Does anybody know of a case where a non immigrant O or O-A has been denied, because the applicant has been too OLD ?

Our case: Wanting to retire in Thailand (58,m - 33,f (Thai), and my mother (89,f)). She is not very sick (things you have when you are that old) but of course she would not win a marathon.

Financials: OK - she has a pension approx. 120000 Baht/month , but we would want to use the 800K in the bank option - more easy.

This is a crucial question for us since the whole endeavour depends on that and we cannot leave if we cannot bring her with us.

Edited November 25, 201312 yr by moogradod

Never heard of it happening

If you get an extension of stay for retirement she can get an extension as your dependent.

She would just need to get a single entry non-o visa prior to traveling.

If you get your extension based upon marriage the dependent extension is not possible.

There is no maximum age to get an extension or a non-oa visa from a embassy or consulate.

Also if you went the non-oa visa route she would not be able to get the dependent extension.

In addition, Thai immigration will completely understand that you want to take care of her.

Do take your time to consider the health insurance implications and the cost for medical care in Thailand.

Good point re medical care. It's superb here in Phuket and same in Bangkok, also presumably in Chiang Mai but no personal knowledge of those. Could even hire a personal helper for her if so desired, far more affordable than in USA or UK.

A nurse is generally not the problem, but the cost for hospitalisation can be very high. ICU care is not cheap.

Also consider what one takes his parents away from: al the friends that are left and at that age not easy to start all over again making new friends in a new, strange enviorement.

A nurse is generally not the problem, but the cost for hospitalisation can be very high. ICU care is not cheap.

Also consider what one takes his parents away from: al the friends that are left and at that age not easy to start all over again making new friends in a new, strange enviorement.

I would urge that the OP gives very careful thought about the wisdom of relocating an 89 year old .

Judging from the post the lady already has some medical issues and all medical care will need to be accessed on a private basis.

Has the issue been discussed with the elderly person? Does she wish at an advanced age to relocate ?

I thank everbody for their advice ! This forum here is a tremendous help.

We will sincerely consider to relocate to Thailand and there will be some (quite some actually) questions to be asked before we do. I am extremely grateful if I may occasionally ask for your opinion and knowledge.

Concerning my mother we try to be aware of the situation:

1. The old lady wont be taken away from friends and she will be happy to live with us together in one place (which she cannot now, she lives alone)

2. I do not trust any health insurance given that my mother (and me, too) has quite some past medical record (such as diabetes etc.) - they might refuse payment or we wont be insured in the first place for these illnesses or their consequences even if paying high monthly charges.

3. We are not rich, but have something to invest (it wont be in Thailand - most probably) and use in the region of 25MB if all expenses for the move (incl. taxes etc.) are paid incl. acquisition of a car in Thailand. On top my mother has a steady income of about 120KB p.m. and I will get some 60KB p.m. in 7 years. I believe that would allow us to live at least reasonably well. Even with some medical expenditures. I am aware that this means taking some risks - which we will have to take or stay home.

4. And yes, the whole relocating is not easy for her in every aspect - some more - some less - but it has been discussed extensively

P.S.: What has touched me as well was the remark of Mario2008: "In addition, Thai immigration will completely understand that you want to take care of her." This reflects a very positive attitude.

With a pension of 120'000 Baht/month you can pay most of the health care costs from the purse,

Wish I had this.

Assuming that there are other spare funds available, I would not care too much.

120K won't cover much in the case of hopitalisation for any accident or illness lasting more than a few days, obviously depending on what the issue is and how long hospitalisation is required. I'd emphasis what has been said by others. Private medical care is excellent, but it will make a big hole in your budget.

There are also other considerations which for an elderly person may not be so easy to adjust to, such as food and climate.