SK1972

Lopburi......no idea. They showed bank statements in joint names with correspondence address at their residence which they share, phone bill was in his name, power bill was in his name, UBC bill was in her name.....all at the same address...........and they have their families (both sides) write statements and even letters from their employers. What else should they have done to prove it?

This happened early this year.........Anyway, they decided to get married and everything went well...... Seems to be NO consistency in anything nowadays!

I was told that there are different conditions when you apply from Australia and from out of Australia.

Bronco....nothing wrong with you wanting to express what you have read. As far as I know, one of my Aussie friend's "husband", living together for the past 2 years in Thailand was told to get registered before they would grant him a spouse visa or for migration. He is Thai and educated in USA....

So, I dont know who or what is right anymore.

Any girl who has mixed parentage, Thai-Farang and Viet-Farang is hard to beat 

Udon, I think ANY Asian mixed with Farang is beautiful, doesnt have to be Thai nor Vietnamese!!!

Somebody mentioned Farang men are crazy for Thai women and Thai men are crazy for farang women................hey, what do you expect.........a lot of people get bored of the same ole stuff and NEW/Exotic is always good!!!

Some men like their women "large" and some like them small and brown . It all depends on what one wants in life, their tastes and whether they are going through mid-life crisis!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuky.........Loy Krathong song..........in Thai and in English

In Thai, using Roman characters:

Wan Pen Duan Sip Song

Nam Koh Nong Tem Taling

Rao Tanglai Chai Ying

Sanuk Ganjing Wan Loy Krathong

Loy Loy Krathong

Loy Loy Kratong,

Loy Krathong Gan Laew

Koh Chern Nong Kaew

Awk Ma Ram Wong

Ram Wong Wan Loy Krathong

Ram Wong Wan Loy Krathong

Boon Ja Song Hai Rao Suk Jai

Boon Ja Song Hai Rao Suk Jai

Translated into English:

The full moon of the twelfth month,

As water fills the banks,

We, all men and women,

Have really good fun on Loy Krathong day,

Float, float the krathongs,

Float, float the krathongs,

And after we have floated our krathongs,

I invite you my dear,

To come out and dance,

Ramwong [traditional dance] on Loy Krathong Day,

Ramwong on Loy Krathong Day,

Good merit brings us happiness,

Good merit brings us happiness,

Age is just a number.......how you look over 30 depends on your genes, how you take care of yourself, your habits (smoking, drinking) and etc...........

Some people say women "bloom" after 30.........the early bloomers lose out!!! Women are suppose to be in their prime at 30!!! It all depends on the individual.......can't generalise!

Ken, it all depends on WHICH Amphur district you go to.........there is no "standard" fees...........the bigger , efficient and more popular ones are more expensive

My missus can't get a good inexpensive massage, manicure/pedicure etc. anywhere like she can in LOS

Boon Mee........of course she can't. It all relates to the number of massage/salons found in Thailand which offers this. There is practically at least a few in every soi and even more mushrooming everyday!!! Stiff competition!! They would have to lower their prices in order to compete with the massage parlour/salon next door, not to mention the cost of living in Thailand is dirt cheap!!

Compared to Europe,US and other countries, there could be only a handful or even just ONE in each major town. If the massage parlour/salon has high demand for its services, prices tend to escalate!!! So, what do you expect???

Everything is more expensive if it is not commonly found in the country.

De Facto relationships are recognised in Oz, 1 year of co-habitation is enough to ensure your partner can get a crack at your possesions if it goes sour.

Bronco..yes in Australia and a lot of western countries..but not for visa/immigration purposes..........

Aitch........good idea, go visit another country which will accept your wife!! I know its a bummer not to be able to see you sister...maybe you can fly her out or depending on how much you want to see her, go alone.........

The only possible way of a trainee/volunteer work visa as far as I know has to be sponsored or applied for by the company which is employing/accepting you.........The company that is allowing you to tbe their trainee/volunteer should be doing all this for you........after all they are the ones who have asked you to come and they are paying you minimum wage or none at all!!! Check with them

If not, try becoming a UN volunteer......www.unv.org.......you may not get a posting in Thailand but it all depends on your reason(s) for volunteering....you may want to come to Thailand for personal reasons and not work experience related

Good Luck!

Thanks for the advice so I do not even need to take the wife to the MFA? Does any one know if any buses go there ?

Dont have to be there, provided you let them have your original passports, documents and the translated documents. You can even send your office boy/messenger/maid there with an authorization letter !! They dont care so long as all original documents are there, translated copies and the money!!!

Heads up guys..........one of my friends went to the Amphur district to try to get registered last week and was turned down. She had all documents but was rejected as the translation and docs were NOT endorsed by the MFA in Chaeng Wattana. The translators were registered with the MFA but apparently they messed up!!! So be careful! They charge outrageous fees anyway. Better off doing it yourself, it wasnt hard for me.

Sunburn..answer to your questions

Can all this be done in one day? Affirmation, wedding, etc.

Affirmation in one day with the MFA can be done, submit in the morning collect in the afternoon..........THB800 per piece!!!

Wedding, depending on how busy the Amphur district is.......possible but would suggest you go early in the morning when it opens. From experience, some Amphur districts requires the head to prepare the documentation and they are not always around. One of my friends went at 10.45am and was told to come back at 2pm.......nearing lunchtime........so you never know!!!

I would recommend the Bangrak or Klongtoey Amphur districts, they are very efficient and helpful!!! Mind you, I had to "contribute" THB1000 for the "office" for the registration process.

What will I need to keep, get translated into English, if I need to come back to UK so I can apply for a marriage visa & make sure marriage is legal in UK too?

You need to keep everything!!! They will give you 2 original marriage certificates and 2 detailed documents......the marriage is legal in any country. It would be prudent if you were to get the documents translated and lodge the marriage with the British embassy ni Bangkok.....possibly easier for her to obtain a visa. Mind you, they will take one of the original detailed document (not the marriage cert) though, so you would have one left.

What is the total cost inc. Amphor ceremony; So, Affirmation, translation & wedding in total.

Amphur ceremony......THB1000 (varies according to district office)...affirmation (depending on the embassies and how many documents are involved /divorce etc).....translation is THB500 per piece.........endorsement by MFA THB400 per piece (2 working days) or THB800 per piece (for same day).........

I am a foreigner and so is my husband, so it cost us even more!!! I managed to get everything done in 3 working days....... didnt have to be present anywhere except at our respective embassies and the Amphur district...................dont forget to bring 2 witnesses to the registration

Good luck and congrats!!

Perhaps if she has a couple of stamps in her passport from other countries it will help convince the Oz embassy that she does in fact return to Thailand after trips abroad. Could you take her for a quick trip to Malaysia or someplace else and leave the Australia vacation for another time?

I dont think an Asian country would bear much weight.....it should be a Western country

Midas...........you can try to call this guy K Moonchai at 016436029. He speaks some English but not very good.........

Cheers!

It is unfortunate you have to experience this. I love Australia and have visited it many times.....I do agree the immigration in some countries suck.....fortunately I have never had any problems visiting any country

Go to another country then, forget Australia!!! Maybe take her to UK?? It could be easier since you are a Brit........

Good luck mate!

doodex........well that clarifies things. Why doesnt she try IELTS again? I passed mine the first time and it is really not that hard and at least it would give you more options. Get a tutor if need be.

I know a few RNs who have gone to Saudi to work and returned after a couple of years, able to purchase a property (cash)......they are also qualified midwives though.

Good luck!

Some western women are not comfortable when they see the openness of the sex industsry here and have a difficult time maintaining their composure if asked to socialize with a bar girl or suspected bar girl.. What I'm trying to say is that you may develop a friendship with a man who has a girlfriend who may have been a bar girl and your wife may be uncomfortable in social situations with them..etc.

Dugdig, I wouldnt agree with your statement. It's not that we do not want to socialise with the bargirls, it's just that we have nothing in common with them and let's be realistic...........how many of them speak proper English for us to be able to communicate properly???

I have "couple friends", Farang men married to Thai women (not bargirls) and even with them I have nothing much in common......all they are interested in are fashion and shopping , not my cup of tea.

Darbs.....Prof Fart is right. Your wife may get bored if she is not working or has friends........so its better off she meets some expat women working here/here with their husbands. You can always ask her to register and try BNOW (Bangkok Network of Women) or PM me for more details. I know another farang couple moving to Bangkok in Feb 2005.

Doodex......you would be better off contacting the embassy about it.

Is your wife a qualified registered nurse or one of the auxiliary nurses with no qualifications? Does she speak English well? Midwifery qualified? It may be easy for her to find a job depending on the answers to those questions.

Why do you want to move to Ireland with no proper job lined up? You would be better off in UK or Australia if she was a qualified nurse and speaks good English.....good money!

Good luck to you!

A one way ticket is quite expensive..........why not buy a return ticket with the return open for one year?? Thats much better and more cost effective.

Personally, i think Chinese/thais who introduce/refer to themselves as Chinese/Thai are SNOBS !!!! Just like the upper class <deleted> in the U.K !

Hahahaha.....that's funny. I do agree that if they introduce themselves as that, it does seem as if they are too ashamed to be just Thais.

What about the fact that a Thai Chinese introduces herself as a "Singaporean"??

That is not entirely true. Many of my friends have recently received their migration approvals and papers to Australia (all not marriage related/spouse application)

It all depends on which Asian country you are talking about and what qualifications/ground of migration the Asian is applying for. Asians from the less developed countries in the IndoChina region (Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam) and Phillppines are less likely to be approved as their "reputation" precedes them......unless they are skilled migration (e.g. doctors/nurses/IT etc)

The number of "illegals" in Australia, especially Asians...pleading to stay on doesn't help either!

To the Chinese, family is first, individual is second and the Chinese

as a people are third.

Not in this century it's not mkudu.......the more westernised and educated Chinese do not go according to that order anymore. Then again, it all depends on their upbringing and external influences

i will not put any funds into her account as i told her i was not prepared to do that.

Good for you!! A farang who thinks with the right head

I don't see the reason why you would need to adopt the children, marry the mother and you become the stepfather.......and if you adopt them now and later you get divorced what happens then?

I agree with toklong, the biological father may try to extort money from you to adopt his children.

The children can travel overseas provide they have a valid passport.

Dont get me wrong, I think it's a noble thing to do but you have to think about the pros and cons.

Gazza.............are sparrows and pigeons found in the desert? Kalahari, for example

trip...if you are saying its water, I would say its the air we breathe........not many people realize it as it's just so normal.....no air.....no life!!

One thing everyone wants?.............True Happiness?

Funny........mine has never disappeared unless they drop from the balcony when the maid is doing the laundry!!! Maybe it only has to do with male socks?