sandyf

For a few years now they have been sending out a breakdown on where your tax goes.

It is not essential to make immigration aware of any travel plans.

The fund is no longer used, It reached the level that it cannot fall below a long time ago. For many years approx 12% of income tax has been used to meet the state pension liability as there has been insufficient NI contributions. From day one the UK state pension has been a pay as you go arrangement, the workers of day pay the pensioners of the day. You can only hope that when your turn comes there is enough workers.

It is not a question of permission from another country, A section of the UK Social Security Act gives the government permission to pay the increases and if said Act does not apply in the country concerned then there is no increase. There is a reciprocal agreement in place with Canada but they do not get the increases. When the agreement was made a Canadian pension could not be exported so the increases were not allowed in Canada. Since then the Canadian government have changed the rules and Canadian pensions can be exported but the UK government have refused to amend the agreement. If the piece of legislation in question were to be removed from the Social Security Act and recreated as stand alone legislation there wouldn't be a problem

Yes that would normally be the case and you create the wi-fi password on installation. Every chance this is the case and as you say the password can be recovered by logging on to the router. There are exceptions however, I have a simcard router and the wi-fi password is printed on the label.

Indeed. It would be a bit easier for the OP as a UK national going to the UK relatively easy to get another visa. I did extension on new visa in Nov and the hoops not any different to doing a renewal. Before anyone says anything my office does home visits on renewal, in fact the one for the new visa was the quickest and easiest ever.

Why try and tell me something I already know? Domestically doesn't really matter, I was away for a few days one time when they tried to do the home visit, not a problem just came when we got back. My option would mean the OPs trip wasn't "under consideration".

In a nutshell it is a "yes and no" situation, with the government favouring the yes position. The problem stems from the fact that the legislation to uprate state pensions is embedded in the Social Security Act. The government can if it chooses override that legislation as they were prepared to do with brexit, I indicated that in a previous post. Every year the Social Security Act gets changed as benefits change. When the Act comes before the House, as the government control business in the House they will only allow time to debate the changes they propose, no time is allowed to debate any other aspect. Over the years some politicians, two that come to mind are Jeremy Corbyn and Ian Blackford, have tried to introduce debate on frozen pensions but it has always been blocked by the government. Until the legislation is removed from the Social Security Act the government will use recipricol agreements on social security to defend their policy.

I don't know what you are trying to say. Your original post tried to imply an annual state pension based on £203.85/week. There is no common amount and for many older people the pension can be much higher. I have known people that paid a phenominal amount of SERPS and when they retired at 65 would have drawn a state pension a great deal higher than the amount introduced in 2016. My comment was directed at your assumption rather than where anyone lived.

You would be very fortunate to fit that in. My office always does a home visit and you never know when until they have been, known it it to be as late as 10 days after application. Last year I was in a similar position, just went back and came back on a new visa. No big deal and makes for easier planning.

Quite. The case was taken to the court as a "Human Rights" issue, had it been an issue of "Discrimination", there may have been a different outcome.

Reciprocal agreements are the weapon used by the government to defend the policy. However when push comes to shove they can pay whoever they choose. This arose from the potential backlash from pensioners in the EU over a possible brexit outcome. The government is sending out letters outlining that even if we leave without a deal, pensions for those in the EU will be uprated for a further 3 years – an increase of at least 2.5% annually for the duration of this Parliament, worth up to £200 a year per person. And pensioners will be told they do not need to do anything to continue receiving their State Pension. During the 3-year period, the UK government plans to negotiate a new arrangement with the EU to ensure that uprating continues. Work and Pensions Secretary Dr Thérèse Coffey said: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/brexit-and-pensions-uprating

It is not that straightforward. The vote must be done in your last UK catchment area so if you have been away sometime may not be that easy if the proxy has to travel any distance.

You were wrong on more than one point, not everyone is on £203.85. Many that got pensions under the pre 2016 arrangement will be receiving a good bit more than that with some over £300 a week.

You mean like the visa exemption scheme. Foreigners entering Thailand by any means under the Visa Exemption scheme are required at the port of entry to have proof of planned travel (confirmed air, train, bus, or boat tickets) to leave Thailand within 30 days of the arrival date. Otherwise, a visa must be obtained before entering Thailand. https://oslo.thaiembassy.org/en/page/visa-exemption?menu=60b4c9a7180a9f3d4f28a932

https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/the-snowy-scheme/

Exactly, a forum with a majority narrow minded xenophobes whinging about what goes on in Thailand as though it was unique.

Not what you stated. "What a way to make foreign visitors feel welcome I struggle to understand Thailand they say they want visitors for the economy then treat them like crap"

That is the falang single minded view. Tourists create damage in their wake so not unreasonable to keep prices up and numbers down. A lesson learned, and not just in Thailand. Thai authorities announced they would be temporarily closing the bay from 1 June, but have now extended the planned four-month closure to at least a year, due to the extent of the destruction caused by the thousands of day-trippers. Thanks to pollution from litter, boats and sun cream, it is estimated that more than 80% of the coral around Maya Bay has been destroyed. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/03/thailand-bay-made-famous-by-the-beach-closed-indefinitely A tourist from England accused of defacing the Colosseum has said he was not aware of the age of the ancient monument. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/05/english-tourist-accused-of-carving-name-in-colosseum-says-he-did-not-realise-its-age

Happens all over the world, but why should that come into it when whinging about Thailand has become the order of the day on here.

Not holding my breath on that. If the dispute is not resolved the turnaround time can turnaround even quicker. The passport office strike involved the PCS and they are only on hold pending further talks The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said targeted action this month will go ahead as planned, but any re-ballots for action are on hold pending the outcome of talks. https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/who-is-on-strike-and-when/.

Cheers, read the info and seems straightforward, good to have confirmation.

It can, but you need to send old passport to Passport office so they can verify details. Should the passport go astray you would need to contact local embassy so not surprisingly it is not encouraged.

When I was in the UK in May the Passport Office were on strike and there were notices posted everywhere that renewals were taking about 10 weeks. There were items on the news of some taking much longer, all a bit hit and miss. I am not sure where the dispute actually is at the moment or if it has been resolved but estimated renewal time would not be reduced until the threat of further industrial action has gone away.

It was in March 2014 that overseas passports were transferred from the FCO to the HO. The Hong Kong arrangement came to an end and the VFS office at Trendy gave birth to a passport desk, one almighty fiasco followed. I was one of the first to apply in what had previously been a visa applicant only domain, and it showed. The service had to improve, certainly couldn't go the other way. After about 10 weeks I had to get the British Embassy to intervene and got the passport back 3 days before becoming an illegal. I was under consideration and immigration couldn't do anything without a new passport. Bit reluctant to risk it again so may head back to the UK later in the year.