Goinghomesoon

As we left Thailand late last year, we planned to take our Thai cat with us. I was going to write a summary of the process once we got her home to Australia, hoping that might help others through the process. What I am writing is slightly different to what I planned, but I do hope it helps others avoid the problems we have had....read on!

As animals cannot be directly imported from Thailand to Australia we spoke to a number of companies and colleagues that have been through the process, and decided that import via either Singapore or Malaysia would work best for us. Following discussions with a number of companies, we chose to go with the Malaysian option.

Getting our cat to Malaysia was relatively easy. Our vet (Thonglor Pet Hospital) provided the vaccinations, information and documents we needed and it was a quick visit to the airport vet at Swampy to get the necessary documents stamped the day before we travelled. I booked the cat as excess baggage on my ticket with Malaysian Airlines and flew to Malaysia in mid-June with her (total fee for the cat and cage was about THB 1,200). All good.

On arrival in Malaysia our import agent - recommended to us by several sources - met us at the airport and collected the documents from me. The import went smoothly, and after about 30 mins I waved off kitty, secure in the knowledge that we would be reunited in Australia in 6 months.

Fast forward 6 months and it was early December. We were settled in Australia and looking forward to our cat arriving. Suddenly the agent went suspiciously quiet. No answer to emails, not answering phone calls. Christmas came..and went...Australian Quarantine was closed...still no news from the company in Malaysia. I figured perhaps Aussie quarantine had just been a bit slow with their import approvals pre-Christmas and maybe we had been held up for that reason.

But no...it is now early March and our cat has still not arrived. The company failed to apply for the import permit, despite assuring us they had done so in December. They rarely answer the phone and never answer emails. When they do answer their phone, the staff yell and virtually accuse us of causing the delays. The final blood test was completed 3 weeks ago and staff at the Australian testing agency (CSIRO) warned me that this agent is not well regarded at all. And today I was advised by Australian Quarantine that they also have major problems with this particular company, and they advised me to engage a different agent. They are unlikely to approve import of our animal through this particular service provider. Because the necessary blood tests are all about to expire, we are literally going to have to start the entire process all over again.

For what it's worth, my colleagues shipped their cat through an agent in Singapore at the same time, and their cat has been home since 2 weeks before Christmas.

Reading back I sound like a fool, but I did not know the process very well and trusted that the company was providing me with good advice. I can only hope that our experience helps others.

I do not intend to name the company publicly, since they still have our pet. But would be happy to release their details to anyone that PMs me.

It can be that under Thai law a person doesn't completely severe his Thai with his former legal parents.

Yes Mario I think you are right there. I believe a Thai domestic adoption order gives the child new parents but does not fully sever the parental relationship with the birthmother (and father if named on the birth certificate). So in effect a child just gains extra parents.

We have a Thai/Swedish friend that adopted domestically as a Thai and then had difficulties taking the child on holidays to Sweden : the Swedes pointed out that the adoption order does not severe the birthmother's relationship. They required the consent of the birthmother before a visa would be issued. Luckily she did give permission.

My wife called DSDW. She explained our situation, the person on the phone said we could apply (19 forms) and specify our preferences for age, gender, and special needs or not, and that they estimate it would take about 1 year to match us with a child. My wife indicated that she was thai and I was american. She didnt specifically discuss the implications of nationality, but they asked what our nationalities were, so I guess it is faster if one person is Thai, since a wait time of 3 years has been estimated in this thread for pure expat couples. Interesting question was raised above about the legal implications of a purely Thai adoption, Mario2008 mentioned that a purely thai adoption might not be recognized in the US. I will consult an attorney about that. As long as there dont appear to be issues getting the adoption recognized in the US, then I think we will go in to DSDW and fill out the application. Thanks for any advice and I'll post any info I get after investigating.

Also if anyone has actually done this and has any experience or advice to share, I'd be interested in hearing it.

Snorkster, the form is available online http://www.adoptinginthailand.com/user/image/dsdwapplication.pdf and the requirements (and list of supporting documents) is here http://www.adoption.dsdw.go.th/adoption-03-01-e.html We found the social workers weren't very keen on dealing with us and answering questions until we had all the documents ready to submit. The social worker that is manning the desk on the day you apply is the social worker that will deal with you throughout the entire process, so make sure you get her name and number.

Does anyone have an idea of how most children come to need adoption in Thailand? Are the parents usually deceased, or the baby abandoned, or are they often taken away due to a bad home environment? Some thai friends have remarked that if we adopt a child, there may be parents out there who decide they want the child back. In China, many girls have historically been abandoned as the parents wanted a boy.

With an adoption in Thailand, the parents of the child must give permission. If they don't give permission, a judge can give permission instead.

Adoption means that you now become the legal parent of the child, instead of the natural parents. They can not demand the child back or anything.

While that's the case with international adoptions Mario, do you know if that is the case with domestic 'Thai-style' adoptions? My understanding was that the local adoptions do not remove all parental responsibilities and that this is the reason some countries won't recognise them.

My Thai spouse and I applied at DSDW 2 years 4 months ago and were told the waiting period would be 12-18 months. It quickly became clear after our application was lodged that this was not the case, and our social worker has admitted that waiting times have been getting longer and longer for the past 3-4 years. I am referring here to the international adoption side of things, as the domestic Thai option was not open to us due to my country's visa rules.

Our DSDW social worker advised us when we applied that couples with 1 Thai spouse do not get special consideration - you go into the queue with everyone else. This was reconfirmed by her supervisor when we visited DSDW in August 2011 to provide them with some updated documents and we asked again, hoping we might get a different answer.

GregB is right, you need to talk to your embassy to see if you are required to adopt via a particular pathway.

A group of parents that have already adopted, and/or are waiting to adopt, meet every month in Bangkok, you can get details from the BAMBI website.

Are you overseas or in Thailand? If in Thailand you need to approach DSDW. I highly recommend going to their office, as it can be hard to get them to answer the phone and they almost never respond to emails. See my previous posts on the actual adoption process, as this has not changed. There is a support group that meets monthly in Bangkok, for families awaiting a child and those who have their child home. The current wait for expat couples in Thailand is currently about 3 years. As others have already pointed out, DSDW sometimes stops taking new applications for months/years at a time while they work on their existing pile of applications. You need to speak to them directly to find out if applications are being accepted.

Check the website www.passports.gov.au

The child is Thai because of the mother. The question is if your child was bootn in Australia and if you legitimized the child according to Australian law. If you did, a Thai judge might recognize you as the legal father without having to go to court here.

There is no process in Australia to legitimize your position in the same way the Thais do. Under Australian law you are considered the legal father simply by being listed on the Australian birth certificate.

Jay I believe there is an Aussie lawyer in Chiang Mai who specialises in family law in both Australia and Thailand. Just search Google for "Australian lawyer Chiang Mai".

You still apply on the same form but if you have a child together and have been together for a particular period of time then your spouse may be given a permanent resident spouse visa instead of having a temporary resident spouse visa first. Our friends have just done this. See the second-last paragraph under "Partners" http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/30partners.htm

Yes to Medicare. Very easy to enrol, anyone on a 309 or 310 visa only needs to present the enrolment form plus passport/visa evidence. Took us all of about 5 minutes and the card arrived in the mail a week later.

www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/public/files/ma_3101_medicare_enrolment_application_form_011005.pdf

So much for the lengthy waiting times DIAC warned about. Got a letter from Brisbane this week that the Permanent Visa has been approved. Total time from application to approval less than 3 months.

I thought I would update this thread. We left Thailand 2 months ago and hubby is loving life in Australia. Every single day he finds something new to be excited about. He appreciates almost everything - the cleanliness, the blue skies, the lack of traffic, the clean buses and variety of food - especially Aussie BBQ and beer! He is learning English full-time, has signed up to play soccer in a friendly comp, has dug and planted our vegetable patch and is enjoying the process of inspecting houses for sale while we look for something to buy. He has commented several times that he enjoys the fact people see him as "Thai" but noone really differentiates, so he doesn't suffer the snubs that he got from hi-so Thais in Bangkok because he is from Isaan. Of course he has bouts of homesickness but by and large he deals with it by hibernating with some Thai movies or visiting a Thai friend or two. Skype gets a good workout once a week and he watches the Thai news online occasionally. But to be honest he is much more content than I expected. It's been a remarkably easy landing!

The op said " she did a search in other forums and the result was the information referred to men being married to Thai nationals.

She should have posted her question in the Thai visa forum. I'm sure one of the many mods in that forum would have been able to answer her question.

By placing in it in the correct forum, the next woman who makes a similar search in that forum will now at least get a result about visa extensions

to those married to male Thai nationals.

True Mike but I actually find the responses in the Ladies in Thailand sub-forum to be more specific and they don't gather as many useless comments as some of the visa threads in the main Visa forum. Often when women ask visa-related questions in the main Forum the topic ends up as the "bash-the-farang-women-because-visas-are-easier-for-them" thread.

Hi Gburns - remember though that the waiting time referred to above is the 2nd stage (permanent) visa which is no longer processed in Bangkok. All the documents are sent by the applicants directly to Brisbane, even if you reside in Thailand.

Partner's grant was a sticker in the Thai passport rather than a letter and gave 5 months to travel from issue date. So it was issued June and partner had until November to enter. We went to Oz for a 2-day flying visit and that was it.

After reading the above I started to get very worried that we may have missed something about a minimum Australian residency period while on the temp spouse (309) visa. So I emailed Immigration and here is an extract from their response. Thank goodness it seems we are okay They also confirmed the current wait for second stage is still 6-8 months from the date of eligibility.

" There is no requirement that the applicant resides in Australia for a certain period of time during the two years, the only requirement is that the applicant entered Australia before the entry date stipulated on the visa 309 grant."

Maybe Bliss on Street 240? Been around for years and I'm sure they do it. They have a website Bliss Spa Cambodia.

Details of the wait time (as of early July 2011) from the Additional Information part of the pack:

Processing Times

The current processing times for the second stage partner processing area is 6-8 months from the date of eligibility (the 2 year anniversary of your application lodgement). Each application is decided on a case by case basis and it is not possible to provide you with an exact timeframe for processing of your individual application.

Hope this is helpful to the OP.

Text of the documentation received from DIAC Brisbane in early July 2011 re: 2nd stage processing contained the following (note I was wrong in my earlier post - we had 60 days to respond, not 30).

There were 8 attachments/forms.

- Checklist (one page form on which you fill out your partner's visa number, contact details etc).

- "Further Information" paper listing the types of extra documents you need to send if your circumstances have changed.

- "Additional Information" file providing info on police clearances and waiting times (this is where the 6-8 month wait is detailed).

- "Form 80 Personal Particulars for Character Assessment" - long form very similar to the initial application form.

- 2 x Stat Decs (one each for myself & Thai partner to complete, asks if your relationship is still continuing and details of your life together)

- AFP police clearance application form

- visa application withdrawal form

Dear Sir/Madam

Request for Information for Your Visa Application

I refer to your application for a combined Partner (Provisional 309) and Partner (Migrant 100) Visa. Your application for a permanent visa Class BC (Migrant 100) will shortly be considered by the Second Stage Partner Processing Centre.

The department requires additional information or documents that cover your circumstances since you were granted the provisional spouse visa. A summary of the information required is provided in the attachedVisa Checklist. More information about each of the requirements is included in theFurther Information attachment.

You will be assigned a case officer once the requested additional information or documents are received by the department's processing centre.

Withdrawing your application

You can withdraw your application at any stage during processing. If you wish to withdraw your application, you must advise the department in writing via email or mail and please quote your client ID, full name, date of birth and file number.

Time by which you must respond

You must respond to this request within 60 calendar days from when you are taken to have received this letter.As this letter was sent to you by email, you are taken to have received it at the end of the day it was transmitted.

If we do not receive any response from you within the timeframe specified above, or if your response is unsatisfactory or incomplete, then in accordance with legislation, your application may be decided based on the available information.

How to respond

You can contact the Brisbane Second Stage Partner Processing Centre by:

Email: [email protected].

Post: DIAC – Brisbane Partner (Permanent) Processing Centre

GPO Box 9984

Brisbane QLD 4001

Telephone: In Australia you can call 13 18 81 between 9 am and 4 pm Monday to Friday. Details on contacting our offices outside Australia are available on our website at www.immi.gov.au.

Kind regards,

_________________________________________________

Brisbane Partner (Permanent) Processing Centre

Department of Immigration & Citizenship (DIAC)

Email: [email protected]

GPO BOX 9984 Brisbane QLD 4001

Residency requirements (and the amount of time one can spend overseas during the qualifying period) from the Citizenship website:

Australian Citizenship Act 2007 Residence Requirements

To satisfy the residence requirements you must have:

• 4 years lawful residence in Australia. This period must include 12 months as a permanent resident immediately before making an application for Australian citizenship and
• absences from Australia of no more than 12 months in total in the 4 years prior to application, including not more than 90 days in the 12 months immediately prior to application.

Lawful residence means residence in Australia on a temporary or permanent visa.

We finished my partner's 2nd stage papers about 8 weeks ago. You have 1 month from the day they send the email (or letter) out to respond. Basically the form is a repeat of what was filled out for the initial application - if you have a copy of the form you initially lodged then you should be okay. We did not need to resubmit any of the documents that we had already submitted. However there are a number of other documents you may need to provide depending whether your circumstances have changed since your last application - in our case nothing had changed except our address and we had already sent in the appropriate form with the address change when we moved to Australia.

We lived in Thailand the whole 2 year period of my spouse's temporary visa, the information pack did not mention any minimum residency period required for PR. I believe that only applies at the next step - Aussie citizenship (see www.citizenship.gov.au for information).

The cover letter with the pack instructed us to mail the second stage application to Brisbane and expect a decision in 6-8 months.

With reference to post # 87

The file is not always sent to Australia as all the information is on the DIAC data base. All the information can be accessed on line in Australia by DIAC.

Bangkok does the first stage of processing, Canberra the second stage. You need to keep them informed of your current postal address in Australia. DIAC will forward some documents to be filled in about 6 to 8 weeks before the date the 309 visa expires.

Perhaps things have changed recently but they were not sending out second stage information promptly in mid-2011. My spouse was ready to go to second-stage processing in May 2011. By the middle of June we hadn't received anything so we called and were told that they were "running behind" and may be delayed in sending out second stage documentation. In July we made another call and the documents were emailed 2 days later. (None of the contact details had changed and the people on the phone confirmed they had them recorded correctly).

We were told Brisbane now does second-stage processing for Thailand (and indeed were directed to send second-stage documents to the Brisbane address), not Canberra.

My Thai man loves to eat lamb, which he had tried in Thailand when he worked in a restaurant, long before he met me. If given a chance here in Australia he would have steak one night and roast lamb the next. Needless to say I'm in control of the budget and that ain't happening!

The German bakery was closed in August but may be open again. If travelling from the Pantawee hotel to the river it's at the intersection halfway between.

Yes. A bit disconcerting that my 13yo was holding the baby in a restaurant and everyone seemed to think she belonged to the young teen and couldn't possibly belong to the "older" ladies (Redfish and myself)!!!

Hanging out for a cuddle of Rue's boy. Maybe I can matchmake the two bubs!