August 26, 20205 yr I have put this as an answer in another category but was thinking it might be useful for other Aussies thinking about getting the OAP from Australia. This is a direct copy and paste of that answer. Ok. So l rang centrelink international twice today (26/08/2020) First got a woman who was very abrupt and rude when l asked question 4 (called me a scammer) Second got a bloke who was very helpful and l spoke to him openly. Q1. l am 66.5 have been in Thailand for 4 years, am l eligible for the OAP? A.Yes Q2. Can l apply and receive it immediately upon return to Australia.? A. Yes There is no waiting time only processing time of about 11 weeks which you will get back pay for. Q3. Is it true for the first 2 years l cannot leave Australia without affecting the pension? A. If you leave Australia for holidays in the first 2 years you will not get the pension while you are out but will resume payments when you return. The time is NOT added to the two years . You can leave for up to 13 weeks at a time but he said better to play safe and keep it at the national average of 4 weeks at a time. Q4. Is it true that to get the pension immediately in Australia l have to state to centrelink that l will be permanently residing in Australia. A. No. After two years you have the right to leave Australia and take your OAP with you. (Retain portability) All this is based on being an Australian resident for 35 Years or 420 months and being of pension age. As stated the first call l got a woman who gave me the same answers but in a l don't want to be here today way and when l asked about returning to Thailand after the two years started saying (you already made your mind up your just scamming the system) so l hung up waited 30 minutes and rang back. This time l got a bloke who was very helpful put me on hold to double check his answers and was very pleasant. So there you are straight from the horses mouth. Good luck everyone.
August 26, 20205 yr You were lucky to get the right info on your second call. When I first applied for the OAP I had been here in Thailand 7 years. Every 6 months I would return home for 1 month. My application was denied, then an appeal was lodged, it failed. Reason for failure " You are not a resident " How long do I need to stay in Australia before I am a resident " Cant say " Reapplied and rejected again, then I was asked do I own a house in Australia Yes, ok OAP approved and back dated C/ link need to take a good look at the people working there and start training them
August 26, 20205 yr Author 4 minutes ago, Grumpy one said: You were lucky to get the right info on your second call. When I first applied for the OAP I had been here in Thailand 7 years. Every 6 months I would return home for 1 month. My application was denied, then an appeal was lodged, it failed. Reason for failure " You are not a resident " How long do I need to stay in Australia before I am a resident " Cant say " Reapplied and rejected again, then I was asked do I own a house in Australia Yes, ok OAP approved and back dated C/ link need to take a good look at the people working there and start training them i rang about 8 months ago got a bloke and got all the same answers l got this time, to be honest l prefer dealing with blokes woman seem to be very harsh.
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