Tango7

My wife made an appoint for 8.30 Friday morning. We were first in and first out..pegged it to Bumrungrad...first in, first out with the X-Rays and pegged it back to the office to get doctor to view X-Ray and give approval.... sat waiting and after one or two people who came after us had been served, got a call to a desk and were told that Bumrungrad..in their brillianc.... had stuck a sticker over part of the chest X-Ray and another had to be sent because the doctor was not happy he could see the entire chest.

They arranged for Bumrungrad to messenger another copy but rather than being out by 11.30, we had to hang around until after lunch when a new one was sent. We we out and completed by 1.30.

You can see now why Bumrungrad charges so much money. It clearly goes on employing the best staff... TIT at its finest.

Hi,

I am just about to apply for a UK settlement visa for my wife. She has already been to the UK for a visit a few months ago. And we thought it was time to get her over here for a few years when we found out she was pregnant.

Does anyone know if this will help or hinder the application? Are we required to tell them when she applies for the visa?

Thanks,

Paul

Congratulations !

Just in case this isn't clearly known yet, here is an issue I faced with my Spouse visa application. I'll bullet point the issues for ease of reading (I hope)

1. I contacted two solicitors with regards the necessary documentation as I had a question regarding my financial status in UK.

2. As I will be initially unemployed when I return, I was getting parents to sponsor as they have sufficient means to do this.

3. First legal company said parents could not act as sponsors, second legal company said they could.

4. I contacted an immigration specialist in UK who confirmed that parents / family etc could no longer act as sponsors. His words were

"The Court of Appeal has decided recently that third parties, such as parents, are no longer able to act as financial guarantees."

5. To over come this issue one can, apparently, show finances of 30 - 50,000 pounds in the bank or an advance on any inheritance which must equal 1,000 - 1,500 pounds per month . This amount roughly equals a job that pays in the region of 12 - 15,000 pounds per year.

6. Any money put into a bank account to top it up should your savings not meet that figure, needs to be accompanied by a legally binding document stating that any transfer of fees is not a loan and is a permanent transfer. It was quoted to me as this:

"It is usually judged that for two people to live in this country, you will need an income of £12,000 to £15,000. This is done primarily in 3 ways - 1) for you to obtain a job, 2) for you to have sufficient savings (probably in the region of £30,000 to £50,000) to support you both or 3) for you to receive an advance on an inheritance (although this is untested) – say £1,000 to 1,500 per month needs to be the minimum. This will need to be drawn up in a legally enforceable way in order for the ECO (Entry Officer) to be satisfied that it is not a loan."

7. I was told that no solicitor / lawyer would give a guarantee of success so any firm making any guarantee is doing so on a wing and a prayer.

Other issues to consider:

If going into rented accommodation, get all contracts drawn up and submitted with application. Sometimes it's worth getting photos of the accommodation to show it is suitable for you both to live in.

There are plenty of other issues such as the correct documentation. I'm no expert but thought I'd share what I have recently learned.

I hope this is of help to people.

I've been through some topics on freight and shipping but will ask again:

I'm looking to ship my personal effects back to the UK and I'm looking for a reliable freight / shipping company. I've had a few quotations for a 20' container ranging from 75,000 Baht to 150,000 Baht.

At today's exchange rates, that's between 1,500 - 3,000 + pounds door to door ( ex vat, and any tax )

The cheapest company was Viva Logistics. Has anyone had any experience with this company ? Are they reliable ?

Thanks in advance

Tango7

I think the op is just stiring the pot

I think so too... just glad someone else said it first...

My wife was pregnant but unfortunately miscarried recently but as soon as she was certain that she was pregnant, we went to BNH and were shown a menu for the types of delivery for birth. I think there were 7 options. two were for natural birth, the rest for C section.

Rather than pointing out the negative issues that can arise with C section, it is left up to people to make a decision without a consultation.

The "menu" should have stated the cost of natural births, with and without epidural and then a sub section that states something like the extra cost of a C Section should it become necessary during the delivery process. It certainly shouldn't be menu item 3 !!

I think that once you've had a C Section, you can't really go back and have a natural birth...

When I mentioned this issue to my family in the UK all my sisters, each with families, said it's a big no no unless there are extenuating circumstances.

So, take the pain and go natural with an epidural for when it gets too much.

It could be that the OP was referring to bonus payments of one month for every year served. This might have been an incentive to stay the course of the 6 years.

If it's bonuses we're talking about, you have to check the contract, but as far as severance if you leave, forget it.

Just a thought..

I think that if she had a proper work permit with a contract then she is entitled to 30 days notice for which she gets paid her full salary. If she has been with the school for over 119 days ( the probation period here ) she is also entitled to 30 days severance on top of those 30 days notice.

If she has been with the school for over a year, she should get 30 days notice + 3 months severance.

This is Thai law and you can enforce it through the labour courts who very much favour the employee... but the issue is your work permit. If you have one..no problems... if not, you can't do anything.

Play hard ball and don't roll over as they will expect you to do. They figure you don't know Thai law.. screw going back as they've now revealed their true colours.

The very least they could do would be to furlough your wife ( means she doesn't work but has not been fired and stays on for a reduced salary until the new classes start ).

As for the taxes issue...I've no idea, but I do know they are trying to diddle you out of money. Stand firm and threaten legal action ( you won't need a lawyer though as it's an open and shut case about contract term and termination as stated above.

Hope this helps

** forgot to say that your visa is tied to your work permit. Once you have been terminated, you have less than 7 days to hand in your work permit and leave the country. But you can come in on a tourist visa straight away.

Agreed.

I was writing about my root canal filling recently, stating how much cheaper it was to have it done here in BKK but the fact is, I would have paid the same amount in the UK at a private dentists.

I think Thailand is now becoming much more expensive for things like this and, as Dragon said, by the time you've spent money on travel and accommodation, you'll pay the same if not more.

well you date any thai woman,number one rule make sure she's single,otherwise you might see abullet come your way,if you've got 2 on the go then i guess 2 bullets.quite honestly i think this is a stupid question.

I worked with a guy who was dating / sleeping with his ex-girlfriend who has since gone on to marry a rich Thai guy.

The girl was damned stupid to be doing this as she married the Thai guy whilst still liking this farang friend of mine.

Anyway, after repeated and very serious warnings from me and other friends to him about the probable outcome ( i.e a bullet in the head ) he still continues to see this woman even though she's not way going to divorce her wealthy Thai husband in favour of a semi well paid farang guy.

And all of those quesitons are multple choice & all have the answers in the study book.

Sorry but don't you think your rant against immigration is funny when you consider your wives are just that, immigrants like any other. My husband had to study & pass the test, so will your partners as well, so will all those Pakistanis, Indians & Bangladeshi poeple too if you wish to gain ILR & eventually citizenship.

My rant wasn't meant to be funny..and it wasn't a rant. I was just answering the question. If it's the wrong answer, then I'll have to resort to stating Leicester or Birmingham. Same situation..different location.

Please also note, that although my wife will be an immigrant, her entire family et al will not join her and she will either get a job or raise the children at home whilst I support her rather than her living off state benefits.

sample questions for those wishing to know: by the way, my education is 8 O'levels, 3 A levels, a Diploma in Business Studies, an honours degree in Economics ( minor politics ) and a Master's Degree in I.T ... a fairly well rounded education and I read regularly, follow news / political programmes and have an interest in history but, looking through the questions below, I'd certainly feel unsure of MANY and where some might be "easy" for locals, other questions could quite easily perplex well educated British born and bred subjects. I've answered the last one for you...

Where are Geordie, Cockney and Scouse dialects spoken ?

What and when are the Patron Saints' Days of the four countries of the UK? What are bank holidays?

What is the House of Lords and who are its members?

What are the powers of the devolved administrations? Which areas of policy remain under the control of the UK government?

What are quangos and non-departmental public bodies?

What are the roles and powers of the main institutions of Europe? How is European law organised?

What is the role of a school governing body (or a school board in Scotland)?

How many people belong to an ethnic minority and which are the largest minority groups? Where are there large ethnic communities? ( Heathrow Airport !! it's teaming, absolutely teaming, with people from India, Pakistan or Bangladesh. 90% + must be from those countries...either milling around, entering the airport or working in the shops and restaurants. )

Thanks everyone...

I paid a 20k bank transfer as a deposit and then insisted on the remainder by card.

I have contacted my issuing bank and they've promised to send me some papers to contest the amount.

Actually, we had been on a waiting list for a return flight on the 3rd of Jan but we were booked to return on the 2nd. On the 18th, the day before we flew, we had a confirmation of the 3rd.

During the "crisis" at the checkin counter, we managed to get EVA staff to talk to the agents. It transpired that the agents were actually sub agents and the ticket had been cancelled by much larger agents through whom our sub-agents had been booking our flights. The reason for the cancellation was due to our agents not being able to pay for our tickets.

Issue here is: why not ? We had paid them money and so they'd obviously not been spending it correctly.

On my return, I'll see what can be done but I'm not holding my breath.

THAI NETWORK TRAVEL & TRADING CO., LTD is the travel agent we used to buy our return, economy deluxe Eva Air tickets to the UK.

My wife and I have used them in the past for tickets to Hong Kong and all was OK.

We booked our tickets in November for a 19th of Dec flight and paid 20k in bank transfer as a deposit.

Nearer the time we paid the rest by credit card abd after insisting we get the e-ticket, received the e-tickets by email.

All was in place until we turned up to the Eva Air check in counter to be told our tickets had been cancelled.

We assumed there was an error and called the agents who messed around trying to get us a new ticket.

After much stress, we managed to get them to get us a ticket but when we tried to check in on that new ticket, we were told it was economy only.

We called them back, told them to cancel the whole thing and booked a new ticket with Eva which cost us 146,000 Baht instead of the original 100,000 we'd paid to the agent.

We have sent emails and called the agent insisting they refund all the money and to pay us the extra money we'd paid for the new ticket, but we've had no response at all.

Is there any point in getting a lawyer to chase this case for us and what could we expect back ?

If we get nothing back from them, the whole trip will have cost 250,000 Baht for two economy deluxe tickets...

Any advice appreciated.

A Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to all...

FarangPattaya's statement about economic growth under Thaksin is like saying "Well, look what Stalin did for Russia".

It is probably down to each individual and the type of relationship you have in Thailand. Basically, if you two are vrey close here and have few friends and rely a lot on eachother, then the move won't matter too much. Obviously, any Thai would miss the spicy food, Thai friends to chat to every now and then and also family but if you are close, these will... hoepfully.. be the only issues.

If however, you go to Canada and get your friends and he has none, things will be different as he'll feel more isolated.

I have a similar issue. My wife is now pregnant and I want to return home. We've been together 6 years and we're happy as Larry but I worry that her lack of friends, family and food will reverse this abroad.

My wife has been to UK a number of times and loves it as well as my family. All is good there, but holidays are romanticising the situation.

I think if you have a solid relationship and you don't go ignoring him when you get home, things will be OK, but if you go out to work leaving him at home feeling useless or just baby sitting, I think it's not going to be easy. He'll also need his own friends and a job. If all these come into play then the cold will be an annoyance and not an issue.

By the way, would there be any option to move to a larger city if yours is small ?

Here's an interesting little issue....

If you work for a company as a constractor / consultant but work the same as a full-time employee, what are your rights ? Let's assume the contract stipulates a typical probabtion period after whcih you become full-time employee.

After the probation period, if the contract was not actually changed but you've been lead to believe you are full-time due to working hours, payslips, health insurance and so on, but chose not to get work permit due to tax rates etc, what legal issues are at stake for both parties.

The company originally treated me as a full-time employee. Holidays, sick leave, pay-slip visa trips paid for and so on. Now, they suddenly decided to treat me as a contractor stating, no paid holidays ( even though I've been paid before ), unpaid sick leave ( even though this has not happened before and I take few sick days ) and the refusal to pay for visa runs etc, claiming that I am a contractor.

However, I've worked at the company for one year as a full-time employee.

Now, bar the work permit issue, I am assuming, or have been told that if you work for a company full-time for 180 days + you receive the same benefits etc as regular staff.

If they have me over a barrell due to work permit I do not care too much. If they play the no work permit card, I assume I can also play the same card and nto turn up to work any more.

I am happy to work and be teated properly, but this is the first time I am being treated differently.

If I find I have not been paid for a sick day or a holiday then I am going to ask them to pay based on the legal issues of 180 days. If they say no and expect me to be sacred of the no-work permit issue, I will just let them know that I will therefore not return to work.

I assume that they can't have been meploying me without a work permit anymore than I should have been working without one.

People might say that they are getting rid of me but this is not the case, they have plenty for me to do but are just being very very mean about these issues. If I have a work permit, they have to pay me. Without one, I guess they don't but in that case, I don't have to give notice either.

Any thoughts ??

Just finishing my treatment at Mission Hospital... good service, very happy with result, but total cost going up.

I was quoted 7,000 Baht, but this was just for the canal treatment...

subsequent visits have added 7,300 Baht for post canal treatment and the enamel tooth.

I have one further visit to finish the job and expect a further 3,500 Baht.

I was quoted 500 for regular cap or 10,000 for gold cap.

Total for a very good job is going to be around 17,000 Baht.

By the way, Somchai et al "banned" for 5 years only to keep their seats as long as they rename their party... how crass !

I think you missed something there.

The people who got banned can not keep their seats. The ones who did not get banned have to switch to a new party in order to keep their seats.

They expected this and already had a "shadow" party formed (as there are laws about having to have a party formed and registered for a certain period before an election, in order for that party to be eligible to run in the election).

I see.. but would I be right in assuming that it leads to the same thing. i.e same people / group / puppets back in power ?

To lighten the mood a little, doesn't Rainman ( or at least his avatar ), look like the lead singer of Frankie Goes To Hollywood ? So, if his posts get a little touchy, just say "Relax!"

By the way, Somchai et al "banned" for 5 years only to keep their seats as long as they rename their party... how crass !

So, PAD are happy he's out but all he needs do is rename his party, get voted in by either fair means or foul and we're off again... baffling....

I was amazed to see how this is being reported in the Thai news. This morning on Channel 3, there was an interlude which showed how this protest has been going on. It was a one or two minute skit ( maybe less ) set to some Thai folk song music but it was showing dancing protestors. A line of women all having a good old laugh, doing some kind of dance.

The way this was done made it look acceptable. It was a piece done in the same way that we might do a short skit about the end of the Olympics or Football World Cup... you know the knid of thing...."best moments" set to music, and this is what it looked like for this protest.

It really doesn't seem to be being taken seriously. I don't think Thais really know how to be serious about such things. The "mai ben rai" is so deeply ingrained that the most ruinous of events for this country is set to music and depicts protestors having a good old dance.

Frickin' unbelieveable

Has this tipped the scales for people thinking about leaving this place ?

Things are moving along at a frightfully slow pace. Who would have thought that the airport/s would still be closed after a full week?

I'm starting to question whether or not I'll be able to take a December 19 flight out.

Yep..same here. I am due to fly out same day with Eva Air. I heard a rumour that the airport will not be open by Christmas. Just a rumour of course and without any substance, but unnerving none-the-less.

I think the issue of making it believable is correct.

Make sure she's not taking off too much time from work. 7 - 10 days annual leave is all Thais receive on top of national holidays.

She needs to have a written letter from her employers stating she has a job, what her position is and how much leave she has been allowed. Have the letter state when she s expected back to work.

Write a letter of invitation to her which she can produce with her application. word it to say that you have invited her to stay, that you are in full-time employment, what leave - if any - you are taking, the reasons you want her to visit ( meet family etc ), what you'll do etc. One page is fine.

Pay for some travel insurance for her as this looks good. Shows you are looking after her and it means she won't be a burden should she need medical assistance.

This isn't mandatory and it might not even be considered but it's an added bonus to have with the application, doesn't cost much and is a good idea anyway.

She should photocopy her tickets to show it is a return ticket. Photocopy the travel insurance.

Make sure you state that you will be paying for everything, where she'll stay and so on

Basically, throw everything you can at the application to show it's legitimate and that she'll return to Thailand. The returning bit is the clincher. Prove that beyond a reasonable doubt and she'll be OK, but generally, visas.

I have never used an agent and I personally feel you don't need one. Just be upfront and honest and provide plenty of details and be prepared to pay 4,000 Baht + for the visa fee !!!!

Can anyone suggest where I can get a very comprehensive travel insurance for travelling back to the UK ?

I'm travelling with my Thai wife who is 10 weeks pregnant and I want to cover both of us for any unexpected complications. I'd like good health and life coverage and I'd like her to have quality health insurance in case of complications.

I looked at Bupa but they seem have have restrictions on pregnancy.

Any suggestions always appreciated. I have this topic set to email me when you reply.

Cheers

Tango7

On a trip to Canada a few years ago I had the misfortune of having to stop off in L.A where I witnessed the baggage handlers literally slamming luggage as hard as they could off the conveyor belt and onto the floor. Not sure they realised anyone was watching or not but these guys must have been doing their utmost to break anything and everything inside each case.

Now I know the post is about robbery and losing all your stuff, but this behaviour is just as bad and in a developed country.

Imagine opening your suitcase ( hard case or not ) and finding tiny fragments of what was your iPod, camera, laptop etc. Just as bad as being robbed.

Those guys really should have been arrested for criminal damage.