WyrldTraveler

Having personally visited with the staff at the Philippines Retirement Authority, I advise anyone to remain calm while researching visa options online.  You're all unique, maybe like snowflakes.

...because we know everything you read on the Internet is true, right?

Adam, I am a decorated soldier with combat experience.  I enjoyed the Army, disliked combat and despised some of the morons with whom  I served . 

Earlier, a posting, to which you responded:

If this is a Thai boy, perhaps a Thai solution would be more appropriate? 

No one has mentioned enrolling the boy in a monastic training center.  Perhaps the monks can school the boy in ways that modern society cannot?

Loss of passport must be reported to Royal Thai Police at the nearest police station, so you can document being without documents.  Bring ALL of your supporting identification documents, including flight itineraries, library cards, your UK ID/driving license, etc. to prove who you are.  Cops feel better if they can point to a mountain of supporting evidence to back up such a claim. 

That, in turn, can be used to generate more papers from the Immigration folks, including the record of your visa, which is on file somewhere, one would hope.

One should also report the loss (preferably with the Thai police report paperwork) to the local UK Consul to expedite a new passport.  Most bureaucracies treat lost passports as if you can't find it before you head off on your holidays in a few months, unless they are informed that you're not playing games here.

When the new passport arrives, you can get a replacement visa issued in new passport. 

Statelessness is a difficult position to attain accidentally.  Jadee has it right that being stateless is a strong position from which to apply for asylum.  If you are, indeed, stateless, you can pick and choose your future home by applying for asylum remotely.

If you are truly stateless, it follows that you are probably in Thailand illegally, as Immigration requires that you have legal status as either a citizen or permanent resident (with citizenship someplace).  This is the global standard.  The World Service Authority creates a passport-like document that you may use for travel if all parties accept it.  (It helps if you have a valid visa stamped in it, such as for the nation to which you are applying for asylum.)  The USA processes asylum applications remotely, for one.  I am not an authority on Statelessness, but that's what I know.

An interesting wrinkle is if your former home country was a federation or union (Brazil, USA, Mexico, Germany are all examples of this structure), one can lose or reject citizenship in the larger organization while retaining citizenship in the smaller political subdivision.  An example of this would be someone who renounced US citizenship (sometimes a smart thing to do) while retaining Texas nationality, which was acquired by birth.  In that case, one would not truly be 'stateless', but the current system would likely be Gobsmacked as to how to address your existence.

As far as Erectile Dysfunction, that can often be treated legally with testosterone replacement therapy, general health and detox practices and being in better physical condition.  The body knows that the slowest member of the herd isn't going to be catching any females for mating, so doesn't bother.

If the Dead are again walking the Earth, maybe she needs to get her act together?

2 minutes ago, connda said:

I don't understand why that money can't be transferred between the receiving account for the SSA payment and a normal BKK Bank ATM account via Bualuang online banking. 

The banks are required to comply with Anti-Money Laundering rules as established by the Bank's compliance department.  One lawyer asleep at the wheel and you get goofy policies.

It is possible that personally appearing for the funds makes Management feel better so, if you are a Bad Apple, they can produce a warm body for Interpol when you come for your illicitly-garnered pension funds.  Or something.  I skipped school when we studied Mind Reading 101.

29 minutes ago, Thomas J said:

I have an account at Bangkok Bank.  Is there an advantage or disadvantage to filling out the SSA 1199 Form to have the funds deposited directly to the Bankgkok Bank here in Thailand?  For someone who is currently having their Social Security deposited to the New York branch of Bangkok Bank is there a delay or a fee when it is transferred to Thailand?  Do you just use the ABA routing and transit number and the account number of the savings account here in Thailand and BKK New York automatically credits that account? 

If you want to be certain that Immigration accepts your deposit, you may wish to use the SWIFT deposit instructions for <US agency here> to deposit your funds directly.

Your account should have a flag set to accept international incoming wire transfers in the amount of <whatever your pension is> so they know that it is an expected transfer.  Otherwise, it will be rejected by the robots as a potential criminal act.  This is spelled out in the Basel III accords.

While anything else may be technically correct (since it's all electronic and basically free for the banking system anyhow), Immigration is not part of the Banking Cabal and doesn't care how it works; only if it appears to meet the most strict interpretation of the 'rules' as they currently have them.

After tw

1 hour ago, mrmicbkktxl said:

20 years ago friends and family told me 'you are crazy,you will come back crying'.I never cared about that.If I have to leave Thailand it would be a personal defeat,on the other hand,so many things have changed in 20 years so I think leaving would be a good idea.And actually I would like to leave,I don't feel comfortable anymore.But leaving is not an option,I'm married with a Thai lady and I have daughter.

After 20 years, they probably don't remember.

It's only a 'personal defeat' if you define it as such; you are welcome to call it a re-calibration, or change of plans, or simply refuse to keep score.  With so many Thais wanting to move to the 'West', wouldn't it be fun to tell people that you wanted to see what the fuss was about?

There is everything right with preparing for an uncertain future.  There is everything wrong with making excuses to be miserable.  It's a personal call.  If you involve the family, they might think it's a great idea.  I don't know your personal situation. 

I was moved to Asia at nine (9) years of age.  It definitely ruined me for work at the 'Golden Horns' (as McD's is called in Ukraine.)  Nobody consulted me, either.

Gin was invented to kill the taste of the Quinine in the soda water.  Yet another scourge to humanity brought on by the mosquito.

On 2/17/2019 at 4:45 PM, Sheryl said:

US Medicare does not give a discount on oversea care.

It contributes nothing at all to care received outside the US. You're on your own for that.

Can only be used in the US.

And there are not insignificant copays and deductibles, especially if hospitalization is prolonged.

You have to pay a monthly premium for outpatient cover and medication cover, about USD 170/month for the two. This is aside from the copays and deductible.

So far from free care.

The only respect in which it is advantageous compared to Oz or UK is that the cover is not compromised if you live overseas. Dosn't matter if you live abroad nor for how long, as long as you can manage to travel back to the US for care, you are covered.



Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

The only coverage from Medicare is the additional, private supplemental policies such as "Medicare Advantage".  Basic Medicare is not free and there are copays.

21 hours ago, Tug said:

Another racist nut job doesent matter what flavor the nut job is glad they got the sob before he acted and you can bet your pay check the current acrimonious speech being bandied about makes thease nut jobs more likely to act

Authorities are notoriously unreliable.  One of the posters on this thread cites SNOPES, which has been outed as being biased and having an agenda, to the extent that they have planted entirely fake stories and then 'reveled them to be fake'.  Do your own research.  Make up your own mind.

Your best authority should be yourself.  The 'incriminating evidence' was a case of glass vials containing a white powder.  The label said TRAMADOL apparently.  Go look it up.  It is a mild narcotic (between Aspirin and Hydrocodone) given to people in pain.  Think toenail removal, post-operative painkillers following a minor joint repair (stitches in a torn ligament or similar). 

What, this guy was going on a 'Mass Feel-Good Spree'?  "Dozens of People Feel No Pain For Four Hours.  Society Collapses!"  I think not.

My bet is that this guy was on his way to retirement and was offered a deal by some spin doctors to boost his retirement pay, so he went for it.  Anything to get you folks riled up is worth it to them.  He will probably be quietly exonerated when this is all over, with an unpublished commendation and attendant promotion to Lt. Commander.  For all we know, he is an intelligence officer.  Get a grip folks.

11 hours ago, keemapoot said:

Actually, Clinton started this in the modern era. It was steadily expanded by Bush and Obama. Nixon set the groundwork for the move. 

 

The US Constitution is a beautiful document. I've studied it in depth. It's meant to be a living document though, and its intent is to preserve the balance of powers. Let's remember that no matter who is President and no matter which party is in power.

The original document was indeed unique, but it must be understood in context with other documents, notably the District of Columbia Home Rule Act (1973) District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871, The Treaty of Paris (1783), the original Declaration of Independence (1776) and the predominant law dictionaries of their respective eras, to fully comprehend what is written.

There are reasons why courses such as Government and Civics are taught at the ages when hormones are raging at their highest levels.  What were you thinking about most at that tender age?  Maybe you missed something?

1 hour ago, Thailand Outcast said:

Do you have some links for places and accommodation outside of the big tourist places there?  Of course I google but there are so many.  Can you narrow the selection for me please?

Your home country would be happy to have you back; they will make all of your decisions for you.  And take all of your resources in exchange.  "Narrow... for me please", really?

There are specialized search engines that work well, but aren't Gooogle.  PM for details.

1 hour ago, madmen said:

Your making good money from an 800k baht investment ? LOL . I must be the only one on TV who isnt making a killing investing small amounts of money ????

Is this the first time you heard about 800k for visa?

 

 

One can make decent returns, just not in simple savings accounts in big banks.

Although only a benefit to very dark-skinned expats, South Africa is cheap, with nice beaches, but a bit racist regarding 'white' people. 

4 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

They have the same thing in Thailand (Foreign Medical Program) except at a real hospital.  Why would one opt to go the a clinic in PI with no emergency rooms when the top hospitals in Thailand do the same thing? 

 

It is a constant source of amazement to me that people would post information without at least asking someone who has some knowledge of the issue being discussed. 

Having addressed this before:  The VA Facility in Manila is an OUTPATIENT CLINIC.  This means that they will treat your service-connected conditions without having to wait for FMP to reimburse you.  If you are 100% service-connected disabled, you will get regular annual checkups and other care as you would get from the VA in the States.

If your heart condition is not service-connected, you will likely be shown the door.  This is VA policy; how they apply it varies from angry vet to non-angry vet.

The clinic was NOT placed there for US expats; it was placed there as part of the obligation to Filipinos who served with US forces in WW2, when it was a US Territory (like Guam or Puerto Rico).  If you want VA care, you can also go to Guam, no visa required for US passport holders...

16 hours ago, stevew407 said:

Currently in Buenos Aires and trying to get to the USA.  The whole world controversies on Visa's including our great leader Trump is or does just give me or us something to do or talk about.  I am in the middle of a mess as I feel in love with a beautiful Thai woman.  I would like to take her to the USA on ANY TYPE VISA and there is a lot of history..........but not sure why I am even posting or writing this as I really like the KISS theory or the Visas for Dummies books..........  but obviously there is a lot of time, money and employment going on - who would of thunk it?  Obviously not this 66 year old idiot.   Had a nice expereince at the Uruguay Embassy here but not sure of the results as it is all in Spansih and the Cruise Line just like so many do not want to get involved in Visas then we have all these companies and people making a living off of these crazy to interpret requirements that are subject to subjectivety of the individual and the attitudes or life expereinces on that particular day and moment.........go figure.........why can't we all just get along?   Had a very nice evening last night sharing culture and food and drink with others and then wake up today trying to figure where I can go and how and why is it so <deleted> difficult?  Check out the Facebook Page and the Youtube videos or not, it is a little like the old Peyton Place or Dallas or ..........just getting a bit too old and tired at times........... Steve Wilner and Tarn Lano - but nicknames and Thailand are another story for another day.......

A good place to begin might be an education visa.  Once in country, ICE can be more subjective if they realize that she's not going to be taking jobs away from the illegals.

VA will transfer your pension to any bank which is subscribed to the transfer regime.  Any US Veterans Service Organization with members in LOS will be able to point you to a bank which accepts these transfers, if the ACS desk in Manila cannot help you.  I know people receiving these transfers (free) for over ten years, but cannot recommend any specific bank in Thailand as I don't know which ones participate.  Those banks accepting Social Security are a good place to start.

Pensions are deposited monthly, meeting the Thai requirement.

One way of looking at a military coup in LOS is that it is one way for the crown parties to meddle in politics at a distance with total deniability.  Another is to curtail the democratic process from being subverted by economic actors (foreign or domestic) for excessive personal gain, something which rarely happens in the West.  Yet another is the Marxist view of authoritarians exploiting their power to the detriment of the People. 

If politics excites you, I suggest forming a Pastafarian Religious Party in Liberland.  If it upsets you, you might want to ignore it altogether, since the only ones who can affect politics are the rich and powerful.

On 2/9/2019 at 6:33 PM, brokenbone said:

is infrastructure suited for driving scooter in portugal ?

 

Anyone considering retiring in a country is advised to visit first.  Even if only on YouTube to determine suitability.

36 minutes ago, ZeVonderBearz said:

Blanket ban on beer because of a Buddhist holiday in a country that is supposedly open to all. The hypocrisy. The real reason for these bans is because they don't want the locals to gather round, have a few bevies and then start talking about the problems in the country. That's my view.

This is not limited to LOS.  Happens in Banana Republics as well.