All Aussie Related Stuff (excluding the old age pension)

[Bagwain]

1 hour ago, farmerjo said:

I would like some help regarding my father coming to live in Thailand with us.

He currently lives in Darwin and i believe there is no Thai consular service there.

What would be the best way to get him a retirement visa.(he would go the 800K in bank method.)

Can it be easily arranged by a single elderly gent without to much paperwork headaches in Aus.

Or should i get him over on visa exempt entry,take him to Laos to get tourist visa then upgrade to retirement in country here.(not sure how he could open bank account in Thailand to have money in 2 months prior without non-o visa?)

 

Thanks

 

Get it done via the Thai Embassy in Canberra. You get 2 yrs with the 1st one. You just have to leave the country & you get another yr on the way back in. I didn't believe it until to mates (brothers) did it!

[ThaiBunny]

32 minutes ago, Bagwain said:

Get it done via the Thai Embassy in Canberra. You get 2 yrs with the 1st one. You just have to leave the country & you get another yr on the way back in. I didn't believe it until to mates (brothers) did it!

You get the same deal with every OA visa at any Consulate

[Bagwain]

3 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

You get the same deal with every OA visa at any Consulate

My mates where told it had to be done via the Embassy for retirement visa!

[ThaiBunny]

15 minutes ago, Bagwain said:

My mates where told it had to be done via the Embassy for retirement visa!

Embassies don't issue visas, Consulates do. The Canberra Consulate is housed within the Embassy which I guess adds to the confusion. If you look at the Embassy site http://canberra.thaiembassy.org/Home/visa you'll see Visas are under the Consular section. Nevertheless your mates were told wrong. The 12-months-is-really-24-months-for-OA is widely canvassed on Thaivisa and is available from every (at least) Western consulate that's authorised to issue OAs 

 

However, is it possible your mates don't live in Sydney and were told they had to apply for an OA visa from the Embassy? Only Sydney & Canberra Consulates can issue OA visas so if they tried to apply in say Melbourne the Consulate there would have said "only Canberra". That's what happened to a friend of mine

[farmerjo]

Thanks for all the comments.

To be on the safe side i will get him to use a darwin based visa company to tick and flick all the documents are correct and ask them to use canberra.

[simple1]

1 hour ago, farmerjo said:

Thanks for all the comments.

To be on the safe side i will get him to use a darwin based visa company to tick and flick all the documents are correct and ask them to use canberra.

I assume your father will have medical insurance / enough cash to care of any medical issues or emergencies.

[farmerjo]

1 hour ago, simple1 said:

I assume your father will have medical insurance / enough cash to care of any medical issues or emergencies.

Yes,thanks

[BaanOz]

6 hours ago, Bagwain said:

Get it done via the Thai Embassy in Canberra. You get 2 yrs with the 1st one.

Wondering what you mean 1st one?

I guess to get a second one, he would need to return to Australia and stay for how long it takes to get an OA visa.

Any idea how long these visa's take to get?

[ThaiBunny]

12 hours ago, BaanOz said:

Wondering what you mean 1st one?

I guess to get a second one, he would need to return to Australia and stay for how long it takes to get an OA visa.

Any idea how long these visa's take to get?

After the visa is granted and he's been in Thailand he can either return and get a second one or stay in Thailand and rely on extensions.  In my experience it's less than a week between posting away and receiving back

[moojar]

This might be better asked in a special forum / thread, but while we're talking OA visa I'll ask here... 

 

Is the OA visa multiple entry, or can you get a multiple entry one?  

 

Reading the recent posts here I realise our 'retirement trip' plans are going to screw with our Thailand retirement plans.  We - Thai wife and myself - will go elsewhere for almost three months when we retire, with just a brief pit-stop in Thailand on the outward leg.  And then go straight to Thailand at the end of the trip without returning to Australia.  So the 'three month validity' of the OA visa is going to screw me up, unless it is multiple entry and I use it on the outward-leg pit stop. 

 

 

 

[ThaiBunny]

9 minutes ago, moojar said:

This might be better asked in a special forum / thread, but while we're talking OA visa I'll ask here... 

 

Is the OA visa multiple entry, or can you get a multiple entry one?  

 

Reading the recent posts here I realise our 'retirement trip' plans are going to screw with our Thailand retirement plans.  We - Thai wife and myself - will go elsewhere for almost three months when we retire, with just a brief pit-stop in Thailand on the outward leg.  And then go straight to Thailand at the end of the trip without returning to Australia.  So the 'three month validity' of the OA visa is going to screw me up, unless it is multiple entry and I use it on the outward-leg pit stop. 

It's a 12-month, multiple-entry visa that gives you 12 months permission to stay each and every time you enter Thailand up until the expiry date of the visa. So if you got your visa today you can enter as many times as you like between now and 26 March 2020, and the last time you enter you get a 12-month permission to stay, which is why it's sometimes referred to as a two-year visa. You can also get re-entry permits during the second year, but they don't extend the end date - it's still two years maximum.

 

However it's a lot of effort unless you're proposing to stay indefinitely.  Based on what I think you're saying (it's not clear if you're actually going to settle in Thailand), I'd be going for an METV - only 200,000 baht in the bank, not 800,000; no police check; no medical certificate etc.  and it's valid for 6 months from the date of issue, gives you 60 days at a time + the 30-day extension if that's what you want.  If you are going to settle it's then (so I believe) relatively easy to get a "marriage" visa across the border somewhere rather than a retirement visa - and less money too

[moojar]

4 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

It's a 12-month, multiple-entry visa that gives you 12 months permission to stay each and every time you enter Thailand up until the expiry date of the visa. So if you got your visa today you can enter as many times as you like between now and 26 March 2020, and the last time you enter you get a 12-month permission to stay, which is why it's sometimes referred to as a two-year visa. You can also get re-entry permits during the second year, but they don't extend the end date - it's still two years maximum.

 

However it's a lot of effort unless you're proposing to stay indefinitely.  Based on what I think you're saying (it's not clear if you're actually going to settle in Thailand), I'd be going for an METV - only 200,000 baht in the bank, not 800,000; no police check; no medical certificate etc.  and it's valid for 6 months from the date of issue, gives you 60 days at a time + the 30-day extension if that's what you want.  If you are going to settle it's then (so I believe) relatively easy to get a "marriage" visa across the border somewhere rather than a retirement visa - and less money too

Thank you, nice comprehensive reply.  Good stuff.  

 

I am planning to settle in Thailand and I was planning on the marriage visa - we have used that one before for a three month stay.  Just the max stay 90 days for the initial entry with that one combined with the 90 day validity would def mess with my retirement-trip plans.   

 

I don't know what an METV is, but I'll go and do some research!  Sounds like it might be the way to go, thanks.    

 

Ha, I've never paid attention to the "dodgy" (IMO) visa-across-the-border route, it didn't apply to me.  But the 'best laid plans of mice and men' eh?  

 

Cheers.

[ThaiBunny]

24 minutes ago, moojar said:

I don't know what an METV is, but I'll go and do some research!  Sounds like it might be the way to go, thanks. 

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/564565b4e4b03880a2ff050f/t/58b764b8db29d65fdf3dc4e7/1488413885143/TR-TouristMultipleEntryVisa12.pdf

 

That's the Melbourne version which, as I recall, says you could show a credit card with $8K available funds rather than $8K in the bank; other Consulates say it's actual cash money you need to show.  They've also updated their $A based on current exchange rates - I think they're looking for 10K now

[Will27]

For Aussies wanting to vote at the embassy in Bangkok next month, here are the times/details.

 

Voting at the Australian Embassy in Bangkok will commence on Tuesday 7 May between 9am and 3pm and will finish on Friday 17^th May. An appointment is not required. You will need to bring photo identification with you to gain entrance to the Embassy building. The Embassy will not be open for voting on Election day. Alternatively, you can apply for a postal vote online now at www.aec.gov.au.

[Nemises]

^ Anyone know which Party is best to vote for us retirees (or soon to be retirees) living abroad?

[ThaiBunny]

1 minute ago, Nemises said:

^ Anyone know which Party is best to vote for us retirees (or soon to be retirees) living abroad?

1. Unless you're entitled to vote in an electorate that's marginal one way or the other, your vote simply won't make a difference
2. If you remember, John Howard said that there are "core" and "non-core" election promises. You won't know which is which until it's too late

[moojar]

3 hours ago, ThaiBunny said:

1. Unless you're entitled to vote in an electorate that's marginal one way or the other, your vote simply won't make a difference
2. If you remember, John Howard said that there are "core" and "non-core" election promises. You won't know which is which until it's too late

There's still the Senate.  I know a lady who is a member of the Liberal party, hands out 'how to vote' cards on Sydney's upper north shore - and Labor are never, ever going to win a seat there!  I asked her once why she bothers, it's a foregone conclusion in this area, innit?  She replied with "The Senate!".  

 

With a likely Labor win in the lower house - Prime Minister Bill Shorten - they are going to rely on Senate "cross benchers" to get their stuff approved.  One Nation?  Greens?  Clive Palmer?  (Corporal) Jackie Lambie? The Loonie Right Wingnuts?  The Lesbian Whale Collective?  Who do you want tweaking Labor's agenda?  

[ThaiBunny]

4 minutes ago, moojar said:

There's still the Senate.  I know a lady who is a member of the Liberal party, hands out 'how to vote' cards on Sydney's upper north shore - and Labor are never, ever going to win a seat there!  I asked her once why she bothers, it's a foregone conclusion in this area, innit?  She replied with "The Senate!".  

 

With a likely Labor win in the lower house - Prime Minister Bill Shorten - they are going to rely on Senate "cross benchers" to get their stuff approved.  One Nation?  Greens?  Clive Palmer?  (Corporal) Jackie Lambie? The Loonie Right Wingnuts?  The Lesbian Whale Collective?  Who do you want tweaking Labor's agenda?  

So the second part of what I said applies. Frankly who knows how the assorted ratbags of the "unrepresentative swill" are going to vote on any given government measure. Don't forget it was the Greens, not the Liberals, who killed off Kevin Rudd's climate change plans because they "weren't radical enough" and One Nation ditto the Liberals' company tax reforms

[simple1]

4 hours ago, Nemises said:

^ Anyone know which Party is best to vote for us retirees (or soon to be retirees) living abroad?

IMO Liberals to keep the economy in shape, with Labor in opposition to keep Liberals under control for any efforts to reduce welfare payments. Don't vote for minor parties.

[ThaiBunny]

I posted the latest betting odds in another thread.  The Liberals are almost 5/1 against winning

[Will27]

I'll vote for any party who promises to abolish the 2 year waiting period for the OAP if you return from overseas

and want to return back overseas

[ThaiBunny]

2 minutes ago, Will27 said:

I'll vote for any party who promises to abolish the 2 year waiting period for the OAP if you return from overseas

and want to return back overseas

That ain't gonna happen

[Will27]

3 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

That ain't gonna happen

I know, but one can only hope.

[Nemises]

I posted the latest betting odds in another thread.  The Liberals are almost 5/1 against winning

Trump was 10/1 against winning...

[ThaiBunny]

2 minutes ago, Nemises said:

Trump was 10/1 against winning...

That's why it's known as gambling

[Nemises]

NSW LNP were also around 5/1 to retain Government early last month. They retained Government.

[ThaiBunny]

Just now, Nemises said:

NSW LNP were also around 5/1 to retain Government early last month. They retained Government.

Just - they lost a number of seats - but as I said it's a gamble not a promise

[Nemises]

I posted the latest betting odds in another thread.  The Liberals are almost 5/1 against winning

Betting odds mean nothing.
In the 2007 election, the incumbent Member for Bennelong, then-Prime Minister John Howard, lost the seat to Labor candidate Maxine McKew, after holding it for 33 years. Maxine McKew was given no hope by the “betting experts”. Her odds of beating PM John Howard? ......5/1

[scorecard]

3 hours ago, simple1 said:

IMO Liberals to keep the economy in shape, with Labor in opposition to keep Liberals under control for any efforts to reduce welfare payments. Don't vote for minor parties.

 Do the libs have a stated agenda to reduce welfare, anything specific stated?

Serious question.

[simple1]

13 minutes ago, scorecard said:

 Do the libs have a stated agenda to reduce welfare, anything specific stated?

Serious question.

As an example additional funding for NewStart was not provided in the 2019 budget, even though most Australians would consider the current rates appallingly low. Same with the very aggressive payment reductions if someone on an Age Pension has a partner who is working. One would really struggle day to day if no access to additional funds for whatever reasons e.g. investment failure / fraud. Don't recall the detail, but there have been a number of attempts by the Liberals to make life harder for pensioners and others which Labor have managed to block during the course of Liberal governments since Abbott came to power.

 

You may be interested in the Liberal's 2019 policy plan.

 

https://www.liberal.org.au/our-plan