ProThaiExpat

"Compelling Reasons to return to Thailand" are the magic words. Evaluate her chances by making a list of her compelling reasons to return, ranking them from most important downward. Then use your own judgement as to the quality of the reasons. The interviewer is mandated by law to start the interview process with the assumption she will overstay and it is up to her to prove to him otherwise.

Money, ownership of land and the like are not compelling reasons to return.

Your long stay in Thailand in the past and into the future can be compelling if your relationship with her is strong and well documented. The question remains, why you haven't married her after so long a time with her.

Yes her visa chances increase if you married her.

Yes her visa chances increase if you have long stay visa in Thailand, have an established domicile in Thailand and she has a job of long standing to return to. Having and caring for her children, if any, also is a compelling reason to return. Purpose of trip, whether you will accompany her etc. are critical questions.

There are many threads on this subject in Thaivisa.

I am a fan of Dr. Korakat at Grace Clinic a left turn off of Nihahemin Road southbound. Also a CMU professor of dentistry whose clinic is world class and she goes abroad every year for seminars. They do dental implants. I am glad to hear their are other well recommended dentist in CM as well.

The last time I checked China airline CNX to LAX via TPE I found a trip to LAX great with short layover at TPE, but the return trip required an overnight at TPE airport.

Anyone experience an easy layover on the TPE to CNX leg???

Having been involved with Australian Vistor Visas for ten years, I can report that in the days before VFS, a visit to the Australian Embassy to get a visa involved substantial security issues for the Embassy, what with the constant stream of unknown persons coming and going in the Embassy to get visas or trying to.

All of the staff I encountered during my Embassy visits to the visa section were what appeared to be local hire Thais. Thus I doubt that wage savings were responsible for the move of the public portion of the visa process to VFS. I guess it was because of security concerns and the cost in maintaining it on the Embassy grounds itself. Perhaps crowding on the Embassy grounds might also have been a reason for outsourcing the public portion of the visa process. In any case, many local hire Thais are still employed in the Embassy to process visa applications so again improved security or space needs at the Embassy were probably the reason for outsourcing rather that expense savings.

Your Thai friend fits the profile of the most turned down visa applicant applying for a visa to Australia or the US in my opinion.

1. Youthful age.

2. Occupation that is not verified by employer and length of that employment.

3. Possible gay relationship with Aussie resident in OZ.

4. No family ties or compelling reason to return to Thailand.

5. Qualifies for chef job in Australia.

Your question about so many Thais already in Australia can be explained by visa overstays, qualifications as student, (at one time, I don't know about now,) students who graduate from OZ university could get permanent residence, Thais who apply for needed skills visa.

I was shocked to learn that hairdressers are in a needed skills category for immigration purposes. I don't know about chefs but that would be based on a two year stay to work.

How to turn it around? Slim but possible:

1. Establish long term employment as chef through tax records.

2. Adopt "story" that professional qualifications as chef would be greatly enhanced by learning restaurant kitchen management through visit to OZ restaurants. Establish itinerary, make appointments confirmed by letter from OZ restaurant managers of visit, places to stay, expenses expected and funds to pay for the stay, number of days critical, etc. Certainly a letter from employer about vacation to visit OZ but better of course is how visit will enhance his value to restaurant.

3. Stay away from OZ sponsor that suggests a relationship that would cause him to overstay, ie love relationship, etc.

4. Make important appointments in Thailand upon return, sign up for education courses, etc.

5. Establish family ties stories with own family, care of children, Thai partner, etc. in other words emotional ties to Thailand that might be considered "compelling".

Good luck!! He will need it.

Re: Ozforex

Setup the deal with them Monday. Did an internet transfer from CBA to their ANZ account on Monday. Funds hit Ozforex's account Tuesday morning (according to their website by tracking the transaction in "My Account". The money hit my Kasikorn account by Tuesday afternoon. Basically a lot quicker than expected.

Only issue was the transfer came through 220bt lighter than what was sent. Not a big deal but want to know how it is scaled/charged if I do bigger transfers in the future. But think it might be a set fee regardless of amount involved. Funds from Ozfoex come via HSBC.

Total charges; AUD$15 + BT220 on a transfer of BT120,000. I was told $15 fee is waived on larger transactions - either AUD$10K or $20K.

Unless you factor in the conversion rate, you are not reaching a net to compare with other methods.

I spent some time looking at Ozforex last year while in OZ and found that their exchange rate did not match up well against whatever I was comparing it too then.

Now I haven't found any system better than BKK Bank. To compare Ozforex to BKK Bank, merely go to BKK Banks website and get their exchange rate for the date your funds were processed by OZforex and then do the math as you did in your transaction. BKK Bank charges 200 baht to convert and put the money in your account so using them your formula would look like this: OZ bank transfer fee of AUDs+200 Baht BKK Bank fee + conversion rate X amount of AUDs transferred=equals comparable amount. Then take this net into your account in Thailand bank with what was your actual net into your account in Thailand through the OzFOREX amount.

I would be grateful and eager to change transfer methods if your experience is better with OZforex than Bkk Bank.

Having dealt with VHS for years, I find them fairly efficient and trouble free.

I would suggest your Thai friend use the courier service that is available in BKK and elsewhere to transport her passport to VHS, yes she would be paying for the courier service as an extra cost, under 1000Baht, but that way she could avoid the counter person she encountered for the bribe.

Once she got her visa, she could then send a confidential report to the Embassy in the mail, clearly identifying the addressee as "Only to be Opened by", head of security office, internal security officer or the like. She would have to have the name of the person soliciting the bribe, date of visit etc.

Not a Brit so don't know what is available there but in addition to cheaper, how about useful things?

Clear lucite canisters with pinch top releases are great, not expensive and if you buy them in graduated sizes, you can stack them inside each other and save room in the luggage. Most kitchen departments in Central Chain have them as would Robinsons I am sure.

While in the kitchen department, look for a can opener that works with squeeze handle, like shears, they are the best can opener I have ever found and of good quality for which you will pay 300 or a tad more for.

The amount on deposit method requires three month aging, so as long as the rate of exchange does not drop below the required level during the three months, your OK. It seems to me that you should have a little more in the account than actually required to cover fluctuations.

Terminology in this area is always misleading, the concept on pension letters is "income stream", and of course it depends on the Embassy or Consulate involved. US Consulate and I suspect Embassy in BKK has a form that you fill out that states your income stream without any verification required. Thus any regular monies that come into your hands anywhere meets that criteria. No proof to date has been required. When I put AUD instead of USD in my declaration last year, Consulate warned me twice, but no problem at Immigration. This year I converted all to US Dollars so didn't have to interlineate AUD.

Brit Embassy does require proof so it is reported, but the level of the proof probably allows for the "income stream" concept rather than what strictly is construed as "income" for tax purposes.

There is another thread, about a month ago with very definitive information regarding the wait at CM Immigration for extensions.

To summarize:

All visa related work is centralized so 90 day and Residence Certificates are now handled in the same office with visa issues and thus longer waits.

Numbers 201 to 220 are handled in the morning and numbers 220 to ? are handled in the afternoon. Some visa changes require a return visit, such as a change from tourist to non-immO.

Staff assigned due to number of waiting for service, with extensions never getting more than two officers, many times only one if some out sick or on vacation.

If you arrive before 8:00 am, when the waiting ticket machine is being operated by the greeter officer who scans your passport to see which line you need to be in, and you really need to get their around 7:30 am, make sure you pick up a number card from the counter on your left as you enter. This number establishes your position in line so when the greeter officer starts assigning machine numbers at 8am, your properly in that line. It is then that you will have the machine number beginning at 201 that determines when you will be serviced that day.

Even though the greeter officer starts giving out machine numbers at 8am, extension officers don't start work until 9am. So whenever there is no greeter officer manning the ticket machine, look for a number from the counter.

For those who want to provide for their loved one upon their death and have no transferable pension benefits, a testamentary trust created by your will in the country where your reserve funds are located is a good way to go in that regard. A few sentences in your will creating the testamentary trust suffices. A monthly benefit, indexed for inflation, payable out of your interest income or out of your actual corpus can be done by your executor for the remaining life of your loved one. Mandating the monthly stipend by wire transfer is the most economical way to a account designated by the beneficiary should be specified.

I have heard "trusts" are not recognized by Thai law so be wary of that and only contemplate this method if your funds are overseas. I am leery of leaving large sums to a Thai loved one for this purpose due to the propensity of many Thais to spend such money, even if through misguided generosity, so a monthly stipend is the approach I used.

I saw a pile of stamp handles awaiting their rubber stamp faces in the Tesco shop that does business cards. I suspect any shop that does business cards would be able to accomodate you, whether it be in house or sent out to be done. I used a signature stamp for a number of years in the US until some of my associates got together and authored a very damaging letter with my signature at the bottom. After my heart palpitations subsided, I detected it was my stamp that had been used, as I had a slight defect in the stamp that identified it to me only.

Subsequently I destroyed the signature stamp and reduced the size of my signature to a simple, easily jotted signature "logo" which was largely a representation of two of my initials and I have been signing all documents, letters etc with that "logo" "initials" ever since.

Your signature is anything you establish it to be, including an "X". I do know there are ways to create facsimile signatures on your computer as well. All the foregoing is good unless you want to have your signature created in your absence with all the dangers that entails.

Does your lease on the rental provide for "no pets". If there is no such clause, your argument is even stronger that pet piss is normal wear and tear and not compensable. On his side his your use of the security deposit to pay the last months rent, which is most definitely a breach of your lease terms, if there are any? Most courts, and we are talking small claims here, use an equitable approach, balancing all facts on both sides to come to an equitable decision. Pump issue does put landlord in bad light since he is the professional in the matter and should know his responsibilities.

My own experience in the one time I rented a condo here in Thailand was with a Dutch landlord that rented her condo out for six months every year while she was in Holland. The condo was "furnished" with Thai antiques, which in my view was just very old turn of the century junk she picked up in discard sales. In any case, I stored all of her furniture "junk" in the second bedroom and when my lease term was up, you guessed it, she sent me a bill for damages to her junk. Likewise, after paying the building cleaning lady to clean the apartment upon my departure, the landlord billed me for 4 people to clean all day after that. Then she waited until I was in the middle of my move, with the moving van just finished loading to hit me with her demands. A real professional landlady who knows how to bilk her tenants and probably goes through the same routine ever year.

Your landlords sounds like the same type. He probably been sucessful in the past furnishing his rentals with discard furniture and then bilking the tenants for "damage" and not maintaining the essentials for "quiet enjoyment" of the rentals by not keeping the pumps running.

You probably can't judge if he is litigious by nature, but there are many opportunities to settle with him along the route to the courthouse. I think being students up against a landlord with multiple rental units, most sympathies are on your side. His threat of using the police in a civil matter suggests he hasn't gone all the way with legal action and relies on threats and intimidation to collect every thing he can from his tenants.

When and if he files a complaint with a court, you will know if he can bring the case himself in small claims or relies on a lawyer, the latter is my guess. In small claims, court costs are minimal and you can represent yourself. Hopefully you have pictures of the couch in question, but he certainly will have to supply pictures to the court, where the judge can asses the age of the couch. Worst case scenario, you will have to pay for recovering the couch less what you payed for pumps plus the week worth of rent you payed while your unit had no water and the landlord showed his bad faith in not rendering the pumps to a fit condition. You may even get the total cost of the pumps you payed as an offset from the re-upholstery cost.

I would suggest stonewalling him until you receive a complaint, if he can find you to serve the papers!!!

No question setting up a BKK Bank account in your name is the best approach. That way you can make larger deposits by transfers through BKK NY and worry not that "buffalo stories" will result in early depletion of the larger sums than the agreed monthly amount. It is almost unkind if you put large sums of money available to a mother in law who has all kinds of pressures from her family to "help out" in the multitude of money problems her family and their relatives have on an almost daily basis.

You can establish recurring transfers from your BKK account to mother in law's BKK account every month on the same day using the recurring transfer function and avoid all the pitfalls of larger sum transfers to her account. The foregoing scenario will be the least expensive and most reliable method available in my opinion.

Yes, there are others like you "out there" with similar relationship experiences. My experience parallels yours in time, commitment, sharing and the like. We met on the internet, perhaps as riskier or more so than Soi 4 for long, loving relationships to blossom from.

I was hospitalized for long stays in the past and my other half stayed with me in my room as it was large enough and had a sofa for him to sleep on. I am sure your love would like that as well if your up to it and the accomodations for you can be arranged. It seems personal care of a loved one is not unusual in Thai hospitals and I know the nursing staff appreciated the extra help my loved one provided while I was there, with bed pans especially.

Flowers, when looked upon by the hospitalized are a beautiful reminder of the feelings expressed by the giver however, your face is much more beautiful to your lover than flowers if he sees it while incarcerated in a hospital bed.

My experience with Thai doctors, is they do not usually show emotions or give comfort to their patients as many have learned to do in the West, so don't draw conclusions from their "look" when you are desperately trying to determine the outcome of their efforts.

As others have posted, do everything you can to make your love comfortable and happy as much as possible and then surrender the outcome of his hospitalization to those trained to get the best result. Certainly while there, learn as much as you can, especially the care he is to get and make sure he gets it from the staff.

All the best to you both and as others have posted, our best wishes for eventual recovery are with you.

Land/home assets in the Thai citizen's name, bring the originals (and copies) to the interview, preferably pre-marital IME (even if it's a Thai-Thai marriage) or at least dating as far back as possible, usually shows intent to return. % wise a huge portion of Americans have never even seen their title deeds, so chanotes are probably more symbolic of a permanent foundation over here.

I think we may have had 1-2 tourist visa denials in the family out of almost a hundred trips.

To Heng and others with experiences. Do you think we should translate the Thai docs (marriage reg, chanotes) into English? Did you?

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

The interviewer has seen so many such documents that it is unnecessary to translate them, I didn't. I would list each document attached in an index on top of them for ease of access and identification and the interviewer can have Thais in the office look at any document for him he can't read if he is interested in the actual contents.

I would arrange your documents in descending order of importance depending, of course, on the most compelling reason for return to Thailand, ie. if relationship to a falang resident in Thailand is the main theme, put the marriage certificate just after all the documents establishing the falang as a long stay. Finacial records at the bottom in that scenario unless husbands income or wealth is primary, while if the travelers application is based on a solo scenario, financial should be higher on the list but not the highest, as financial assets are not the most compelling reason for such a person to return. Employment, schools and children I would think would be higher on such a list.

Root canal and filling 8000 baht in CM Grace Clinic, took two procedures and two visits. I thought it a bit high until my daughter in Australia during the same week paid 1400 AUD for the same procedure but she does go to one of the best in Sydney, so she expects to pay a little more.

Aussie doctors routinely put down Thai medical practitioners or the labs in an attempt to justify their fees when they could just as easily explain that their fees are competitive for Australia and the cost of living in Australia is responsible for the high fees.

Grace Clinic in Chiang Mai is like many top notch dental clinics in Thailand were world class medical or dental treatment is available to medical tourists who may may a little more than your local Thai clinic but after all they have to pay for their state of the art equipment and foreign travel to seminars to stay up on world class medicine and dentistry.

Thank you SICHONSTEVE and thaihome for your posts that are so spot on and cut through so much of the garbage posted in this thread.

I was tempted, but not enough, to post a comprehensive list of what to do by summarizing the negative threads, such as:

1. Don't bother to fill out the application completely or accurately or attach documents as the visa application review process is pure luck, like the lottery and depends on whether the interviewer burnt his toast that morning.

2. Pay attention to the advice of people who did not get their visas as they are the best judge of how to get it done, not the advice from "know it alls" that got their visas many times and think they know something, when it is pure luck they got theirs, not their preparation.

3. It doesn't make any difference if you have had a fiance for a year or more when your turned down as that experience clearly applies to men married to their Thai wife for five years or more and has lived with her on a long stay visa for all that time since luck is what controls, not the facts.

4. Interviewers have heard it all before so telling the complete truth and having a convincing story makes no difference because they just don't listen or even look at the documents.

5. Too many documents result in denials so don't document what facts you are trying to establish. After all, confirming the truth of your story with documents is unnecessary as the interviewer will believe your story when you tell it. Thus it is your choice to pick and choose which facts your document and which you don't as you can't predict which facts the interviewer will feel are important and even if you are lucky and do document those facts, the interviewer is to lazy to look for the document.

ad naseum.

I think it is relevant to emphasize that the law requires the interviewer to begin the interview with the mindset that the applicant is going to overstay and it is up to the applicant to prove to him otherwise. That approach by the interviewer is in the Department of States many websites on the subject.

Having dealt with claims adjusters for insurance companies for many years, I can tell you that is their approach also to all claims presented to them. They call it "raising red flags" and basically in reviewing a claim, all they really do is look for red flags, omissions in information they believe is important to establish the "burden of proof" that is on the applicant as it is in visa interviews. Likewise they look for inconsistencies in the information and statements that don't ring true to the interviewer.

We can wail all day about how unfair the process is, but until they change the law that allows all countries unbridled power in the granting or denying of visas, we have to deal with it.

Aussies will confirm that they get no third visitors visa for their Thai girlfriends because Aussie Immigration or the BKK Embassy feels that two visitors visas are enough for a girlfriend and that in the normal flow of things, the relationship should point toward marriage by the third visit so a marriage or partner visa is the next visa to qualify for! Guys who don't want to formalize their relationship with their Thai girlfriends are just plain out of luck, visa wise.

Since you cannot predict what pre-conceived notions the interviewer will come to the interview with, hitting each and every base in your story and documenting them should give him or her the one or two facts that they are looking for to base their decision on and which fits their preconceived notions on what is legitimate. It is called a "shotgun" approach, spraying enough gunk on the wall hoping that some of it will stick.

I have been transferring AUD to Thailand regularly for eight years. My primary bank is SCB but their published rate on their website that changes hourly when the rate is rising and daily if it is falling, (that means they take advantage of the market moves to maximize their fees)is not what I got net into my account. I was never able to transfer money for less than 1800 baht net into my account. Of course I payed the OZ bank a wire fee as well. BKK bank publishes their rate on their website and charges only 200 baht for the conversion. The conversion at the rate published is almost spot on so I use them exclusively. My guess is that Thai branch managers do not have the authority to quote rates for conversion different than as published on their websites. They might call their central conversion office to get a quote? Westpac does quote favorable rates for large conversion on money coming into OZ but I don't know about going out.

Check out the BKK website,

http://www.bangkokbank.com/Bangkok%20Bank/Personal%20Banking/Foreign%20Exchange/FX%20Rates/Pages/Default.aspx

take the quote from there, add the wire rate charged by the OZ bank, add 200 Baht for the conversion in Thailand and you will have the formula for the best rate I know of and use it to compare other options. Keep in mind it is difficult to match comparable times during the day but most days BKK Bank keeps the rate steady during the entire day. The forex rate is useless as it is the rate the bank will give you that controls.

The current rate of exchange for AUD is the highest it has been for years so your timing is good and with a little effort, you should be able to get the best rate at the minimum of transfer fees. Keep in mind that many institutions make considerable income from conversions.

Also, the time late of wire transfers varies radically depending on whether the bank you transfer from uses correspondent banks in the transfer process. Using ANZ bank in OZ is my sending bank but it has varied in delivery times from 24 hours to many days. Also the operating hours of the wire offices in all banks vary and are shorter than a business day so not catching them during operating hours causes overnight delays at both ends and the level of their traffic often delays deposit into your account. I doubt they credit accounts in a first in first out basis, but do it when the rate charged is most favorable to the bank. The wire offices know if it is an up day or down day in the market and act accordingly.

This subject has been discussed ad naseum on Thaivisa in the past and researching the subject will help you a lot. I have outlined in detail in the past why many miss the boat when preparing the application and providing supporting documents. My best friend in Thailand has a partner that has been denied a visa four times and yet still insists on doing the application process alone and with a masters degree in English too boot. Not properly presented, this advanced education can become a negative.

Briefly, the US Department of State website is clear that the applicant must carry the burden of convincing the interviewer, who is mandated by law, to begin the interview with the assumption that the applicant intends to overstay the tourist visa.

It is the applicant's responsibility to convince the interviewer that they have a "compelling reason" to return to Thailand.

Many have already posted judgments on the weakness of many documents or "facts" about the scenario provided by OP. In the spirit of teaching you to fish. rather than providing the fish, I offer the following:

The overriding human desire to remain with your family, husband and children clearly is an "compelling reason". Thus husbands long stay in Thailand in the past and into the future is paramount. Clearly jobs, activities and Thai based commitments help. So many wrongly think demonstrations of personal wealth are persuasive, but they are not "compelling reasons" to return to Thailand. as they can easily be managed from overseas.

A major effort on bolstering the love relationship with husband, especially if their finances are interdependent, can be very persuasive. Pictures, anniversaries, family events, etc. add to the persuasive effect that this relationship is not just one of convenience of a young beauty taking advantage of an older man to get to the US.

In helping my other half to get US and Australian visas, I prepared a booklet, much like a business proposal or presentation, in which all the documents were indexed, pictures labeled, daily itinerary and the cover document was entitled "Compelling Reasons to Return to Thailand". While I wasn't worried so much of the lack of language skills, the basic Thai nature is not well suited to confrontational interviews. As it turned out, the interviewer started the interview by spending all of his time reading the booklet page by page and then only asking one question, testing knowledge of some fact contained in the booklet, before granting a 10 year multiple entry tourist visa.

We even rehearsed the interview process beforehand and the phrase "Why would I want to overstay in the US and work as a server in a Thai restaurant when I have such a good life in Thailand with my expat partner" was readied but not needed. The husband traveling with and returning to Thailand is important and his ties to Thailand are very persuasive once the burden of proving a loving and long term future relationship is established.

Our first visa application to Australia was initially denied due to some shadings of the truth of our relationship, but once we asked and got an interview after denial, a full explanation of the reality of our relationship reversed the decision. Of course. it helped that prior visits and returns to Thailand bolstered the legitimacy of the US application documents. My long term commitment to living in Thailand is the strongest as is our financially interdependent relationship, so my finances are an important ingredient to be proved. I had an age gap to overcome as well, so trying to establish my other half as in independent person of substance was contrary to the effort to establish the relationship as the compelling reason, as was my ties to Thailand.

Much importance is placed on the reason for the visa so emphasizing the parents of the husband, their intention in provide living accomodations for the family reunion and a good letter from them inviting the applicant to stay, looking forward to finally meeting her etc. is a must. Put "compelling reasons to return" at the top of a page and rank her own reasons is a place to start and then document every assertion made in your "story", it is the story that is something any good salesman has.

Self medicating for undiagnosed high BP is very risky.

Please have it checked out to exclude any underlying problems (kidney function test, cardiac assessment etc) and then start on medication that will be best suited to your specific needs.

Wrongturn: I would consult a cardiologist in Thailand before starting medication for a new medical problem as Sheryl said or when changing countries. There are some excellent cardiologist in Thailand who have not been bought or influenced by major drug companies in the west. There are so many different blood pressure medicines and "approaches" to controlling blood pressure, that seeking another opinion about what is best for you is in your best interest. A visit to a cardiologist in Thailand can cost as little as 300 Baht. No mater what you do, buy a cuff blood pressure measuring machine for home use and check your own pressure regularly so you can monitor the effectiveness of whatever blood pressure meds you are taking. It is a good idea to take your blood pressure machine into the examining room when you see the doctor and take your pressure along with the doctor so you can check the accuracy of you machine and learn the proper way to take it.

I had been on a common diuretic along with a beta blocker for a few years from the US and a routine health checkup showed I had stage three kidney disease. Looking back three years to previous lab tests showed the same level of kidney failure. I was referred to a kidney specialist who took me off the diuretic immediately and put me on a vasodilator, which has much less kidney involvement according to the kidney doctor. He actually wanted my pressure below the standard 140/80. I have now achieved levels below the standard but it takes a low dosage of Madiplot three times a day to accomplish that. Having lived with high blood pressure for fifty years, I participate actively in my health care and hourly blood pressure readings markedly helped the doctor and me determine the three times daily regime was needed to offset the usual "upon arising" pressure spike.

As I approach the winter of my years, the kidney doctor wants to see me every few months and wants me to have a battery of tests to watch the progress or lack thereof of my kidney status as well as other old age abnormalities. With the lab tests he orders and his fee, my quarterly cost for feeling well taken care of is about 2000 Baht. Cardiologist and Nephrologists are internists first, so I feel comfortable allowing either of these specialists to monitor my general health. In my view, it is all about preventative medicine as I am self insured for health care in Thailand.

The consulate has a parking lot accessible down a soi immediately south of the side entrance on the way to the bridge from the pointed roundabout, I think they charge as do all parking lots.

In the past week I checked Tesco north, Carrefour central and Rimping north and no Kraft Mayonnaise there for the past two weeks. Asked Rimping to order for me and call me. Phone hasn't rung. I think all the outlets rely on a middleman importer who has dropped the ball. The overall shortage has exhausted any back up supply.

In desperation I bought Kraft Sandwich Spread and still harbor a lifetime dislike for the flavor. Heinz hot dog relish works if you like sweet pickle and mustard.

Another favorite has been lost, Ben and Jerry Ice Cream, once it was bought out by Unilever.

To Thailand credit, Australia doesn't have Kraft Mayonnaise at all but does have a Whole Egg Mayonnaise in large jars but since it is an import item, it is pricey.

To amplify on the previous post, a non-immO can be obtained in Thailand by switching to it from a tourist visa and then extending it ad infinitem on a retrement basis. If you get a non-immO visa in your home country they tack an "A" onto it so it is a non-immOA visa and the requirements are far more exacting that if you do it in Thailand.

The last time I received a package via Fedex three years ago and was outraged at the customs duty I had to pay Fedex who collects for Thai Customs, I learned that Fedex "batch" levies customs duties. That is Fedex assigns a pro-rata duty on the contents of containers of goods addressed to a multitude of addressees and evidently have reached an accomodation with Thai Customs for a total figure for each container. Thus, small packages of documents are levied a duty as are large packages with costly items. Perhaps their formula includes weight, but in any case, what you pay rarely approximates the correct duty for the item in question and I suspect their regular customers who do volume business with them have it down to a science where it doesn't cost them as much as the occasional small package customer. I definitely came away with the impression that Thai Customs doesn't even open the containers the Fedex pays duty on.