Parent visiting Australia from Thailand

[Madivad]

G'day peeps, it's been a while since I've been in these forums and it's that time again that we need to look at visas.

 

My wife is PR (should be citizen by now, we've just been too lazy to get the paperwork done), we have 2 kids and establishing a small takeaway restaurant here in Australia. 

 

We have been prompting the family for years to come visit but they're all reluctant to fly. We've finally convinced one of the aunts to come over for a short stay.

 

We have previously done all our own visa applications, 4x tourist visas (3 for my wife, and 1 for a sister) and spousal visa when it was time for us to move back home. 

 

My wife was just told today that all visa applications have to go thru BKK and Chang Mai and that the applicant has to attend either place to have fingerprints then return home and wait for the visa, then get back to BKK to fly out. I think she may have her wires crossed with student visas, but thought I would ask at any rate. 

 

For a tourist visa, is there a requirement for the applicant to travel to CM or BKK for fingerprints?

 

I'm living back in Australia now and plan to do the application again as I have done before. The aunt has already attended the ampur and got her birth certificate and applied for her passport. She's less than 60 years young, will she need a medical? 

 

For her "reason to return" there is no significant reason other than her family (husband and kids back home). She doesn't have a job. I would be relying on the fact that my wife has had several tourist visas to which she fully complied, as well as we've brought sisters out here on both tourist and student visas, again, everyone has complied with all conditions and returned on time. My wife is now PR and we're really just wanting her tom come out, see how things are here, spend some time with the kids and head back home. I think I'm most concerned just given her age, is she likely to face any problems in the application process?

 

There is another minor issue in that she can't read or write Thai at all, let alone understand any English, and we're very concerned about once she hits the airport in Sydney and the unfriendliness of Australian Customs that she'll get flustered. I've previously provided written letters for visitors to show Customs, however, they've never been interested to read them. 

 

Any advice on bringing family members would be appreciated.

 

Thanks