charles

Can I buy a condo for US$30-40k, rent for 15-20K baht and live up north for 8-10k (just rent, not food, clothes, travel etc)?

30-40K USD is 1.2-1.6 million baht. In general such a place would not rent out for more than 10K. To get 15-20K you would normally have to buy a place for 2-3 million, and of course make it presentable.

In principle it could be done. But I'd wonder if the returns are worth it when considering e.g. problem tenants and your status as a non-Thai. Plus maintenance, likely tenant-free months and possible depeciation of the condo's value.

In the end you could probably get comparable returns in a much lower risk and much more flexible investment avenue outside of Thailand. Living in Thailand long-term doesn't mean you need to tie all your money up here.

given the patriotism of thais , a small locally designed and produced machine would take the market by storm ,

Personally I disagree, in my opinion "Thai patriotism" is largely shallow and one might even say hypocritical. Don't think there is any evidence that Thais will favor local brands against well known foreign ones, more like the reverse in fact. If they do favor a local brand, it is almost certainly not due to patriotism but because it is cheaper and they can't afford the foreign alternative.

Strangely, when i examined the letter again it says only attend on a monday, wednesday or thursday between 1-2pm and then the first box is ticked. Can i just ask Charles and Prakanong2005 (because they are recent applicants) to confirm this is EXACTLY what their form said as well. Is the applicant expected to bring additional up-to-date evidence with them as well?? Presumably..or didn't they ask for any more ? Also Charles and Prakanong2005 what exactly where the questions they asked at the counter ? So the applicant is not called into a interview box then ??

Sorry many questions

Silomfan

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Yes, our letter said 1-2 pm, also said no first Tues of the month (staff training), don't remember anything about Friday. Anyway don't worry it is the same thing, i.e. the short interview.

There was also a list of evidence to bring (only if you hadn't submitted it already), no.1 was any previous passports, a lot of the others were info to be supplied by the sponsor e.g finance, accommodation, copy of passport plus evidence of the relationship, e.g photos and emails. I expect as you've got the short interview you've already submitted comprehensive information, wouldn't fret about the list too much, it is apparantly just a general guide. For example, we didn't sumbit my wife's previous passport (which was lost) or evidence of her employment history (she'd not worked for over a year). None of these was mentioned or asked for at the interview. And although we took some photos with us to the embassy, again we were never asked for them (although in our case we do live together in Bangkok and have a baby - who was with us at the embassy!)

The "interview" is over the counter not in one of the small interview rooms. My wife just got asked very general questions such as if she'd ever been married before or had any children previously. My wife even got confused and said she'd been married (meaning she was married to me, whereas they wanted to know if she'd had previous husbands). But once they understood each other and realized that she wasn't actually saying anything inconsistent with her application form there was no problem. So I wouldn't worry about your partner being nervous, they won't be trying to catch him out if he's being truthful.

Good luck and don't worry too much!

the big fish/small pond allegory thus escapes me.  a previous UNSG was from Burma, not exactly a big fish in any pond.   kofi annan himself is Ghanian.

Big fish/small pond was referring to a certain type of person and how he behaves not what country he comes from per se. I agree, why shouldn't a UN Sec. Gen. come from Thailand. But as mentioned by others, it should be someone of quality and substance, such as Supachai or Surin Pitsuwan, both Democrats of course!

Yep, we had exactly the same letter earlier this month. As said, it means short interview, which is a quick over the counter interview. If granted, the visa will be issued on the that day, may have to wait about an hour or so.

I know Kofi Annan's had his problems but they are surely joking if they think this bloke could be Secretary General of the UN.

Talk about suffering from delusions of grandeur. Thaksin and friends need to realize that big fishes in small ponds are best advised not to go for a dip in the ocean.

I presume the IOM was chosen to oversee the scheme because of the perception of it being generally corruption free.

Scouse.

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As said, it would be far, far less hassle for people if they could just go to the designated hospitals (Bamrungrad or Phya Thai) and get certified as well as checked out there. What is the necessity of the IOM? If people could just go to the hospital they would be done in a couple of hours.

Realizing what a nightmare it would be to get this TB certificate - especially as we have a young baby going everywhere with us, me and the wife brought forward our settlement application to Nov 30. Thank God we did!

 

And I wonder why cars in Thailand are very expensive, more expensive than those in Aust when compared with the same model and capacity. Most car manufacturers have their plants in Thailand but yet Thais are paying hefty for the cars that made in their own country. what a joke!

Passenger cars in Thailand are subject to high excise taxes (in addition to VAT), even the small cars, 30% and upwards. Don't know what excise taxes are like in Aus or other countries but would guess they could be quite a bit less.

In contrast, pick-ups in Thailand, esp. 2-door versions, have very low excise taxes applied to them.

Can i ask GU22 and the other cheerleaders of the ECO's a question (even the gent if he can force himself to be polite and doesn't think it too tiresome) ?  If a Thai came to the UK in the past and broke immigration rules (worked not studied, or overstayed as examples) and returned to Thailand and now wishes to apply for a fiancee visa (gay or straight), should the ECO refuse under section 320 general grounds?? Remember this is 2 people who want to marry so its a serious life-changing thing. Section 320 allows the ECO's the power to refuse even if the criteria are met , due to past immigration breaches. So should it be refused or granted ??

A bit off topic i know but i would love to know their opinion on this.

SILOMFAN

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I'm no "cheerleader" of ECOs - I've never met one - both my wife's visas (one visitor, one settlement) have been issued without problem and without me even coming across an ECO. But anyway...in my opinion, it certainly IS FAIR for an ECO to refuse someone a UK visa when they have previously broken UK immigration rules. You say "even if the criteria are met", presumably you might mean financial, acccommodation etc. but what about the unavoidably subjective "criteria" about the truthfullness and the genuineness of the intentions of the applicant?

For example, someone says they are going to study but instead works, is caught and has to return to Thailand. They then resurface as someone's fiance - any ECO, in fact anyone, is going to reasonably wonder if, going by past form, the applicant is merely appearing as a "fiance" in order to gain access to the UK.

Certainly if I was an ECO, I'd need a lot more to convince me than the couple knowing each other for a few months and a few e-mails, photos or telephone calls presented as evidence. If on the other hand it was a marriage visa and the couple had been demonstrably married and living together in Thailand for over a year, for me that might be enough to overcome the previous immigration indiscretion. And I expect most ECOs would take the same view.

You make it sound like a sob story but in fact it is cases like the above that make things difficult for Thai people who genuinely want to study in the UK. This, a bit like football players frequently diving to win undeserved penalties, means that sometimes genuine claims get turned down - not because the referee (or the ECO) are bitter and twisted - but because sometimes they have to make very difficult, subjective decisions.

Cheers Scouse, really appreciate it! We'll be off down the Embassy on Monday.

Hi,

Wife has applied for settlement visa and has been notified that she can go in for the short interview whenever she's ready (we live together in Bangkok).

Just a question regarding the standard "document list" they send out with the above notification. I think we've already submitted pretty comprehensive documentation, just the odd thing we don't seem to have covered:

1. Your previous passport(s) or a copy of the police report, if lost [APPLICANT]

She replaced her previous passport that was lost over a year ago, submitting the police report as required at the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Do we have to contact the ministry or the police station and ask them to fish out the report? (assuming they still have it and would be willing to help us). Or is the embassy not likely to be interested in this "requirement" particuarly as my wife has already had a UK visa (visitors) previously granted which is in her current passport.

Any advice from those with experience greatly appreciated!

And given the way international school kids seem to grow up in a kind of vacuum here, I'd still say a decent (free) English state school would be better, on the whole.

You seem to say that international school students are spoilt and have no idea of reality.

I didn't seem to say anything of the sort, you are being far too sensitive! I said the kids seem to grow up in a vacuum, i.e. somewhat removed from the country/ society they live in, lacking identity etc. Nothing more than that, I've nothing against international schools if you have to be in Thailand, I just think you can get comparable quality overseas (except for some of the facilities) with much better value for money.

If I had a choice for any child, I'd take international over government any day. International schools may not be academically selective (would this be your definition of a 'good' government school?),

It wouldn't be my defintion of a good government school, and in the UK the vast majority of government schools are not academically selective. My definition of a good school would be one that had been judged as such by a range of experts under a transparent, systematic process. And in the UK, for example, that information is there and available freely to everyone. In Thailand, even with many of the so-called international schools, this objective information is simply not available. In the UK, armed with that information, you then need to make sure you're living within the catchment areas of such good schools. Of course, in those areas property is more expensive so you adjust your spending/lifestyle as necessary for the long-term good of your child.

And before people drag out the Third World country crap as being unsuitable for children...

Council housing estates are about as grim as a shack under a Thai expressway.

Now you are being silly although I don't think it is necessary to live in - or indeed live near "grim council estates".

Corruption is everywhere

Well yes, but the differences in scale/prevalence are enormous. You are comparing the exception to the rule. When corruption means that the rule of law is seriously undermined that's when you have a serious problem and when you worry if that would be a "suitable" place for your child.

Surely nobody would prefer his children grow up in the third world if he has a choice.

That is the conclusion I've come to. Now we have a baby, all being well we will be off back to the UK.

I chose to come to live in Thailand and have generally loved living here. But as much as I've loved living here, never ever for one second have I wished that I was Thai or that I'd been brought up in Thailand. In fact I've always felt very fortunate that I wasn't. So why oh why would I want to impose being brought up in Thailand on my child?

At first I thought we'd stay and thought up plenty of rather (over) idealistic justifications of how it might be good for our child. But being rational, it just doesn't stack up, and it's not even a matter of money.

1. Education is a killler. It is either nowhere anywhere near Western standards or is hugely expensive. And given the way international school kids seem to grow up in a kind of vacuum here, I'd still say a decent (free) English state school would be better, on the whole.

2. Recreation is difficult, at least in Bangkok. The main thing to do is going to shopping malls. Getting around is a fraught experience. In the UK in most places it is so quick and easy to just drive out into the countryside, where you can walk around and relax as you please. How does someone living in Bangkok go about "walking around the countryside" on a Saturday afternoon?

3. Safety and people's (lack of) sense of responsibility is a real worry when you have a child. Of course a kid can get hit by a bus in the West, no doubt, but at least it is less probable. For &lt;deleted&gt;'s sake kids get killed here just standing at a bus stop or when trying to get on the bus!

I'd even include more indirect considerations like that in Thailand the rule of law is weak and not evenly applied. Corruption and negligence is endemic. Is that the sort of environment you want for your child? You don't know when things like this are going to bite you. Certainly as a foreigner, your less likely to have the connections or the "insulation" to protect against these issues.

could i get another 6 month visa

Apart to her not being able to work, (legally) on a tourist visa, she isn't going to get another one so soon anyway. Whilst there is no actual rule, the ECO is not going to issue another tourist visa if it means she will be spending more than 6 months out of 12 within the UK (except in the most exceptional of circumstances).

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Yes, just last week at the Embassy (when applying for my wife's visa) we came across a lady who had just returned from 6 months in the UK on a visitors visa. She wanted another one but Embassy said no, you'll have to wait 6 months to apply again. They advised her that in order to return to the UK quickly she would need to apply for a fiance visa.

         I've read lots of info on this site, I seem to remember seeing something about payment in cash for a spouse visa not being allowed at the Uk embassy in BKK, is this true? I can pay by credit card but I'd rather she went with the cash.

Yes it is true you can't pay for a spouse visa application by cash. You can't pay by credit card either. Just give the wife the cash and she can go to the Bank of Ayudhya bank on Ploenchit Road (100m from the embassy) at 8.30 a.m. on the day you apply for the visa. There she can get a cashiers cheque payable to "British Embassy Bangkok" to the value of 19,500 baht. Couldn't be easier, this bank does stacks of these every day. Takes 2 minutes and the fee for issuing the cashier's cheque is 20 baht.

Ask yourself this...what do you think the percentage is for boy/girl friends that have been in a shortish relationship (lets say 6 months or less) with a UK citizen , who have a low paid or indeed no job, no property, litle money etc etc. You get the picture... guesses please for this one.

......it is wrong to discriminate against the ordinary Thais who are just as decent a people (or not as the case may be) as the high class Thais . That is what our wonderful British Embassy staff do  .. discriminate against the weakest .

SILOMFAN

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I don't think it is discrimination, it is just common sense. I doubt embassy staff think that high class Thais are more "decent" people or even "superior", it's just that high class Thais have the evidence to show they can pay for their trip and are most likely to return to Thailand! Those are the critieria they work on, therefore it is hardly suprising that someone with "no money", "low paid or indeed no job" and no long-term relationship with someone who could support them is refused a visa. In fact, one could argue that these type of applicants make life much more difficult than it otherwise would be for "decent" hard-working middle class Thais with good jobs.

Also, you make it sound like the ECOs are completely unaccountable but I doubt this is the case. Even when there is no easy avenue to appeal (e.g. visitors visas) they've still got to justify themselves to their superiors. I expect any ECO acting out of line would soon be found out.

From my own recent experience - which involved quite a bit of unnecessary timewasting, I'd say there is absolutely no point in turning up early, getting in the queue at 6 a.m. etc. for a settlement visa application. It is a good idea for visitors visas as you will get to see the ECO quicker; however for settlement visas, they simply take in your documents and fee and you are done and can go home. They take your contact details and will contact you in 5-10 days to let you know if you need a short interview or the long interview (wait 10-12 weeks). So as long as you are through the door before 9.30 you are fine.

The one thing you MUST have is the fee (19,500 baht) in the form of CASHIER CHEQUE payable to British Embassy Bangkok. They will not accept cash! The big Bank of Ayudya on Ploenchit Road opposite Wittayu junction are well geared up to issuing these, takes 30 secs with a fee of 20 baht. In fact at each morning just before 8.30 you will see at least a dozen people waiting for the bank to open so as to get their cashier cheques. The information counter in the bank, meanwhile, is stocked up with cashier cheque forms semi-filled in ready for the stampede.

Although, IMO, the British Embassy in Bangkok are pretty efficient and also give generally very helpful information on their website, I don't understand why they don't make clear on the website that settlement fees cannot be paid by cash and that once you've submitted your documents you must wait 5-10 days for "further action". Unaware of this, I like many others assumed, in the absence of information to the contrary, that you could pay in cash (as you can for visitors visas) and that if you applied in person they would tell you on the day whether you would require a short/long interview or whatever (as for visitors visas).

That's what is says, so I've no reason to doubt it.

However, I would suggest that getting this certificate is a good thing to do, as it will hopefully mean that you wont risk being sent to the medical centre when arriving in the UK.

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Except getting this certificate seems to be even more hassle then being sent to the medical center (if you get pulled for it) in the UK. Trip down to Sathorn to "register", then up to Bamrungrad/Phaya Thai to get checked out, then back to Sathorn to get your certificate (for 2000 baht).

Which is in summary a real f***in' nightmare, probably an all-day job. If the Thais came up with something like this we'd give them a real slating! Why can't you simply go to a private hospital accredited by them and get it all done there? Wonder if the Embassy will be making any "commissions" from this convoluted process?

Charles post is nicely intentioned but inaccurate and misleading.

I registered my child with the Embassy (Thai mum/British father) earlier this year. Our child now has dual nationality.

Ok this is factually incorrect.

Dual nationality does not derive from registering the Birth at the UK Embassy. What this process delivers is a UK Birth certificate.

Whatever, it is well worth it for the future of your child, it is basically a passport to live/work all over Europe and travel around the world (including visiting the UK itself) conveniently without needing visas everywhere.

No thats not true.

Registration is not 'basically a passport'. A UK Passport is a passport.

Getting a passport is the document of nationality. Not an english language birth certificate. You can get a UK passport without having registered the birth.

I think you're really knitpicking there. Surely, a UK Birth Certificate is not just "an English language birth certificate", it is in essence a confirmation of British nationality. When I said "basically a passport" I obviously didn't mean "literally a passport", but once you have a British birth certificate, getting a British passport is a formality.

Do people in the UK not have British nationality until they get themselves a passport? What is the vital document used in order to obtain a British passport?

he told me that if you don't own the property for more than 5 years, you can't keep any of the profits you make on the property.  you have to give it ALL to the thai government.

I think if you sell within 5 years, there is some kind of tax to be paid. Not that you have to "give all your profits to the Thai government" - although depending on your profit that could in effect be what happens. Actually not the worst law in my opinion, at least in theory trying to protect against property speculation, which has of course caused great damage here in the past.

Presumably your friend would have been well served if he'd checked relevant laws BEFORE he bought his property.

I registered my child with the Embassy (Thai mum/British father) earlier this year. Our child now has dual nationality. This is absolutely straightforward PROVIDED THAT you were registered married before the birth. If not, it is much more complicated.

Read the British Embassy website, they provide very good information on all this, including what documents you need and you can download application forms. At the embassy, go to the Consular Section upstairs, which is usually quiet and very efficient in my experience.

From memory, to register birth you need to provide the following documents:

Your original British birth certificate.

Your (British) passport.

Your wife's (Thai) passport

Your child's Thai birth certificate and a translation into English

Your Thai marriage certificate and a translation into English

You can get the translations done in a day for 300 baht per item at the translation places around Ploenchit-Wittayu junction. Fee for the British birth certifcate was 7,000 baht plus last April, maybe it has gone up since. Whatever, it is well worth it for the future of your child, it is basically a passport to live/work all over Europe and travel around the world (including visiting the UK itself) conveniently without needing visas everywhere. By the way you can apply for the child's actual British passport (another 3-4000 baht) at the same time (using the documents above).

Good luck!

And what is the problem about the fares?? 

Exactly, the way this pillock Thaksin is just fumbling about in the dark is getting more hilarious by the day.

Fares can stay exactly the same, no problems as there will be increased customer volume, more revenue, happy commuters from Thonburi, f*cking 'ell this is rocket science, you'd need to be a wizz-kid instant billionaire to think of something like this.

A lot of the speculative high cost stuff has already been built - so isnt there a bubble already ?

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I'd say being built. For example on Sukhumvit, don't think more than 3 or 4 of such places have actually been completed and transferred. Many won't be ready until late next year at the earliest.

According, to The Asian weekly magazine, the average salary in Bangkok is 50,000 baht a month.  So, don't think every Thai person is making peanuts...

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Maybe the Asian weekly magazine is talking complete b*llocks. On the other hand, you have to be careful with "averages", just a very small proportion of people making astronomical amounts can pump an "average" right up. Hang on, that sounds a bit like Bangkok...

According to the law, is a Work Permit seen as valid/acceptable ID? Certainly would be a lot less hassle and expense to replace than a lost passport.