Salerno

Google "The Disinformation Dozen".

The two years is only relevant for those that have lived overseas i.e. it's to stop people going back at pension age, claiming, and going straight back overseas. If you work/live in Australia until pension age it is portable immediately. If you live overseas and go back a couple of years before pension age it is portable immediately. If you go back a year before pension age it's portable a year after. The amount of years you work in Australia is irrelevant, it's not based on working it's based on residency (minimum 10 with five consecutive) from the age of 16; 35 years being the full pension (increased from 25 years in 2014).

Reduced to 7 days as of 1 October.

In what alternative universe?

You forgot to add the link/there was a technical glitch.

Always thought it was mainly for suntan cream/oil rather than sweat ????‍♂️

That's the bit that baffles me. If, as you say, a vulnerable guy turns up (whether it's after a bad breakup, always been lonely, after a spouse has passed, whatever) I just can't fathom the amount of fast marriages/"defactos" that appear to happen (I say "appear" as it may just be my unconscious bias tainting my thoughts as I can't fathom it at all; maybe not as many as I think but there does appear to be a shedload).

@Mike Teavee re Aussie pensions, I forgot to mention recent reports "About one in four Australians living on the pension are living below the poverty line." which appears to be an improvement on a 2015 OECD report that put it at 1 in 3. Hence people on nothing but a pension could see living in LOS as a better quality of life than staying in Australia (assuming they can meet the financial requirements one way or another) ... until health issues kick in of course.

Unlike the poor poms Aussies aren't frozen (I think they get tweaked twice a year?). That said the increases aren't much to shout about, they just got 1.6% (AU$14.80 a fortnight) which is the biggest increase in seven years.

This is one of the things that baffles me; why do you hear about so many guys getting hitched after a matter of weeks ... the vast majority of the cases ending up as the "nightmare" cliche.

Guarantee your not alone. Given the past couple of years, IMO, there's as many people thinking of jacking it in "back home" and making the move possibly earlier than they thought and with less behind them as there are thinking of heading the other way (as so many on here spout on about).

You asked a different person and he has answered.

Number 3.

It doesn't, neither does it make it less disgusting when it comes to the particular situation in the OP - health care. But it gets tiresome when people try to claim it as a purely Thai thing to carry out a bit of "Thai bashing" instead of concentrating on the issue itself. Read them and mostly agree with them too. I have no doubt many do the same as I and let our wallets do the talking; hit me with an extra $ or two and probably no big deal, hit me with a 10x mark up and I go elsewhere (or at least make it a one-off visit for those that live in the area rather than a regular occurrence, in which case they still lose out potential revenue).

Thanks for the education gents. Guessing the Indian guy I met went the "denied" route (conversation is a little hazy as it was around 4 am ... I think!).

My bad, I read visa exempt. I thought VOA could extend 7 days?

Yes. No.

How many locals did you guide on these tours and which countries? It's a worldwide issue not a Thai specific: A quick search will turn up numerous articles and blogs on it such as: https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/2169925/should-tourists-pay-more-locals-dual-pricing-debate https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/is-it-reasonable-to-pay-tourist-prices-when-travelling-overseas/11395356 https://pro.regiondo.com/pricing-discrimination-in-the-eu-and-how-it-affects-tour-operators/ https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/42227/what-countries-have-separate-pricing-fees-for-international-tourists-for-country https://www.tourismupdate.co.za/article/dual-pricing-needed-draw-local-guests To suggest it's a "Thai thing" is ludicrous.

Yes, 30 days (although 60 day covid extensions are still available too).

Visa exempt, yes - 30 days (60 day covid extensions are still available too). Visa on arrival, yes - 7 days (but as yet, still suspended).

Thanks for clarifying; sorry but haven't seen any announcement (same with the visa exempt extension to 30 September). Given their is still quarantine, although reduced, IMO can't see them changing the current situation for either of them.

Assuming by VOE you mean visa exempt. 1 Yes 2 Depends, he could travel visa exempt, if he intends getting a visa he can do so simultaneously. 3 Quarantine is vaccination status dependent not visa (7 days if vaccinated, 10 if not). If by VOE you mean visa on arrival then it's not available at the moment (and not relevant unless the person in the UK isn't British and holds a passport from one of the countries that it is relevant to).

Yes.

Damn, sounds like your stuck in a real mess. Surprising for Singapore, good luck in getting it sorted.

If you're set on going to ... ah, sorry, I forgot your vaccination status. Mentioning "sandbox" threw me.