt runs) takes place. However, they are also going to be heavily scrutinizing multiple Tourist visa re-entries and you could well face an unpleasant surprise if you already have recent multiple tourist Visas in your passport. Unfortunately the actual policies are not transparent (nor even finalized) yet and the situation has been further muddied by the ongoing political situation / coup so the situation is unpredictable. It is likely these new policies could be delayed if the tourism numbers are affected too dramatically but at the time I was making my decision as to whether to come Cambodia (which is what this topic is about) this is the information I had on hand.

Long term Visas such as Retirement Visas should remain unaffected but even there the financial and reporting requirements may be further tightened.

These issues have been on the table for a long time internally and run much deeper than concerns over working illegally.

Talking about a work permit for your Cambodian Girlfriend is fully irrelevant. Thailand has an acute labor shortage in it's construction and lower end manufacturing sectors and it is quite easy for laborers from Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia to get work permits. Somehow I think that may be hard for me on my American Passport. Do you disagree?
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Re: What brought you here? What made you stay?

Post by StroppyChops »

vladimir wrote:People have this strange aversion to being treated like 2nd class shite.
They much prefer being treated like first class shi... never mind, I'm being childish.
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Re: What brought you here? What made you stay?

Post by Hotdigr »

That comment is a bit elitist Richard don't you think? I mean, seriously elitist. I have a mate here who earns more each week then we probably all do together each month. He just left Thailand btw and decided Cambodia was a much better investment proposition. Vlad, comment?
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Re: What brought you here? What made you stay?

Post by phuketrichard »

Rain Dog wrote:
phuketrichard wrote: as to cracking down on tourist entries that is wrong, they are only cracking down on visa exempt entries not tourist visas or long term visas at all ( YET)
It is still not hard to get a non b visa ( hell, my Cambodian gf has a wp an 1 year visa)
No --- it is not wrong. Most of the current crack down is on visa exempt re-entries as that is where the bulk of re-entry abuse (visa exempt runs) takes place. However, they are also going to be heavily scrutinizing multiple Tourist visa re-entries and you could well face an unpleasant surprise if you already have recent multiple tourist Visas in your passport. Unfortunately the actual policies are not transparent (nor even finalized) yet and the situation has been further muddied by the ongoing political situation / coup so the situation is unpredictable. It is likely these new policies could be delayed if the tourism numbers are affected too dramatically but at the time I was making my decision as to whether to come Cambodia (which is what this topic is about) this is the information I had on hand.

Long term Visas such as Retirement Visas should remain unaffected but even there the financial and reporting requirements may be further tightened.

These issues have been on the table for a long time internally and run much deeper than concerns over working illegally.

Talking about a work permit for your Cambodian Girlfriend is fully irrelevant. Thailand has an acute labor shortage in it's construction and lower end manufacturing sectors and it is quite easy for laborers from Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia to get work permits. Somehow I think that may be hard for me on my American Passport. Do you disagree?
It is relevant as its not that hard too obtain for anyone ( if they know people here) .
MY gf just got her 2nd year wp. all u need is to find someone willing to put u on their payrol as an employee ( as i did for her thru a friends company) she has the same wp as anyone else ( American /english, german) ( not a migrant LA visa which is what many Burmese/laotions have)

I agree there going after the non tourist that have been abusing the visa exempt entries and well as they should, know any other county that has made it so easy ( beside Cambodia ) to live an work?

IT will NOT affect the real tourist one bit as most only come for 10-14 day holiday nor will it affect those that travel to Thailand an than say head to Cambodia or laos and back to Thailand, Immigration can easily see if ur living in Thailand or not.

HOtdigr

Elitist? possibly, but than why are not more Barangs buying/building homes, buying cars etc. For me it was nothing about showing of, I had to have a car for years to get my daughter to school an for most of my friends that do need a car and even if u don't need one why is it Elitist to own one?

as to commenting on how much people learn, you have no idea how much i or my friends earns, some in the tens of thousands $ range/month) an if the business opportunities were so much better in Cambodia than Thailand, why are not more western moving there an setting up hotels, rest, dive shops, etc etc

Outside of Shv there are few westerners that own business ( a few bars/rests in PP ) most of the expats are Korean.Japanese, Chinese.

Bottom line, those that move to Cambodia cause they can get a easy visa are not those that will stay long. You still need money to survive there or a marketable skill (teaching is surely one). i do see some guys that have been teaching english here that were not getting the correct visas thru the schools ( just getting the run around) moving over to Cambodia to teach but how many jobs will there be for them in say 6 month to a year?
Yes it is easier but there must be more to why people move there, I lived there for a year and travel often there, it was the people, the history, the markets, the laid backness, ( and the backwardness) that i enjoy.

How many of you that have been there for years own your homes, which if as u say, Cambodia is better for investment, would be a good investment? Owning a home is NOT elitist
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
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