Thailand targets 1 million highly skilled foreigners under long-term visa
Thailand aims to attract 1 million highly skilled foreigners within five years with a Long-Term Resident (LTR) Visa.
Government spokesman Anucha Buraphachaisri said on Thursday that the kingdom is focusing on policies to support investment by attracting highly skilled workers.
Around 1,000 people applied for the LTR Visa from September 1 to October 20, according to the Board of Investment.
Anucha said the visa would be given to four groups of people. He detailed the groups and the number of applicants so far:
- Wealthy individuals: 88 applicants
- Wealthy Pensioners: 430
- Work from Thailand: 366
- Highly skilled professionals: 160.
Meanwhile, another 144 were applicants’ spouses and children.
The top five countries from which these applicants hail are:
- United States: 232
- China: 140
- United Kingdom: 109
- Germany: 68
- Australia: 51
“Prime Minister [Prayut Chan-o-cha] aims to use Thailand’s advantage to attract several groups of highly skilled foreigners in a bid to stimulate spending and investment, drive competitiveness and increase economic growth,” Anucha said.
“This type of visa will be one of the key factors in attracting investors and those who are skilled to live in Thailand,” he added.
