Canadian expat, 64, faces deportation from Phuket for visa overstay

[redutedog1]

At least he screwed 3 years out of immigration. Now time to face the punishment. Thought there was a Max 20,000 baht fine for this.

that is right i guess they not say what the fine was

but he had no passport so i guess that was a problem som num nar

[PhilipCook]

Do away with the cash penalty and use fear instead. If found guilty of overstay, you are blacklisted from re-entry for 1-5 years depending on the length of overstay.

[dao16]

Yeah, it is sad for this guy, but the number one rule of travelling is not to mess with immigration or law enforcement. Just is.

[wwex]

I doubt he will get any prison or fine. If hes been sent to immigration in Bangkok it means thats out of the way. He will just need the money for the airfare. And most likely no blacklist. Which is fine by me as its basically a victimless crime.

[lee b]

3 years wow. Still i belive they have some cases with a few more years on top of this

[unanimosity]

Got to be the slowest of news days when you see an OP like this, then again never underestimated TV netizens to kick ho-hum around for 5 whole pages. So the guy overstayed. 910 days times 500 baht per day is 455,000 baht. Pay up.

[catweazle]

It costs me a $h!tload of money every year to pay my company taxes, pay the accountant and the auditor, to renew my work permit, to pay social insurance for me and the employees, etc. to keep my Visa and papers in proper order, because I respect and follow the law of the country I am allowed to dwell in as a welcome expat guest. Never had any problems with renewals or anything in 22 years in Tailand EVER, because all I do is to follow the laws and guidelines and approach any offical here with a smile and an open heart and open mind. If I am interviewed, there is nothing to hide and no questions I would not answer - very simple!

This said, I have no pity whatsoever for the old man since he easily could have applied for a retirement visa like hundreds of thousand other Thailand-loving retirees do by putting the required amount of 400.000 to 800.000 THB into a fixed deposit account and run the proper application sequence.

I say: Yes, please send him home and let him learn the lesson! At the end of the day: He should praise the Lord that he was granted three years of holidays here for a mere 20k fine.

To round it out, I would be not surprized if our illegal Canadian here would be one of the first to shout "Illegal immigrants out!" in his own country whenever the situation allows...

Edited July 2, 2013 by catweazle

[habfan]

Did he not realize he could have done it the easy way and applied for a retirement visa 3 years ago?

Typo? Could've done it 13 (or 14) years ago at age 50.

Apparently he is broke and only getting 11,000 baht/month in pension income, so wouldn't qualify for a retirement visa any ways (though there are ways around that supposedly).

Not the first time, won't be the last time, that someone arrived with good intentions and "lost their way". There has been plenty of people that have come to Thailand and realized that they could actually live here on their meagre pensions without having to resort to trying to survive on a can of dog food a day. Maybe they started off with the proper visas and as time went by, realized it was an expense they couldn't deal with, couldn't afford to go "home" again (or survive there) and decided to roll the dice and take their chances.

You can easily get by on 11,000 a month if you are willing to live/eat like a local. I had it worked out 7 years ago that I could have lived in my Thai-style apartment, eaten 3 times a day, had my phone/internet/cable (and air-con of course) and perhaps a couple of beers a week for about the same amount as this guy was getting. Not a great life, but perhaps a lot better than he could expect back home (and yeah - I know what Canada is like).

I do find it hard to believe he's only getting 11,000 baht ($375 Cdn)/month in pension though. Between CPP and OAP I would have thought he'd be getting considerably more, even if it was subjected to early withdrawal and "snow bird" tax penalties. I think frikken welfare gives you way more than that, but there may be extenuating circumstances.

OAS does not kick in till 65. I suspect he's just collecting his CPP and the reason it's so low is he took it when he first became eligable at 60, with a 30% penalty for early payment. Good luck trying to survive in Canada on that! As you said , he could probably squeek by in Thailand but looks like that's been taken off the table.

[technologybytes]

I do feel sorry for this guy, assuming that he's harmless and just an older guy trying to get by on a limited income.

He must be deported to his home country by law, but he can come back the next day if he wants to and can afford it, he will not be blacklisted.

I feel nothing but contempt and loathing however for the grass who shopped him to the immigration, and you know what, I bet the immigration officers despise the grass and would rather not get involved.

[slipperylobster]

I suppose he had reasons for not renewing his visa......???? Surely not for lack of money.

Why surely?

Host of other reasons would be surely.... Many just get drunk, dumb and lazy. If he had only 11,000 a month then he definitely was not going to benefit from a pleasant stay. Sure, I seen guys eat ant eggs/fish from the pond. A hundred baht of cheap local whiskey can last the whole day. Living with a retired mamasan might get you some good laughs and a place to sleep for 3 or 4 thousand. Seems a miserable way to live. I would much rather be in Canada at that age/income. I do believe they have some help for guys like this. Just makes me thinks that he is not taking care of his situation and trying to improve it. Not that I condone going around and making babies, but i met one Canadian man that went around making babies with the ladies, then somehow getting subsidies from his government for care. Quite a loser in the moral sense....but he did keep his visas ..ummmm......up. Now please don't think I want people to follow that example....

[Chainsaw]

Ok, so it is absolute nonsense in your particular case. I did not realize that this thread was somehow required to be filtered through your direct life experience.

To me, this article was a valuable "fair warning" to those who think it is just a free ride, without consequences. Your suggestion that your paperwork is Sterling, and them to question mine, exposes you more as a troll, and less as a contributor, so ...with your permission your Holiness...I will get on with my happy day, for anything is an improvement over arguing about something this petty.

i am a bit surprised at your ten year history, for many, who perceive the Thai culture as "Respect Based"...it appears little of that has rubbed off on you.

From your original post:

<snip>

The idea that a seemingly harmless character like this, ended up this way is an object lesson for those who do the correct paperwork, "Good on you, although it is a complete pain in the arse, you have the right paperwork, and much less to fear."

BTW, none of us know the future, but should it be decided to cull the Foreign herd a bit someday, "Your papers please" may end up in a one way ticket home, a meaningful fine, and if you can not pony up, a rather uncomfortable stay in a tine cell with 30 other guys.

<snip>

What you wrote implies that those having the "correct paperwork" - as you put it - may one day be asked "Your papers please" and somehow end up with a one way ticket home.

That is what you wrote.

That is absolute nonsense.

I agree, I think bangkokequity just likes to pontificate.

[Suradit69]

I'm sure a trip to the ATM should've nipped this one in the bud. Looks like he's screwed now though. Best to offer the bribe straight away with matters like this. It does look like he was grassed up by someone for over-staying as immigration generally aren't out there actively looking for over-stayers.

He'll be back soon enough though I imagine.

This is the sort of nonsense that comes around to bite everyone in the ass. If you're so experienced at bribing people, you might want to keep that information to yourself.

Seems like some other people should also keep their useless comments for themselves (and I agree that I am one of them but when reading your stupid comment I had to do it :-) ).

I guess now on TV it's OK to give instructions on how to make bribes?

[Espen]

I suppose he had reasons for not renewing his visa......???? Surely not for lack of money.

Why surely?

Host of other reasons would be surely.... Many just get drunk, dumb and lazy. If he had only 11,000 a month then he definitely was not going to benefit from a pleasant stay. Sure, I seen guys eat ant eggs/fish from the pond. A hundred baht of cheap local whiskey can last the whole day. Living with a retired mamasan might get you some good laughs and a place to sleep for 3 or 4 thousand. Seems a miserable way to live. I would much rather be in Canada at that age/income. I do believe they have some help for guys like this. Just makes me thinks that he is not taking care of his situation and trying to improve it. Not that I condone going around and making babies, but i met one Canadian man that went around making babies with the ladies, then somehow getting subsidies from his government for care. Quite a loser in the moral sense....but he did keep his visas ..ummmm......up. Now please don't think I want people to follow that example....

lol. Go home, you`re drunk!

[Stradavarius37]

Not sure why this topic merits so many replies

[Espen]

Not sure why this topic merits so many replies

Probably because most ppl here have experience with staying in LOS for longer periods of time.

[stevenl]

And now a second man has been nabbed. They are on a rampage.

[Tatsujin]

I do love the way these topics totally degenerate into name calling and insults and he said, she said, I'm right, you're wrong after 1 or 2 pages . . .

[stevenl]

In my opinion, deportation is enough punishment. Jail time for overstaying is OVER the top.

Maybe Jingthing, but I wish the UK would follow most of Thailands immigration rules.

You realise there would be many more immigrants than there are now?

[NoshowJones]

In my opinion, deportation is enough punishment. Jail time for overstaying is OVER the top.

Maybe Jingthing, but I wish the UK would follow most of Thailands immigration rules.

You realise there would be many more immigrants than there are now?

How do you make that out? the UK is overflowing with emigrants because of the last Labour governmnent and their hand outs. There is no way that would happen in Thailand.

[sniffdog]

For those still raving on about the only penalty being 20,000 baht for his 3 year overstay, let me repeat others in this thread:

The max 500 baht / max 20,000 baht ONLY is valid when you voluntary report your overstay either at at border/airport or the Immigration. If you get arrested, there are more severe consequences.

[Andre0720]

I have no sympathy for visa over stayers, you know the immigration rules and you should stick to them, this applies to any country that you reside in.

Oh,

And what about road regulations???

[stevenl]

Maybe Jingthing, but I wish the UK would follow most of Thailands immigration rules.

In my opinion, deportation is enough punishment. Jail time for overstaying is OVER the top.

You realise there would be many more immigrants than there are now?

How do you make that out? the UK is overflowing with emigrants because of the last Labour governmnent and their hand outs. There is no way that would happen in Thailand.

Where are you living and where are you from?

Edited July 2, 2013 by stevenl

[Issangeorge]

$385 Cdn (฿11,000) Here a single person can live on that. Sure it's a simple living, but for certain people it could be quite nice. I had a friend on Koh Samui who was living on that and he had a wonderful life, swimming and walking the beach everyday, eating fresh vegetables, fresh fish. In Canada you wouldn't even be able to get a single room in a house for that money. Remember next year he will get an old age pension and his income will rise by over ฿15,000 a month, in his mind he will be a very rich man. Think of how you would feel if your income more than doubled.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[daveyravey]

The max 500 baht / max 20,000 baht ONLY is valid when you voluntary report your overstay either at at border/airport or the Immigration. If you get arrested, there are more severe consequences.

Nice red colour. My teacher used to use a red pen. Ok i got it now.

ps No sympathy with this guy.

[NoshowJones]

Hi Stevenl, I live in Central Thailand and come from Scotland.

[pizzachang]

Wow! he should have sneaked into the USA....possible amnesty, free benefits...

[stevenl]

Hi Stevenl, I live in Central Thailand and come from Scotland.

Thank you, another immigrant.

[Espen]

Hi Stevenl, I live in Central Thailand and come from Scotland.

Thank you, another immigrant.

So? Aren`t you?

[NoshowJones]

There is nothing wrong with emigration if it is controlled, us expats are contributing to the Thai economy, if we all suddenly go back to our own countries, do you think the Thais would be happy about it? most of the emigrants to the UK are there for the free hand outs, free housing and benefits. What country are you from?

[NoshowJones]

Hi Stevenl, I live in Central Thailand and come from Scotland.

Thank you, another immigrant.

So? Aren`t you?

He is probably a tourist.