Musings of an expat returned to Australia

[AussieSteve]

I didn't know where to post this so I thought Farang Pub would do the job.

I don't post a lot but I read a lot of your postings. I have lived in Thailand for around 11 months. Initially I sought advice from people on this forum from "maybe I'll have to get married" to " getting used to sleeping in the same bed as my wife and daughter" and "why doesn't the Farang in the gym acknowledge me" I have never been a Thai basher more of a Farang basher.

My situation now is I did get married, but returned to Brisbane because my meager earnings with a language school didn't support us and so I ran out of money. My wife and stepdaughter is still in BKK and I have just got a good job here as a trainer. I am trying to get my 13yr old stepdaughter and my wife to come to Australia for the daughters education and so we can be together.

I was never very comfortable in BKK especially with the emergency services, my background is ambulance officer and security, so when I saw the state of both of these in Thailand I felt very unsafe, and I am not getting any younger so I know I will need medical services in the near future.

I think like many people I discovered that underneath the surface of the tourist environment there was unrest and danger. My wife is a lot younger than me but I trust her and love her dearly and I know she loves me. I was in Australia when I eventually sold my car and my wife had nearly 300,000 baht in cash in her hand, but she put it in my bank account.

We are in the process of getting a spouse visa for my wife, I have heard it could take up to 3 months, so if anyone has experience of that could you let me know how long it took for your visa.

There are so many threads on Thai/Farang relationships with so many different viewpoints, but I hope to report further down the track of a successful partnership.

As the title suggests this is just some muttering from me as I haven't posted for a while, (and the Glenfiddich is tasting great as I look down from my balcony onto a beautiful city and river views of Brisbane)

Ok guys................. I'm ready for the flack.

[Costas2008]

Enjoy yourself in Brisbane and I hope the wife and daughter will join you soon.

I found your past posts interesting, so please don't stop writing and posting even from abroad.

Best of luck to all of you.

[Will27]

Nice post and good luck for the future.

Just for your info, Immigration state the waiting period for a spouse visa is up to

12 months, although 10 months seems to be the current time frame.

You can look here for Aussies and waiting times:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736813-aussie-partner-processing-wait-times/

There is also a lot of information regarding the visa here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/forum/25-visas-and-migration-to-other-countries/

[neverdie]

Welcome home to Brisvegas Aussiesteve.....and good luck with the visa stuff. My Thai wife is an Australian citizen & I can't remember all the steps and waiting times they we went thru and no doubt they're irrelevant to what's happening these days.

David48 is going thru the motions at the moment and he's a banana bender too (on the GC), so he'd be a good one to pick the brains of.....but be gentle with him, he's only part way thru a toughening up course I have him on.

[Torrens54]

Getting my wife into Australia from Thailand only took THREE Months. We were lucky in that ALL the Paper-work was spot-on, we'd completed most of it before I left Thailand to live in Australia. My wife had also visited Australia with me (on a Tourist Visa) the previous year and I had a fairly well paid job in Australia.

I had investigated paying an AGENT in Australia to do the work for me but it was going to cost a couple of Thousand Dollars, so I did it myself.

May have also helped that my wife (although we were not married at the time of application) had a Uni degree and came from a very good family.

Not saying the "family" had any influence ...just a matter that her "credentials" i.e. Education, work and business history etc., were easily checked out by Australian Immigration.

Just make SURE you you get ALL THE PAPER WORK right. Check and double-check, then you should be fine. When she joins you, make sure you get her enrolled in English Classes, provided free by Australian Government (my wife had Majored in English, so didn't need it.) but nice to know that it, along with Medicare and all sorts of things are available. If she has a Thai MDL, you'll need to get her an Australian one pretty quickly. Again, we were lucky, the Written test is in English, she got 100% on first attempt and also passed the actual Driving Test on first attempt.

Just after my wife arrived, an adoption application she had lodged before leaving Thailand was granted. My application to bring the little girl (our daughter) also went through very quickly. Again, we did all the Paper-work between us. This was back in 2007, I have retired, we are now back living in Thailand and our daughter is consistently Top of her English Class...she only spoke a few words of English when she arrived in Oz.

Hope this helps....Good Luck to the Three of you!

[David48]

Steve, welcome back to Australia Brisbane QUEENSLAND.

Some great advice above.

As Will alludes to above, read through and make a post in ... aussie-partner-processing-wait-times

There are a heap of us going through the Partner Visa process. In short, if you have applied in Thailand ... allow maybe 10 months, seriously, but read through the thread to get a full comprehension.

You can apply in Australia, but it takes longer and costs $1,000 more.

There is a Wat in the Brisbane area, on acreage in the south-east.

http://www.watthaibrisbane.com.au/

I've only been there for the big celebrations as on the GC there is also a Wat.

https://www.facebook.com/watthaibuddharam/info?tab=overview

Lot's of Asian shops down SunnyBank way.

Only seen one dedicated Thai Brisbane shop though ... it's in the Valley ... http://www.yellowpages.com.au/qld/fortitude-valley/lin-company-thai-groceries-12568431-listing.html

The Thai Consulate is on Annerley Road ... http://www.thaiconsulate.org/ Super friendly.

One tip ... if you post stuff to them and need it posted back, certainly passports, buy the Express envelope that requires a signature at your end otherwise they won't send them any more ... recent change.

Hope some of that helps you.

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Edited December 4, 2014 by David48

[AussieSteve]

I appreciate the information that you all have sent me, I think I was a bit naive to imagine it would only take a few months.

My plan now is to call my wife and get her to come across with her daughter on a tourist visa during the school holidays there so they can see what Australia has to offer. Meanwhile getting the paperwork together.

Some good links thanks guys.

[David48]

ALL good.

Big Storms for Brissie this week-end ... just a heads up.

[lahgon29]

Steve..I also have Brisbane Ambulance background..A fellow paramedic mate of mine and me retired to LOS 2 years ago, not Bangkok..No more 12-14 hour shifts. The medical system here is not exactly up to the standards of the PAH or RBH, and the Ambos are a joke, but we stay healthy and fit, get regular check ups, have figured out which hospitals NOT to be taken to, have accident insurance and keep my BUPA in OZ.

I can see your point of view, mate, but for me the affordability aspect of It makes the risks worthwhile. Security wise, I feel safer in Issarn than I felt in Brisbane, at work or play. I understand about the education thing for the kid.Very valid.State schools are as big a joke as the ambulance. After 3 months in Brisvegas, my missus found It beautiful but she didn't want to live there. Made it easy for me.

Maybe you'll be back one day..It's always an option.

Wish you luck on getting the family to OZ..Shouldn't be a problem in the medium term...

[sercoed]

I married my Thai wife in 1985. I came to Bangkok with a ticket to Australia for her and 2 weeks to do it all. In those days it was hard for Thai women to get a passport so that took most of the time. The Australian Embassy was also a big hurdle and after getting the run around I demanded to see an Australian and then things ran smoother. We got married in a registry office. One of the funniest things, though not at the time was obtaining a police clearance. It had to be doone on the last day before our flight. I was sitting with her while she negotiated with the officer when some hotshot walked up . I was dressed in shorts, T-shirt and leather scuffs and this guy said I shopuld dress properly in the King's department. I got up and left and thought that was it, we had lost. But, the wife came thru' and we made it back to the Embassy just before closing and got the visa. We flew out the next night. Everyone had told us it couldn't be done but we proved them wrong. A lot have things have changed since then, of course, especially Australian Immigration. Hope yopu enjoyed my story..

[rondii]

No comment on where is best, each to their own,I personally Happy with living and working in BKK with my Thai wife of 8 yrs marriage and our 2 kids.

In respect if spouse visa, my wife's took 2 weeks. Make sure everything is filled out correctly, if they ask for three references give them 6 (and some from 'respected' persons eg. Manager, principal, etc), give them many photos with a clear timeline, make up a plausible story of how u met which doesn't include a bar (I don't care at all, and they don't care as long as you don't tell them). In other words prepare a well worded thorough application and it will go quick.

Edited December 5, 2014 by rondii

[sanuk711]

My situation now is I did get married, but returned to Brisbane because my meager earnings with a language school didn't support us and so I ran out of money. --AussieSteve

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That's the reason your living back in Oz isn't it Steve--you really don't have to add the bits on about how You "discovered that underneath the surface of the tourist environment there was unrest and danger" The fact is you would still be here--IF you had the money to be here.

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I am sorry Steve --I'm not Dar you--I just find that when people are posting about why they are, leaving its never all their fault--you lasted 11 months & although working here still ran out of money--great financial planing,--but don't lets reflect on that, lets talk more about the unrest & danger that lurks beneath the surface & made you uncomfortable being here.

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Good luck in life in Brisbane--I had 30 years there (& G.C. & S.C) & while I really enjoyed my life in Oz--I had never heard of anyone comparing Brissy (against the other Oz cities) as a beautiful city.--but I think you are more in a Justifying Zone then anything else at the moment Steve....so good luck with that also.

Edited December 5, 2014 by sanuk711

[Daniel Boon]

I am an Ex Brisbane boy; immigration told me 15 months if applied for here in OZ, 12 months if applied for in Thailand.

<personal info deleted>

[ABCer]

Best wishes, Steve.

Liked your post a lot.

If you liked Thailand - the best choice in Australia would be Gold Coast IMHO.

[pitchag]

My situation now is I did get married, but returned to Brisbane because my meager earnings with a language school didn't support us and so I ran out of money. --AussieSteve

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That's the reason your living back in Oz isn't it Steve--you really don't have to add the bits on about how You "discovered that underneath the surface of the tourist environment there was unrest and danger" The fact is you would still be here--IF you had the money to be here.

.

I am sorry Steve --I'm not Dar you--I just find that when people are posting about why they are, leaving its never all their fault--you lasted 11 months & although working here still ran out of money--great financial planing,--but don't lets reflect on that, lets talk more about the unrest & danger that lurks beneath the surface & made you uncomfortable being here.

.

Good luck in life in Brisbane--I had 30 years there (& G.C. & S.C) & while I really enjoyed my life in Oz--I had never heard of anyone comparing Brissy (against the other Oz cities) as a beautiful city.--but I think you are more in a Justifying Zone then anything else at the moment Steve....so good luck with that also.

I lived on the Gold Coast Qld for over 20 years and I felt decidedly more unsafe at night there than I do here, the amount of drunk and drugged up youths that wander the Gold Coast and hang around the South port mall is scary and for some reason the walking up to a stranger and punching them to knock them out has become a sport. i left there 2 years ago and do not regret a minute of being here in Banchang

[rethaier]

When I applied for a spouse visa for my wife I was told it would take 12 months. That was 6 months ago.

[heybuz]

I appreciate the information that you all have sent me, I think I was a bit naive to imagine it would only take a few months. My plan now is to call my wife and get her to come across with her daughter on a tourist visa during the school holidays there so they can see what Australia has to offer. Meanwhile getting the paperwork together. Some good links thanks guys.

Doing same, in brisbane also on north side its a bit daunting for me but we'll see. good luck

[bob strutt]

hi mate, i am from the gold coast but now live permanately in thailand with a new wife, i took the first thai wife and three kids to aus in 08,09, the visa experience was extremely stressful and expensive, after the first failure i engaged a emagration solicitor and had no further problems, the biggest problem in aus was the kids in aus, girl 17 one baby in thai, 18 when arrived in aus , boys 14 and 16, every thing went bad with the kids as they thought they could do as they did in thai, steal , lie not go to school the stories i could tell you you would not beleive, i finally had a heart attack and the mother , an ex fish bowl giri, in eckamai, happy house , was terrific until the kids started to cause major problems , decided that i was to hard on her kids and went back to fish bowling in aus, after living with a lot of aus men married to thais in aus, i advise you to get back to thailand to live ASP it is far easier, i have been back here now 4 years and it only gets better, i am 68

[neverdie]

hi mate, i am from the gold coast but now live permanately in thailand with a new wife, i took the first thai wife and three kids to aus in 08,09, the visa experience was extremely stressful and expensive, after the first failure i engaged a emagration solicitor and had no further problems, the biggest problem in aus was the kids in aus, girl 17 one baby in thai, 18 when arrived in aus , boys 14 and 16, every thing went bad with the kids as they thought they could do as they did in thai, steal , lie not go to school the stories i could tell you you would not beleive, i finally had a heart attack and the mother , an ex fish bowl giri, in eckamai, happy house , was terrific until the kids started to cause major problems , decided that i was to hard on her kids and went back to fish bowling in aus, after living with a lot of aus men married to thais in aus, i advise you to get back to thailand to live ASP it is far easier, i have been back here now 4 years and it only gets better, i am 68

Goodness Bob,

Sounds like you had a tough time but to be honest it sounds like that trouble mainly related to the 'players' not the country they resided in.

My wife has spent considerable time living in Oz, without incident. I also have two their 'Thai' friends that live in Oz (they're single business people) & they keep going from strength to strength. There's endless opportunities around.

Australia is expensive, that aside, there's a lot there for even the thaiest of Thai people to enjoy.....and there's oh shortage of them, they're everywhere.

[MrWorldwide]

Steve, I'm not here to pee on anyone's dreams, least of all someone who is working hard to put the pieces back together in Oz, but I just cant agree with folk who believe that Oz - particularly a city like Brisbane - is a safer option than Thailand. Lived in Brissie for almost 15 years and was relieved to get out. It has been a victim of its own success and the only winners IMO have been BCC (massive council, massive rates, insane bureaucracy), real estates agents/property developers and a few who timed their wheeling and dealing in real estate just right. The floods were a huge wakeup call for many newcomers who had been sold 'flood free' (!) property only to find that it was anything but. As for personal safety, I'm much happier wandering around Pattaya at night than I would be in the Valley or most of the suburban train / bus stations. Neither coast appealed to me, but I'm not a beach person - YMMV. For me, the highlight of my day was being able to walk to work in the CBD from my flat in West End - the river looks a lot more attractive in the morning. I found the heat and humidity worse than Pattaya (temps are definitely higher) and there is no comparison in cost of living terms unless you want to talk nightclub alcohol prices. That said, if you like Koreans and Chinese, inner Brisbane is the place to be - your wife will have no trouble finding Asian groceries.

End of the day, you moved back to give your family a better life, not gaze at the Brisbane River from Eagle St, and I wish you every success.

[simple1]

My situation now is I did get married, but returned to Brisbane because my meager earnings with a language school didn't support us and so I ran out of money. --AussieSteve

.

That's the reason your living back in Oz isn't it Steve--you really don't have to add the bits on about how You "discovered that underneath the surface of the tourist environment there was unrest and danger" The fact is you would still be here--IF you had the money to be here.

.

I am sorry Steve --I'm not Dar you--I just find that when people are posting about why they are, leaving its never all their fault--you lasted 11 months & although working here still ran out of money--great financial planing,--but don't lets reflect on that, lets talk more about the unrest & danger that lurks beneath the surface & made you uncomfortable being here.

.

Good luck in life in Brisbane--I had 30 years there (& G.C. & S.C) & while I really enjoyed my life in Oz--I had never heard of anyone comparing Brissy (against the other Oz cities) as a beautiful city.--but I think you are more in a Justifying Zone then anything else at the moment Steve....so good luck with that also.

I lived on the Gold Coast Qld for over 20 years and I felt decidedly more unsafe at night there than I do here, the amount of drunk and drugged up youths that wander the Gold Coast and hang around the South port mall is scary and for some reason the walking up to a stranger and punching them to knock them out has become a sport. i left there 2 years ago and do not regret a minute of being here in Banchang

Haven't seen it metioned before so...

In the past 18 months three youngish foreign women have been sexually assaulted and murdered in Brisbane. Where I use to live, Mooloolaba, drunken violent night time street assaults were not uncommon. I personally witnessed a middle aged man being bottled by a younger guy when reacting to a verbal insult to his wife.

[Starre]

G'day Steve. I'll join the list of Brisbane natives replying to your post. I feel where you are coming from re security, health and income issues in LOS. After many trips, I have always thought I would eventually move there to live the happy life by the water. But now it seems lately opportunities for decently paid employment and business are few and far between. Not to mention what seems to be a growing rejection of any foreigner = see random police searches and on the spot urine tests in the Thong Lor area. At one stage I was thinking Australia is no longer the lucky country but on reflection we still have a first class free health care system, well paid jobs, Superannuation funds, decent education system and we don't have to worry about some bent plod deciding to strip search us for the hell of it. Although the cost of living here has risen significantly and most Aussies including yours truly never stop whinging, most jobs provide a decent level of disposable income and there are sufficient safety nets to get you back on your feet should something unexpectedly go wrong. When I compare life here to a Thai friend of mine in BKK, it is extremely hard for them to get ahead unless they are born into a hiso family God forbid a member of the family loses their job or has a health crisis. So enjoy that glass of Glenfiddich as you look down on Petrie Bite, I reckon you've made the right call.

[AussieSteve]

Thanks guys, lots of good replies here, with different points of view. I've had P.M.s and phone calls really helpful thanks to all those people, always good to hear from and talk with positive people, as opposed to some of the usual negative responses that I often read on here.

At this stage I want my step-daughter to get a decent education and be proficient with her English. I'd like my wife to get to know Australia and improve her English skills, and all of us to be together as a family.

Then maybe later we may end up moving back, who knows. I like to remain flexible in my thoughts and actions.

The main point of this post was to hear from people who have gone through or are presently going through the same thing. They've all left Thailand for different reasons so let's not get too involved with the reason why they or I left Thailand as some posters are focusing on.

Again thanks for all the information that you have given me.............. now where did I put that Glenfiddich?

[Mudcrab]

Nice post and good luck for the future.

Just for your info, Immigration state the waiting period for a spouse visa is up to

12 months, although 10 months seems to be the current time frame.

You can look here for Aussies and waiting times:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736813-aussie-partner-processing-wait-times/

There is also a lot of information regarding the visa here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/forum/25-visas-and-migration-to-other-countries/

We applied for the prospective spouse visa which gives 9 months to get married. We applied Sept 2013 and got the visa June 2014.

Now applying for the full spouse (partner) visa.(sample question: what was the date of marriage of your mother and father, the wifes mother and father and all siblings...Christ my parents have been dead 20 years?? I had no idea!!)

This application is being made in Oz. The government fee for lodgings about 1100 bucks and the agent charged 1800 dollars. The prospective was about 4 grand for the government and 3 grand for the agent.

As David says it will be much cheaper in Thailand (as long as you get it right unlike my mate!!)

A mate of mine applied for the full spouse visa before we did and he's still waiting. He also did his dough with the first application which he did himself...and got knocked back.

We had thought of getting married but the migration agent advised against this. He said the prospective visa was the way to go as for the full spouse visa you have to show evidence of a genuine and ongoing relationship.

Which can be hard when you are both many thousands of kilometres apart for an extended period. For the prospective spouse visa you had onl;y to prove that you had actually met. (trust me there is a lot more to it than that though: example: records of her first, second and high school. Uni records etc etc)

We got caught filling in the forms. I asked the missus "have you ever been married" she said no. But she had an amphur marriage and not the Buddhist party so she didn't see it as being married. Another question where the visa guy knew more than I did was "have you ever been known by any other name?". We said no. Then he asked her if she changed her name when she was 12 or 13. She said she had ....apparently very common in Thai.

If I had any advice to give you it would be to use an agent. They know the ins and outs and won't put in the application until they have covered all bases.

PM me if you want - happy to help.

Edit to add: The info I posted is pretty well up to date.

Took the last of the details to the agent yesterday (thursday 4/12/14). Hopefully they will review and lodge the application before the Chrissy break.

Edited December 5, 2014 by Mudcrab

[Mudcrab]

Getting my wife into Australia from Thailand only took THREE Months. We were lucky in that ALL the Paper-work was spot-on, we'd completed most of it before I left Thailand to live in Australia. My wife had also visited Australia with me (on a Tourist Visa) the previous year and I had a fairly well paid job in Australia.

I had investigated paying an AGENT in Australia to do the work for me but it was going to cost a couple of Thousand Dollars, so I did it myself.

May have also helped that my wife (although we were not married at the time of application) had a Uni degree and came from a very good family.

Not saying the "family" had any influence ...just a matter that her "credentials" i.e. Education, work and business history etc., were easily checked out by Australian Immigration.

Just make SURE you you get ALL THE PAPER WORK right. Check and double-check, then you should be fine. When she joins you, make sure you get her enrolled in English Classes, provided free by Australian Government (my wife had Majored in English, so didn't need it.) but nice to know that it, along with Medicare and all sorts of things are available. If she has a Thai MDL, you'll need to get her an Australian one pretty quickly. Again, we were lucky, the Written test is in English, she got 100% on first attempt and also passed the actual Driving Test on first attempt.

Just after my wife arrived, an adoption application she had lodged before leaving Thailand was granted. My application to bring the little girl (our daughter) also went through very quickly. Again, we did all the Paper-work between us. This was back in 2007, I have retired, we are now back living in Thailand and our daughter is consistently Top of her English Class...she only spoke a few words of English when she arrived in Oz.

Hope this helps....Good Luck to the Three of you!

Agree with all you have said, especially getting the paperwork right (get it EXACTLY right now).

Things have tightened up somewhat since 2007 but it is still doable. I would recommend using an agent who is knowledgeable though these days.

It costs quite a bit; not only the professional fees but I had to get many copies of documents officially translated for the application. A single sided A4 cost 70 bucks each. Adds up fairly quickly as there are quite a few of them.

[mihalis]

I read on immi site, it takes up to 12 months for a spouse visa... Hope you can settle down in OZ, im going the other way, want to get out of here..

[shanahan]

Steve, welcome back to Australia Brisbane QUEENSLAND.

Some great advice above.

As Will alludes to above, read through and make a post in ... aussie-partner-processing-wait-times

There are a heap of us going through the Partner Visa process. In short, if you have applied in Thailand ... allow maybe 10 months, seriously, but read through the thread to get a full comprehension.

You can apply in Australia, but it takes longer and costs $1,000 more.

There is a Wat in the Brisbane area, on acreage in the south-east.

http://www.watthaibrisbane.com.au/

I've only been there for the big celebrations as on the GC there is also a Wat.

https://www.facebook.com/watthaibuddharam/info?tab=overview

Lot's of Asian shops down SunnyBank way.

Only seen one dedicated Thai Brisbane shop though ... it's in the Valley ... http://www.yellowpages.com.au/qld/fortitude-valley/lin-company-thai-groceries-12568431-listing.html

The Thai Consulate is on Annerley Road ... http://www.thaiconsulate.org/ Super friendly.

One tip ... if you post stuff to them and need it posted back, certainly passports, buy the Express envelope that requires a signature at your end otherwise they won't send them any more ... recent change.

Hope some of that helps you.

.

Unless things have changed, there was no difference in price whether applying in Australia or Thailand. The difference was that the application in Aust. was 2 applications in one (temporary and permanent residency) and in Thailand temporary and permanent residency were separate with an individual fee for each application adding up to the same amount charged in Australia for the 2 in 1. Apologies if my information is out of date.

[richard peters]

I am on OAP and married to a respectable Thai Health Practitioner, but about to apply for a Spouse Visa, so very wisely (as it transpired), went thru a well known Bangkok legal firm (Siam Legal), otherwise I could see endless delays arising. An Aussie resident was recently told in Bangkok that it takes 12-months to approve, so he is trying in Oz, but this could take longer or shorter?? as his Thai wife is already living in Australia. Does anyone know what is entailed in the written English test, as my wife's English writing is poor, even though her speech is very good. As it has just taken 5-months to remotely pay the fee in Oz, (because they kept "shifting the goal posts"), I fully expect everything to be difficult, as it would appear that all government beaurocrats now take a compulsory, secondary degree in "puplic obstructionism." I wish 'one and all' good luck, as DIY was once Ok, but it is not so easy now!

[richard peters]

Re. Fees; - The application fee was in reality about $400 cheaper in Oz, so I queried it with the Federal Minister, who directed a senior official from Bangkok to phone me and blamed currency differences etc. I am not convinced as this would be a reciprical calculation and I pointed out that taking cash only (plus only in Thai Baht), was open to abuse, as the Brits had just changed to "credit card only."

[David48]

We are getting slightly off topic, but let's establish some facts.

There is a group of us Aussies who have Partners currently applying for their Partner Visas.

If you apply outside Australia, you apply for a Partner (Provisional) visa (subclass 309)

http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/309-100.aspx

The cost starts @ ' Price starts from AUD 3,085.00'

If you apply within Australia, you apply for a Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801)

http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/801-820.aspx

The cost starts @ ' Price starts from AUD 4,575.00'

The Immigration Department gives themselves 3 months longer to process in Australia.

12 months in Thailand as opposed to 15 months in Australia

You apply for the Provisional Visa and the Department will then decide if they issue a Provisional Visa or a Permanent Visa.

I've only read one story of someone being granted a Permanent Visa first up ... and I read a lot.

After 2 years of the Provisional Visa you can apply for the Permanent Visa.

At this stage there is no extra cost to go from the Provisional Visa to the Permanent Visa.

If you apply in Thailand, you pay in Thai Baht ... the exchange rate will determine what price they charge there.

It's often more then if you had just paid the ' Price starts from AUD 3,085.00'

You can pre-pay that fee in Australia, in Aussie dollars and save some decent coin.

I did that in January this year and saved, from memory, about Bt 8,000 on the currency FX.

If you do that, make sure that you attach the actual receipt to the Partner Application.

Even though you don't have to, there was almost a fight at the VFS when they declined to accept

my partners application because it wasn't attached.

Three phone calls to the Embassy from the VFS.

Lot's of loss of Face for the VFS when they backed down.

There is a place on the form to record the receipt number ... that's enough for the Aussie Gov't

but not for VFS ... so just smile and attach the receipt.

All of that, and more is in the Thread ... aussie-partner-processing-wait-times

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