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

[TimTang]

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.

He might not be getting Canada Pension but maybe a Disability Pension of some sort as 11000 Baht is not much for the Canadian Pension. Even if he took it out at early Retirement he should be getting more depending how long he worked and how much he paid into it. Perhaps he had some kind of disability while working and couldn't pay that much into the Canada Pension Plan, As far as Old Age Pension is concerned he would only get that at age 65 and he's only 64. If he is getting the Canada Pension it would be taxed before he got it which is why the pension is so low here. Perhaps he didn't know that he could apply under Section 217 of the Income Tax Act for a Reduction in Taxes and he wouldn't be paying any tax at all due to his low pension when and if he filed Income Tax at all. I can see why he wanted to stay here in Thailand being it so cheap and affordable and not having to harsh out the cold winters in Canada. How he's going to survive on $375.00 in Canada is a mystery to me due to the high cost of living there but it's a heck of a lot better than being in a Thai prison. But he knew what he was doing and now he must pay the price for it.

In Canada Homelessness is becoming a big problem. The cost of living is so high that pensioners simply can't afford to pay for a residence and eat at the same time. A typical studio apartment (one room, kitchenette, bathroom) is anywhere from 600 to 800 per month (18 to 24 thousand/mo). That's enough to absorb their entire pension cheque. The government would like you to believe that they are handling these types of situations but sadly that's a crock of <deleted>, so I can understand why this guy would rather take a risk in an environment that he can actually survive than live in an environment where he will most likely end up as a dead statistic that won't even register on the news.

On the west coast homeless people are flooding the area (migrating from the East) because it's the only region in Canada where you can sleep out doors with the potential of actually waking up the next morning.

With western economies tanking-out I can foresee many pensioners migrating to warmer climates just to survive; legally or otherwise.

[hawker9000]

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.

He might not be getting Canada Pension but maybe a Disability Pension of some sort as 11000 Baht is not much for the Canadian Pension. Even if he took it out at early Retirement he should be getting more depending how long he worked and how much he paid into it. Perhaps he had some kind of disability while working and couldn't pay that much into the Canada Pension Plan, As far as Old Age Pension is concerned he would only get that at age 65 and he's only 64. If he is getting the Canada Pension it would be taxed before he got it which is why the pension is so low here. Perhaps he didn't know that he could apply under Section 217 of the Income Tax Act for a Reduction in Taxes and he wouldn't be paying any tax at all due to his low pension when and if he filed Income Tax at all. I can see why he wanted to stay here in Thailand being it so cheap and affordable and not having to harsh out the cold winters in Canada. How he's going to survive on $375.00 in Canada is a mystery to me due to the high cost of living there but it's a heck of a lot better than being in a Thai prison. But he knew what he was doing and now he must pay the price for it.

In Canada Homelessness is becoming a big problem. The cost of living is so high that pensioners simply can't afford to pay for a residence and eat at the same time. A typical studio apartment (one room, kitchenette, bathroom) is anywhere from 600 to 800 per month (18 to 24 thousand/mo). That's enough to absorb their entire pension cheque. The government would like you to believe that they are handling these types of situations but sadly that's a crock of <deleted>, so I can understand why this guy would rather take a risk in an environment that he can actually survive than live in an environment where he will most likely end up as a dead statistic that won't even register on the news.

On the west coast homeless people are flooding the area (migrating from the East) because it's the only region in Canada where you can sleep out doors with the potential of actually waking up the next morning.

With western economies tanking-out I can foresee many pensioners migrating to warmer climates just to survive; legally or otherwise.

Maybe. I doubt the Thai authorities will tolerate it (the way certain other countries do...). A more worrisome problem is that percentage of this group that turns to scamming their fellow farangs (or worse...) to try & survive. Sooner or later somebody will wake up to the fact that all they need to go after overstayers is some simple software to correlate visa info with home/hotel registration (once they get that all computerized). That assumes near universal compliance with the registration rules, but I think that's probably coming.

[newermonkey]

In Canada Homelessness is becoming a big problem. The cost of living is so high that pensioners simply can't afford to pay for a residence and eat at the same time. A typical studio apartment (one room, kitchenette, bathroom) is anywhere from 600 to 800 per month (18 to 24 thousand/mo). That's enough to absorb their entire pension cheque. The government would like you to believe that they are handling these types of situations but sadly that's a crock of <deleted>, so I can understand why this guy would rather take a risk in an environment that he can actually survive than live in an environment where he will most likely end up as a dead statistic that won't even register on the news.

On the west coast homeless people are flooding the area (migrating from the East) because it's the only region in Canada where you can sleep out doors with the potential of actually waking up the next morning.

With western economies tanking-out I can foresee many pensioners migrating to warmer climates just to survive; legally or otherwise.

There are plenty of places he will be able to go so he can live on his little pension, of course not so comfortable as here.

He does not need to shiver in the streets of Canada... "lots of places he could go"

I often think that when I get old and penny-less I will just commit a huge crime (such as rob a bank) if I get away with it ok if I get caught also ok. get locked & looked after by the state in reasonable comfort till I die.

[cali4995]

im sure he had a little nest egg when he arrived but living like a tourist on a budget is

impossible. i also think the informants often target the most harmless fellow expats.

[technologybytes]

It's really sad to see how few people have any sympathy for a guy who fell on hard times !

[KunMatt]

It's really sad to see how few people have any sympathy for a guy who fell on hard times !

Hello and welcome to ThaiVisa, home to the judgmental and unempathic gits who hate Thailand and everyone in it. I hope you enjoy your stay.

[mmushr00m]

If I have to survive on B11,000/$375 a month in CDA I would contemplate being illegal in Thailand too.

Risk - getting caught and deported.

Reward - having a safe place to stay and proper food to eat.

[Colabamumbai]

The police are monitoring Linkedin.

[oldsailor35]

Seems rather silly to be caught over staying. The rules are in place, we very well may bitch and moan about them (and we do), but their country - their rules. We are just guests there and if we don't like it, go back to where we come from. If you live by the rules, you can stay permanently, buy a condo and live reasonably more comfortably than you generally can in your home country for a similar amount of money.

If he had a girlfriend and had run out of money, you may wish to guess who dobbed him in, either the girlfriend or her family. Just saying......

Oh ! c'mon, look at him, he is too old to have a girlfriend, and even if he did have one, why on earth would she 'dob him in' when she obviously loved him.

[oldsailor35]

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

then why the irish flag,,,,,,?????,,thats not in the uk,,last i new unless they applied to come back into the fold,,,need another bailout,,,,,,,

I was waiting for that, there is a reason for the Irish flag, but it is not for this forum.

So, why are you waiting ?

[ben2203]

And this is why you don't risk overstay.

Is this also a blacklisting offense?

I wonder who reported him to immigration for them to come and find him, and why?

Probably his girlfriend shopped him because got bored of him when the money stopped flowing, or he just opened his mouth to the wrong people, do gooders or such, or thai neighbors just didn't like the look of him etc.

Why it's even in the news amazes me

I think we all pretty much agree that this event took a little outside help from a "rat."

However, I actually find it to be valuable news indeed, and fair warning for us all who think "Whatever, i will just fork over 20,000 THB and that will be the end of it." Not so, for sure, in this case.

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.

I appreciate this article, and will save it for my "Too cool for school" friends who think they can dodge the system. Thank you for publishing this.

OK perhaps it's a good warning to others who have heard it's possible to overstay and just pay a fine rather than go to the hassle of obtaining the necessary paperwork but it just seems a little petty to be put in a newspaper.

[bobfish]

If the Phuket Gazette looks through their classified archives, or check Police records, they might find that more than just the Immigration boys were looking for him.

Jim, no pity from me.

Edited July 4, 2013 by bobfish

[ableguy]

And this is why you don't risk overstay.

Is this also a blacklisting offense?

I wonder who reported him to immigration for them to come and find him, and why?

He pissed some person off, bar girl katoy , buddy who knows,