4MyEgo

https://guides.dss.gov.au/social-security-guide/7/1/4 If you live in Australia at least 2 years prior to the age pension being granted, it is basically automatically made portable, i.e. you can have it paid every 4 weeks while you are living overseas. If you are living overseas like me, you can return 2 years beforehand and wait the 2 years, but unless your making some money, it's pointless, e.g. cost of living in Australia vs Thailand. I will return when I am 67 and apply then as they will pay me the pension as soon as it's approved and it will be back paid, add to that rental assistance and the supplement and energy payment, that can go towards the rent for the 2 year jail term that I will endure, doing it at 65 means I will have to pay for everything, and if getting the Jobseeker Allowance (dole), it's much lower than the pension payment so best to go back at 67 and do the 2 year wait.

Your spot on with these questions Will27. Services Australia have to establish that anyone applying are going to stay in Oz to get the pension, if they believe you are going to FO back to Thailand after the 2 year period, you will be denied, and that is what I believe has happened here, e.g. wife is in Thailand working, he said they tried to get her to come back to Oz, if she did, he would have had a better chance. Problem here is too many guys think they are entitled to the pension when they are overseas, then get knocked back when they return because they don't know the legislation, i.e. the applicant must meet the criteria, and if Services Australia believe the applicant is not going to stay after the 2 years, then they will deny the application, one can appeal of course, and good luck with that. Best to say I am here to stay, wife didn't want to come back so we separated, proof would be required of course and that wouldn't be to hard to prove. After the 2 years is up, you can do what you want, they can't stop you, but during the two years you must stay put, albeit I believe they allow you short breaks overseas which doesn't affect the 2 years, but am not 100% on that, just third party sayings, they might stop the pension while your away though ? I will be returning in a few years to apply for it, my wife is younger than me, so I will get the married rate, but for one person, which is less than the single rate by about $150 per fortnight, that said, if I told them that we separated, I can get the single rate, I say separated because divorcing is about $1,000 doing it yourself. Also being separated means she can get jobseeker allowance until she finds a job, which is about $700 per fortnight. If we don't separate she can't get Jobseeker allowance because my assets are also her assets according to the way they assess jobseeker allowance, I believe, and if she is assessed as having part of my assets, it's game over. Now we all know rents in Oz are through the roof, so playing the system for two years doing my due diligence doesn't phase me at all, wife is just going to have to lay low, after all we will be separate oi

60 years and up, 3 mil baht as a minimum, up to 10 mil baht as a backup and you should be fine.

Ever heard of oversupply, coupled with high interest rates and the cost of living increasing ?

It just goes to show how much power Thaksin has, e.g. the country cannot govern without his party joining forces, suffice to say, there is his free get out of jail card. What a clever man, he holds all the aces, yet most of you lot can't see in front of your noses, this is politics at it's best, it's all a game and those in it, make a lot of money, at least Thaksin gave to those who voted for him, as for the others, well, straight to their pockets IMO. I welcome the man back and so do many battling Thai's.

If they can pay the cops here to be at school crossings, they can pay cops to be at repo's, money talks.

Democracy, pretty much the same as the Nanny State I came from, so doesn't bother me, I feel free here compared to back home. Freedom of expression, human rights, pretty much the same as anywhere considering, i.e. protest about any government and they will shut you down pretty quick smart. Bureaucracy is everywhere and doesn't affect me here. 90 days is easy online under 2 minutes, if you feel like you are a criminal, get over it, it is what it is. If you don't have healthcare or money, well your in the $hit so to speak, again, not a problem for me, as it beat the cold weather. Weather is hot or wet, I enjoy it, and it does help to have a well insulated house with A/C, including car with A/C. Pollution is a problem everywhere, but if you keep your windows closed when they are burning, as for it killing us, well so will a lot of other things, so problem solved. Can't see alcohol prices rising to the degree that they are back home, still half the price here. Racism is worldwide and I don't have a problem with Thai's compared to most other nationalities back home. As for owning land, no problem, can own other types of property, that said, it's not as if land values here are rising as far as back home. Hotels are cheap when going on holidays. Fuel is cheap. Alcohol is cheap. Cost to build here is cheap. Rent is cheap. Cars and motorbikes are cheap. Drivers and riders licensers are cheap. Insurance is cheap. Labour is cheap. Overall affordability is cheaper than back home. Yes food and women are also cheap. If you have money here, life is good, if your on the pension, well, life can be counting your pennies inn my opinion. I have nothing to complain about here, pointless really, it is what it is, it's worse back home, as I here from my friends all the time, you got out at the right time they keep saying, so my preference is to stay here as I am comfortable.

Hmmm, I wonder who put the call in ?

What do you look for in a hotel? I suppose one that allows me to bring back 10,000 women over the next 16 years....lol

Time to take your hand off of it ????

In those 16 + years, I got to live in this huge house, drive a nice car from new, have a pretty woman to look at, who cooks, cleans, washes, Irons, and gives me a massage and that happy ending whenever I want. Sounds like your paying to much for your investment ????

I see marriage as a business or a good long term investment. You get from a marriage what you put into a marriage, same as a business or a good long term investment. 16 + the best years of my life, that said, most marriages fail because like businesses or investments, no enough was done to make the business work or enough research was carried out on the investment, i.e. possibly incompatible in the first place, ego, gave up, drank too much, had an affair, gambled, became abusive, (either partner), all recipes for failure in a marriage. I have invested a few mil into my marriage since we met 16 + years ago, wedding, house, car, bike, furniture and holidays of course, but that investment has paid off very well for me. Breaking it down over that period would mean my investment cost me around 500 baht a day, and for what I have received in return over that period to me means I have done extremely well. Now you might want to be single or pick up the odd girl every now and again because you think marriages are an open pit to pour money into, but to me, having a partner that is compatible means you want to spend the rest of you life with them, and is far better than being single in my opinion, that said, I also go on the principal of you only invest as much as your prepared to lose, and if your marriage fails, then you walk away with what you were prepared to lose and without blaming your partner for your lose because you knew what you were getting into, i.e. it takes two to Tango ????.

My point exactly.

What an absolute disgrace, but it just goes to show that this is a world wide phenomena, i.e. how low life politicians will stoop to hold onto power, "for the people" that is, of course". Can't wait to see how they cover up watchman's latest probe, with them not wanting to make public the documents of the investigation that was a Clayton's investigation.

OMG, say no more

Agree. I frequent the local waterhole up here in Issan at least 3 times a week and we have a great community of Xpats, most are from the UK, some from Australia, Denmark, Sweden and some Germans. Always enjoy having a conversation with the lads, even some Thai's come on in from time to time who have worked abroad and have a good understanding of the English language and culture. Seen a few pass away over the years, others return to their countries due to not being able to handle it here for many reasons and others waiting to move here when they reach their pension age. I don't mind the repeated conversations as I cut them off at the chase, yep, you told me about that one ???? To be honest, I couldn't live here without such a community, it's my out, not a heavy drinker, but like to have a few cold ones and few games of pool to entertain me, did the same thing back home with the lads who now days don't do what we used to do as they have partnered up and aren't allowed out....lol

Can you provide us with an update when done, either here on the forum or personal message. Be interesting to see what the problem was and cost. Get the stamina and pass it on to the landlord, it's your right as a tenant.

What is an LTR Pension visa ? Is it a Long Term Retirement Pension visa ? Cost ? Qualifications ?

I have never wanted to use an agent because I never want to be faced with an issue, sleep better at night. Looks like what I will do is take the hit, transfer 800k baht into my account for living expenses and go the marriage extension route. Will have to put some extra funds in the stock market to try and re-coupe "the loss" ????

That's a good point, that said, if it went down another 10% one might as well return to their home country because the cost of living here would be getting pretty close to what the old country costs to live so to speak, excluding accommodation costs of course as that is a no brainer.

75k baht would be for the retirement extension, e.g. 800k baht. The lower exchange rate means it's a loss when comparing the rate to almost a year ago. The spousal route would be half that, e.g. 37,500 baht when comparing it to last year. Even using an agent, if say for arguments sake, they charge 20k-25k baht, it's still better than taking the lower exchange rate, i.e. if you have enough funds here to carry you forward, without the need to transfer further funds to satisfy immigration.

That lower exchange rate in total comes to 75,000 baht, suffice to say that the way I am thinking is, if I use an agent for say 20k-25k baht and didn't have to transfer the 800k baht, and then the rate went up, say in a year, then I could get a higher exchange rate which could pay back what the agent cost me, e.g. 20k-25k baht. Either way, I see a lower exchange rate as being a loss, sure I get you, I shouldn't see it that way, but parking 800k baht in the bank which would cost me 75k baht more to exchange it, for the sake of satisfying immigration rules while currencies are down, sucks, so if I can avoid doing it and losing 75k baht from the way I see it, I am better off using an agent for say 25k baht, until the currency picks back up, if ever. Absolutely. Not if you see it the way I do, e.g. transfer 800k baht into my account and take the lower exchange rate compared to last year, i.e. 75k baht less, however not transferring it and using an agent for say 25k baht, saves me 50k baht. Surely you can see my point, using the agent in the above scenario is a win.

Embassy letters are only accepted at immigration for certain countries, mine is not one of them.

Yes am aware of that, but it's beside the point, it would still be a 37,500 baht loss when comparing rates to last year. Take away the agents fee of say 20,000 baht, I would still be better of as it's money in my pocket vs losing it at the strike of a keyboard. It doesn't make a difference, the currency is down since last year, as I stated above, about 10%