The EU is going to check visa applicants more strictly

It won't get smoother or easier, unfortunately.

And for this reason:
1. Foreigners who do not require a visa (non-European) also largely have to adhere to exactly the same requirements. An American or Malaysian (both not subject to a visa requirement), for example, must also be able to demonstrate at the border what the purpose of their trip is, that they will have accommodation, that the trip is affordable, that they have adequate travel insurance and that they will return on time. to leave. Without a visa requirement, this does of course save you some hassle (costs, time) in advance.

2. Some Member States are resistant, for example the Netherlands was a strong supporter of relaxation and so was the European Commission, but other Member States are more difficult in certain areas. They are already uncomfortable with the idea of ​​issuing an MEV as standard and automatically with each application - unless there is a well-founded objection to this in an individual case - for a longer period of time (e.g. 1 year, then 2 years, then 5 years, etc.). ). Or just look at the visa processing, where Belgium is known for setting higher standards for a European who brings a Thai partner over for a holiday. See my annual 'visa issuance under the microscope' pieces (an update for 2017 is 95% ready, I hope to post next week).

3. The asylum wave of 2012-2015 did not exactly boost positive feelings. Citizens and governments are now calling even louder to keep out potentially undesirable people. The aspects of recording a copy of the passport (so that you cannot throw away your passport after arriving in Europe and say that you come from a war zone even if that is not the case) are an example of this. And the regular, screened foreigner is apparently also potentially a risk, so record everyone who lives in Europe on a residence permit - even if you have been living here for 10 years - in a database. Yet another reason to naturalize as a foreigner, then you will be freed from the IND/DVZ forever and soon also from the VIS database. A government that sees you as a potential criminal and wants to keep a close eye on you with more databases, etc. is not really a pleasant idea.

Nothing has actually come of previously announced relaxations/flexibilization: https://www.thailandblog.nl/nieuws-uit-thailand/europa-soepeler-regels-schengenvisum/

Better late than never. Looking away and doing nothing is much worse. Unfortunately, not all of us can look at the crystal ball yet. The mustard comes after the meal. You see what is currently happening in Indonesia with those suicide bombers who share this with their children. Completely unexpected actions, beyond anyone's surprise. How should you deal with this again? Actions are often taken afterwards, due to many rules and negative surprises. Furthermore, I think that Rob.V's comment makes a lot clear. The good must suffer because of the evil, it was so, it is so and it will remain so. Moreover, among the fortune seekers and real war victims who ask for asylum, there are very few people who go crazy and become terrorists. Almost everyone who committed attacks had lived in the EU country for much longer or was even born there. You also see this phenomenon taking place in America and the danger comes from the Americans themselves. One hundred percent certainty cannot be offered when it comes to safety.

The Thai must show the same papers as, for example, the Chinese. That is indeed a bit arranged for off, but now again no higher mathematics. And, for example, an American fortunately does not have to apply for a visa in advance, but has to do practically the same things at the border: sufficient resources, accommodation, purpose of travel, no risk of illegality, etc. Although the KMar will not be able to screen all visa-free travelers or assess risks equally for all groups.

The biggest stumbling block often remains making it plausible that the foreign national will return in time. In about 97% of the cases, Thais are granted the visa. Once at the border, a handful of Thais are still refused entry (Belgium not a single Thai and the Netherlands about 5 per year).

Top 10 Visa Applications 2017:
Country – applications 2017 – rejected %
1. Russia 3.885.899 – 1,4%
2 China 2.533.905 – 3,3%
3. Turkey 971.710 – 6,5%
4. India 920.699 – 8,5%
5. Algeria 779.152 – 35,9%
6. Ukraine 720.976 – 3,7%
7. Belarus 715.433 – 0,3%
8. Morocco 614.432 – 15,3%
9. Saudi Arabia 334.786 – 5,4%
10. THAILAND 304.054 – 3,1%

Source: https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/visa-policy#stats

But that, for example, the forms could be simpler, yes, completely agree. And especially with follow-up applications, it must be easy: fewer papers, MEV visa for several years, etc. The Orange Carpet / Orange Carpet policy responds to this, but there is certainly no room for improvement. But the Thai are certainly not unwelcome. However, with some simplifications it could become a warmer policy.

I hope that within about 10 years the visa requirement can be lifted. Pretty much all of South America is visa free so why not Thailand? Then the country will have to resemble Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, etc. socio-economically.

RSO Asia issues an MEV in 97 to 99,9 of the cases. It would also gradually be valid for an increasingly longer period with each subsequent Schengen visa. But asking specifically for this and in particular arguing in an accompanying letter why the MEV should be multiannual is a good idea. I also write that in the Schengen file. In the worst case, the RSO will ignore the request, but otherwise it will play no part in the assessment.

We read little about the orange carpet policy. When every embassy still had its own website, there was an Orange Carpet / Oranje Loper page with the visa info, but not on the netherlandsandyou page:

https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/travel-and-residence/visas-for-the-netherlands/applying-for-a-short-stay-schengen-visa/thailand

With some searching you will come across this, but it is not in the spotlight:
https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/travel-and-residence/visas-for-the-netherlands/orange-carpet-visa/thailand

It now seems mainly focused on business travel:

Who can use the Orange Carpet Visa Facility?

The Orange Carpet facility is mainly for staff of companies with current or future economic interests in the Netherlands. But the same conditions and benefits can also apply to other types of organizations (cultural, scientific, government) and individual travellers

According to the internal instructions (HBBZ, Foreign Affairs Handbook of Business Operations), “Frequent travelers” also fall under the policy: “Frequent/well-known travelers are not only business people, but also family members, etc. who have used previous (Western) visas correctly”

But “depending on the local situation, the mission itself must assess whether and to what extent the target group can be facilitated.”

Possible facilities under Orange Carpet:
– Issuing multi-year MEV
– Waiving personal appearance/submission by courier or messenger.
– Fewer supporting documents with the application 
– Separate opening hours for submission of application
– Drop off service (for example by post or in the mailbox at the embassy)
– Accelerated release
- ...

Incidentally, since the transfer of the review from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur, bureaucracy has only increased. People have since wanted to see English (or NL, FR, GER) translations of Thai supporting documents. And from 2015 it has become stricter: incomplete files are rejected. The RSO wrote to me last year:

“In 2015, it was decided to be less lenient with missing documents in a visa application. The basic principle here is that the applicant must be aware of the conditions for a visa application. (see websites and checklist that the applicant must complete).” And “It is up to the applicant to provide documents requested for the intended purpose of travel in one of the languages ​​mentioned. It is also up to the applicant which documents or parts thereof are translated. It goes without saying that this must be carried out by a sworn translator, because the documents represent a certain value in the file and therefore must be reliable to a certain extent.”

In my own words:
The reason that the number of rejections has increased in the last few years is not because Thai people are targeting it, but because of stricter policies regarding the 'paperwork'. Logical from a bureaucratic point of view, but it has not become any easier for travelers.

So the question is whether this can be done with fewer papers, especially for frequent, proven bona fide travellers? This is good for travelers and the Dutch economy.

Every year? Asylum figures fluctuate considerably from year to year. We have just passed a period with high asylum figures, but 30.000 a year is nonsense. 20.000 walk-ins (1st applicants) per year since 2014 is closer to the truth:

In the period 2014-2017, the Netherlands had a total of 96.300 applications, of which 63.590 were granted. Adding family reunification (49.135) gives you 120.000 people (asylum status holders) over the past 5 years. That is below the line 24.000 per year.

See: https://mobile.twitter.com/flipvandyke/status/991189063020503040

If you want to dive in, here's some reading:
http://www.flipvandyke.nl/2017/03/80-daling-aantal-verblijfsvergunningen-voor-asielzoekers-en-nareizigers-in-2016/

Incidentally, the European internal borders cannot be closed unless you put a fence/wall along the entire (NL) border and set up barriers at all border crossings and on the beach with 100% control. Europe takes a more convenient approach to this: external border surveillance with Frontex, etc. However, I would like it if Europe were to achieve a better/fairer distribution of asylum seekers. Think of a distribution key based on surface area, inhabitants, GNP, etc.

Incidentally, the Netherlands is only a mid-engine within Europe if you look at the number of people who come knocking here: https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2016/02/02/dit-zijn-de-feiten-over-asielzoekers-in-nederland-a1405200#vraag2

Everyone has the right to a procedure with sufficient guarantees.

I think that many people fail to make the distinction between asylum migration and regular migration.
The procedure is different for an asylum seeker than for a regular foreign national.
So if there is also a difference between access and allow.

A refugee is in principle an “admitted refugee”. Everyone else is asylum seekers, each with his or her own reasons. Not everyone from the latter group is admitted. The question then is how (and when) you can get rid of it if the application is not granted. But you cannot put that problem on the plate of the EU (or its president).

What too many people like Jan van Marle do is compare apples with oranges.

This topic is about (the control of) regular visa applicants. Let's stick to that too.

If you would like to e-mail me the draft of that update (via info {at} prawo . nl) I would like to shed some light on it.
What's your deadline?