Jonny B

hey, my wife is looking for an Australian Company or business that is based here or even a thai company or business that has large dealings with australia to work for. She is highly educated and also studied in australia and im from there but live together here in thailand, she currently works as a buyer for a large company but she would like to do something that could involve import/export to aus and potentially allow her to travel for work also.

if anybody has any knowledge of such companies or businesses it would be much appreciated.

thanks

i went to the ngv service centre yesterday which is also a proton dealership, in chonburi to just get a tune of the ngv. The service guy calls my g.f about 30 minutes later saying we need a new filter and pipe as it was cracked, he said its normally 3000 baht but he would do it for 2000 and just pay him directly not the service centre, soon as i hear this i know its dodgy. I headed back to check it out, the pips they said needed changing had a couple little scratches in it and im sure could be bought for 100 baht or so. The service team were all standing around with smirks on their face and talking to me like an idiot and were so supprised when i said i wouldnt be doing it, im sure they thought they'd just caught a nice big fish. I took it to another mechanic that i trust straight after and showed him, he said neither items needed changing and unless anything is not functioning properly then just leave it be, basically unless its broke dont fix it, so after that im positive they were trying to scam me. besides 3000 baht for a filter and a piece of pipe! c'mon.

anyway just a heads up for anyone who is thinking of going there, the shop is located on sukhamvit road between the new central chonburi mall and tesco lotus on the opposite side of the road.

hey scubabuddha, yeah saw that post before but nothing since so just curious, hoping to get in early. i would have thought with the success of the cbr250 and the long wait list they would be even more keen to introduce their bikes, i have no doubt the 250 models would be popular given they sell at reasonable prices. wait n see nway hey. cheers

anybody heard anything more on hyosung selling here anytime soon?

the driving range is open to the public so i would suggest just going on the weekend and hitting some balls and chat with a member and see if theyre willing to let you join them for a game, The member will be the ones hitting from the grass area. beautiful course, well worth a game.

just wanted to share a shop i just bought 2 rings from in bkk, its located on level 1 in central world in the jewelry section which is tucked away a bit, ive attached a couple pics of what the shop looks like so you should recognise it, in the 2nd pic its the shop with the guy standing at the door.

anyway i just purchased a diamond ring and a natural white gold band from them. The owner is the person you deal with, he is extremely friendly, honest, patient and knowledgable. He even charged less upon picking them up than first quoted, which i dont think has ever happened to me in thailand. I looked at probably 10 shops total between pattaya and bkk, some of which were recommended on here in other posts and they just dont come close to this place. The specs of the diamond we purchased from him were far more at other shops and come with GIA certificate. One shop in pattaya that came recommended said they dont provide certificates for any diamond under 1 carrat but to trust them as theyve been in business along time, obviously been ripping tourists off for a long time.

anyway you go wrong with checking this shop out if you need any jewelry. pm me if need anymore info.

cheers

hey madivad. yeah i read that is says the husband is usually the sponsor and in another post someone said the husband had to be. read through alot of previous posts and a bit of conflicting information, it will be interesting to see what the migration agent says to you, if you dont mind could you pls let me know what he says and i will do the same, hoping to speak to a reccommended visa agent soon. i meet all other areas, weve been married and living together full time for nearly 5 years and together for nearly seven, shes been to aus many times, studied and lived there for a year so that part im not worried about and im not sure if its always such a black and white thing. surely there are plenty of people that have been living overseas with their wife and want to return home.

If you are deemed to not be an eligble sponsor, you may be asked to have someone else provide an Assurance of Support. Immigration will tell you if that is required. These are done through Centrelink

gburns57au, could you please elaborate more on the assurance of support? and what do you mean its done through centrelink? cheers

im glad you asked this question as im in exactly the same situation and confused also. i asked a similar question in another topic and couple people said i couldnt so seem to get conflicting responses. hope you dont mind me asking here also, hopefully my questions will also help you.

so like the op i have also been living here in thailand for a number of years, an aus citizen, and not earning money or paying tax in aus during the time ive been here. can i still meet the requirements of a sponsor? if i dont meet the requirements of an eligible sponsor can someone else (my father) be the sponsor? would love to hear from someone who was living here and went through this process.

thanks

In reply to my own topic, here's the latest on getting a tourist visa for India after applying today and some useful tips to make life alot easier for yourself.

Firstly make sure you fill out the application form online and print it out. Like someone else said in another topic you may experience some errors with this. In my case I filled out all the areas in the form but once printed it was missing some of he sections, make sure all the sections you filled out is included in the printed version otherwise up have to pay 100 baht to amend it at the office and it's very time consuming.

Make sure you take note of your form reference number so can make any changes etc to it.

The form can be filled out at the office but they charge 300 baht a new application or 100 to ammend an existing one and an extra 60 for the non Thai resident form also and there is only 2 people on computers doing these for everyone so it's very slow.

If u have lived in thailand for more than 3 years on a visa then u won't need to fill out the non Thai resident form. U will need to provide copies of your Thai visa stamps in passport for those past 3 years, this will save u the 400 baht non Thai resident fee also and only take 2 days to process instead of 4, so it's worth it.

Just a reminder If u plan to photocopy ur passport pages there and one or more of ur Thai visa stamps is in an old passport don't forget to take it, which I did!

If ur applying for a tourist visa you can only get 3 months, single entry. 1700 for visa, 400 for non Thai resident form if need it, 517 service fee. Total was 2617, rip off yes! But what can u do ha.

Also even for a tourist visa u will need to fill out 1 referee in India and 2 in your home country.

Lastly the visa service place is in the glas haus building, level 15, not the India embassy. It's a 5 min walk from Asok bts station.

I can't remember the India visa website, think it was www.ivac.co.th will clarify when get home, all the forms and link to online application are on there.

One last reminder, as a tourist u have to leave a 2 month gap between trips there, unless ask for special permission but will have to provide proof why.

I've been to alot of countries and India has to be the least favourable of them all but the hardest and most expensive to get a tourist visa. Have fun and I hope this helps

anyone bought much stuff in malaysia/KL? any shop reccommendations would be great? thanks

i went to test drive one yesterday for the fun of it, everything seemed fine. im no car expert but it did seem better quality than i was expecting, it was nice and high and drive pretty nice. the main downside and the reason i wouldnt buy it howeveer was simply the fact that its full CNG, i thought it was petrol/cng. the fact that your only going to get a max of 240km out of both cng tanks is pretty bad, if u happen to run out somewhere then your screwed. they said they would send a tow truck and tow you to the nearest station but who wants that hassel. I think with the nicely hidden away tanks they would have sold far more by making it petrol/gas option, i definately wouldve considered it. oh well.

has anyone bought one of these, any reviews? how have they held up so far? cheers

ahh k, thanks guys, interesting to know.

looks pretty similar to the calibre model they sell here, just bit less power i guess but a great looking car, saw one the other day. has anyone got the 2 door version yet? any reviews or prices? looking at buying a 2 door navara and would love to here some opinions on it.

Anyone know if the RST leathers mentioned are likely to be the real deal from Paddock? also any good tips for places to buy in Sydney? will be home but done really know Sydney at all

mate theres plenty of decent bike shops in sydney, depends what part you live of course but theres a few in parramatta and a pretty big one on lane cove road in lane cove. just google them, im sure youl find some decent ones close to where you live.

hi, just curious if anyone here is living around bangragong area. Im thinking of moving around there, its close to where i currently live so not a big move. Just wondering what your view are of the area, rough land prices or rental options are there? id prefer to rent something for a year to see how it goes then possibly buy a small block of land and build something.

any advice from any1 living around there would be appreciated.

thanks

hey, i was just there last week and the course is looking pretty nice. there is an airport at hua hin but it doesnt seem like its open or operating for any commercial flights anymore. some1 pls correct me if im wrong? so ud have to fly to bkk and either get taxi or hire a car from there i guess. i payed 1800 in a taxi from hua hin to bkk but not sure how much from airport to hua hin, im sure it would be quite a bit more than that. Otherwise you could get train or bus into city to one of the main bus terminals and get a bus if want to save money.

not sure if uve been there before but there are no decent places to stay near the course as its out of town, there is a hotel/apartment complex on site but it could be a bit boring out there. i stayed at a place in town called nicha, www.nichahuahin.com. 1400 per night, it was fine, nice comfy bed, hot water, wifi, friendly helpful staff and small breaky. Your best of staying in town and renting a bike for 200-300 baht per day and just riding to the course, its pretty easy to find from the city, about 20min ride out there and signposted most of the way once off the main road.

ive read good things about a bed and breakfast called the bee+b but have never stayed there. if u havnt been to hua hin before be prepared to pay a little more for accom than some other cities.

anything else u need to know just msg me.

Thanks. what would be the journey time by taxi from the airport?

depending on how mad they drive and or traffic, roughly 2-3 hours.

hey, i was just there last week and the course is looking pretty nice. there is an airport at hua hin but it doesnt seem like its open or operating for any commercial flights anymore. some1 pls correct me if im wrong? so ud have to fly to bkk and either get taxi or hire a car from there i guess. i payed 1800 in a taxi from hua hin to bkk but not sure how much from airport to hua hin, im sure it would be quite a bit more than that. Otherwise you could get train or bus into city to one of the main bus terminals and get a bus if want to save money.

not sure if uve been there before but there are no decent places to stay near the course as its out of town, there is a hotel/apartment complex on site but it could be a bit boring out there. i stayed at a place in town called nicha, www.nichahuahin.com. 1400 per night, it was fine, nice comfy bed, hot water, wifi, friendly helpful staff and small breaky. Your best of staying in town and renting a bike for 200-300 baht per day and just riding to the course, its pretty easy to find from the city, about 20min ride out there and signposted most of the way once off the main road.

ive read good things about a bed and breakfast called the bee+b but have never stayed there. if u havnt been to hua hin before be prepared to pay a little more for accom than some other cities.

anything else u need to know just msg me.

well sometimes there are excemptions mate and how am i to know that what just he says is exactly the correct information, there are alot of people on here that give false and misleading info arn't there?

sorry if asking a question bothers you so much. il check with you next time before asking anything.

Read back through some threads if you doubt my credibility.

Been on here for a long time doing this, even got the Thai visa shirt as a top ten MVP a few years ago.

Yes I make mistakes but not too often

Did all my wifes visa applications and helped a few mates out as well.

Been there done that and I got the bloody T shirt to prove it

congratulations on the shirt but i my last post was addressed at Will27, unless your the same guy you need not take offence. thanks for the input and merry christmas.

i see the india visa online option is now available, has anyone done it that way? i presume you still have to go and pick it up and submit the photos and other forms they require? so does this mean you are only required to go to there once instead of twice?

any info from some1 who has done this would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

so what if we could show substantial money in the bank, i mean enough for both of us to live for off in aus for quite a few years. my wife has been to aus many times, studied there etc also. couldnt we say that with the money in the bank we plan on moving there together, buying a house and plan to work or get jobs etc, would i honestly have to go back and live there for a while and get into the rat race again just to apply for a visa for her, it sounds rediculous.

Stop trying to short cut the system.

To get a permanent visa you must first apply for a temporary spouse visa, to qualify then for a permanent spouse visa you MUST be living in Oz. There are no exceptions. If you do not spend enough time in Oz or are determined to not be actually living in Oz (overseas travel is allowed, but not extended periods out of the country)then the visa will probably be cancelled.

Remember that the ATO, AFP, Centrelink and many other Government departments are computer linked to Immigration, they can track your movements in and out of the country. I certainly would not recommend that you tell them you are doing something that you have no intention of doing.

fair enought thanks, but im not trying to short cut any system as you put it, im simply asking if its possible and what the rules are. thanks

Yes mate

But you've asked the question 3 times.

You were given good information the first time

and you keep coming back with 'but what if" and

"are there any exceptions?".

You've been told that the spouse visa is for migrating to Australia.

What part of that don't you understand?

It's cheaper and easier to apply for a tourist visa anyway.

Regards

Will

well sometimes there are excemptions mate and how am i to know that what just he says is exactly the correct information, there are alot of people on here that give false and misleading info arn't there?

sorry if asking a question bothers you so much. il check with you next time before asking anything.

so what if we could show substantial money in the bank, i mean enough for both of us to live for off in aus for quite a few years. my wife has been to aus many times, studied there etc also. couldnt we say that with the money in the bank we plan on moving there together, buying a house and plan to work or get jobs etc, would i honestly have to go back and live there for a while and get into the rat race again just to apply for a visa for her, it sounds rediculous.

Stop trying to short cut the system.

To get a permanent visa you must first apply for a temporary spouse visa, to qualify then for a permanent spouse visa you MUST be living in Oz. There are no exceptions. If you do not spend enough time in Oz or are determined to not be actually living in Oz (overseas travel is allowed, but not extended periods out of the country)then the visa will probably be cancelled.

Remember that the ATO, AFP, Centrelink and many other Government departments are computer linked to Immigration, they can track your movements in and out of the country. I certainly would not recommend that you tell them you are doing something that you have no intention of doing.

fair enought thanks, but im not trying to short cut any system as you put it, im simply asking if its possible and what the rules are. thanks

so what if we could show substantial money in the bank, i mean enough for both of us to live for off in aus for quite a few years. my wife has been to aus many times, studied there etc also. couldnt we say that with the money in the bank we plan on moving there together, buying a house and plan to work or get jobs etc, would i honestly have to go back and live there for a while and get into the rat race again just to apply for a visa for her, it sounds rediculous.

hey guys, i also have a couple questions about the spouse visa for aus for my wife.

1. for the personal documents of sponsor it asks for proof that i usually reside in australia. what if i have been living here with my wife for the past 5 years and only been back 3-4 times during that time?

2. the sponsors employment history - as mentioned above ive been living here and havnt exactly been working in a full time paying job that i can prove. is this a problem?

3. the aus immi site says that form and documents etc may vary depending on where you apply, does bkk require anything much different from what the website states?

4. do they only grant this visa based on proving we want to move and live in aus full time and work there etc, im quite happy staying in thailand but may want to spend some months there and some months here in the future, without having to apply for a tourist visa for my wife everytime.

thanks for the help guys.

So you want to have your cake and eat it too,

The purpose of the Spouse visa is for migration not visiting, you will need to show you can financially support her in Oz, that means a proven source of income in Oz. If granted you will be required to make Oz your main residence in order for the second stage permanent visa to be issued.

is that always the case? there a no excemptions? but weve married for over 5 years so surely that would qualify for the permanent visa wouldnt it?

hey guys, i also have a couple questions about the spouse visa for aus for my wife.

1. for the personal documents of sponsor it asks for proof that i usually reside in australia. what if i have been living here with my wife for the past 5 years and only been back 3-4 times during that time?

2. the sponsors employment history - as mentioned above ive been living here and havnt exactly been working in a full time paying job that i can prove. is this a problem?

3. the aus immi site says that form and documents etc may vary depending on where you apply, does bkk require anything much different from what the website states?

4. do they only grant this visa based on proving we want to move and live in aus full time and work there etc, im quite happy staying in thailand but may want to spend some months there and some months here in the future, without having to apply for a tourist visa for my wife everytime.

thanks for the help guys.