Goodbye to Thailand (for a while maybe)

[F4UCorsair]

51 minutes ago, catman20 said:

and farangs still dont get it why they can get a pretty young Thai lady.

Because  It's true love?  She truly loves money!!!

 

Suckers!!

[catman20]

51 minutes ago, giddyup said:

I don't get your joke.

its all about the perks of getting some stupid farang, going back to farang land, then leave him for a young model. these guy have such big egos they think the girl really dose love him its all about the Thai girls improving their life for their families.

[transam]

Just now, catman20 said:

its all about the perks of getting some stupid farang, going back to farang land, then leave him for a young model. these guy have such big egos they think the girl really dose love him its all about the Thai girls improving their life for their families.

Sounds like you have been burned..........

[catman20]

31 minutes ago, F4UCorsair said:

Because  It's true love?  She truly loves money!!!

 

Suckers!!

you forgot to say she different 

[catman20]

Just now, transam said:

Sounds like you have been burned..........

never, too smart for that one, been here 17 years single no kids enjoying life with no problems. i worked out the marriage scam many many years ago

[transam]

Just now, catman20 said:

never, too smart for that one, been here 17 years single no kids enjoying life with no problems. i worked out the marriage scam many many years ago

Well yes, I have read that type of story many times here over the years..

[catman20]

1 minute ago, transam said:

Well yes, I have read that type of story many times here over the years..

well lets hope uve learned something, i bet your a married man properly with with kids in your late 50s ? good luck enjoy.

[transam]

1 minute ago, catman20 said:

well lets hope uve learned something, i bet your a married man properly with with kids in your late 50s ? good luck enjoy.

Not quite, I have grandchildren who work and pay their way....

[elgordo38]

17 hours ago, impulse said:

Post back in a year when the emotions aren't so raw and after the repatriation/emigration honeymoon is over.

 

In the meantime, best of luck to both of you.   And I mean that sincerely.

 

 

Best of luck from me to. Life has no guarantees. Some replies here were encouraging and others discouraging but you have made the decision to go and that is important. Its you that wins or looses not the arm chair advisers on here. I would like to hear an update in a year or so. Again good luck you seem like a nice guy and nice guys should finish first. 

[kunfish]

Sounds like our situation but in USA. Similar social security setup. Hard to know if we will go to Thailand to live. Wife makes plenty of money here and hard to give that up. 

[swissmaninthailand]

Farang land is for women, Thailand is for men.
Try to divorce in farang land, and you will see who get all of your asset!

[Stevemercer]

Best wishes and good luck. I took my wife to Australia so she could qualify for citizenship and a passport etc. All you have to do is live together in Australia for 2 years, there are no English literacy tests for residency etc. 

 

Now we live in Thailand. Perhaps we will go back and live in Australia one day. It is all about keeping your options open. Good on you for giving your wife the opportunity of Australian citizenship.

[4MyEgo]

22 hours ago, ELVIS123456 said:

If she lives/works for 10 years in Aust she can then get an Australian Pension (and take it back to Thailand and live very well).

 

6 hours ago, starky said:

doubt if after working for 10 years the Aussie gov't is just going to let your missus flit off back to Thailand and live out her years on an Aussie pension.

You are 100% correct.

 

I think Elvis maybe lacking in sleep.

 

She can live and or work in Australia and if its for 10 years, she will be entitled to a part pension overseas, i.e. when she reaches the old age pension age, currently 67 and the push is on for 70, but not yet approved, but it will be, believe you me.

 

The pension she will get will be pro-rated, i.e. 10/35, now if you have lived in Australia, not necessary having worked in Australia for 35 years and you reach the old age pension age, you will received the full pension, then you can go overseas, however after 26 weeks (currently) you will lose some benefits, like electricity subsidies etc etc which is fair enough, they are looking at cutting that back after 6 weeks, again, fair enough IMO.

 

If on the other hand you are already overseas and have reached the retirement age, you must go back and apply in person, and when approved, remain in the country for 2 years while receiving the pension, if you leave before that, they will cancel it, but once you have done your time, you can go and take it with you till you pop.

 

Personally having left Sydney Australia in November 2015, both my wife and I couldn't wait to get here, we planned it for 10 years, my wife lived in Australia for just over 10 years, like me, she didn't like the fast pace, the hours that I worked, but never once complained once, in fact the opposite, she kept saying slow down, but the reality is, she knew the more bacon I made, the better the life we would have in Thailand.

 

I reached 55 and retired. We have both not regretted it, we accepted that Thailand is not perfect, but neither is Australia, there are opportunity's in Australia, the "last"financial year not to brag I earned $170,000, not bad, but what I had to go through to make that bacon would have eventually killed me, the carrot doesn't taste that good when you look at it that way.  

 

If you have money behind you, decisions can be made quickly, and if we needed to go tomorrow, we could, however we don't get into the politics or the ways of the Thai government, sure their processes frustrate me/us at times, but the quicker you let go and give them what they want, the hoola hoops that Elvis was referring too, its not that bad, sure its backward, but it is what it is, it's not Australia, it's Thailand., yes I shake my head at times, but now I just shake my shoulders and pass it over to the wife to sort, no point in me losing face 555

 

I can't think of building the same house here, back in Sydney Australia for under $800,000, whereby here it cost me a 10th, then you have to add the purchase of land value on top of that, now pick a suburb 15 km's south of Sydney, say Bexley, you would need around another million $'s on top of that, whereby the land here cost me $4,000, sure its rural (Isaaan), but I/we are far away enough from the western life and all its intended trappings for your slavery as we can be, now having broken the chains from the slave trade, I can say this is the 1st time in my life that I can afford to live without having to think twice, but I admit, old habits do die hard.

 

Living in Sydney with a property is just that, you are living there with all your money tied up, and if you have mortgage, more tied up, but once you reach that stage in your life and have been shown that there are other places to live for heaps cheaper and you can invest your life's hard earned $'s where you choose, life is on the upside.

 

I personally think Elvis fell in love with his wife, but not Thailand, I fell in love with Thailand before I met my wife, still love them both, Thailand with her warts, the Mrs for her map of Tasmania among other things, but I will remain here till they torch my remains, because of its beauty, serenity, culture, and affordability.

 

I learn't a long time ago, life is not perfect, people are not perfect, make the best you can of it, and enjoy what you can of it while you remain in it, and don't depend on others.

 

Wishing Elvis and his wife the very best, but in my opinion, the best is here that he left behind.  

[JayBird]

Let's not all presume the wife is there purely for the passport and money. There are some honest women out there.

 

It is sad but true that Thailand is not really trying hard to keep quality tourists and expats but focusing more on low spending mass tourism. Also there appears to be a stigma in government that foreigners are mostly bad (a guilty til proven innocent mentally against foreigners)

 

Hopefully everything works out great for you.

 

 

[Time Traveller]

OP, I don't know you, never read any of your posts. But your post reads of bitterness toward thailand and mentions things like pensions and entitlements etc etc that your foreign spouse will receive in Thailand.

 

I wonder does your wife really think the same as you and aspire to be nothing more than an immigrant for what welfare benefits she can milk off the tax payer? Or is it that your judgement is clouded but the fact that Thailand isn't the same welfare state for foreign parasites as Australia is? 

 

Edited February 23, 2017 by Time Traveller

[starky]

33 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

 

You are 100% correct.

 

I think Elvis maybe lacking in sleep.

 

She can live and or work in Australia and if its for 10 years, she will be entitled to a part pension overseas, i.e. when she reaches the old age pension age, currently 67 and the push is on for 70, but not yet approved, but it will be, believe you me.

 

The pension she will get will be pro-rated, i.e. 10/35, now if you have lived in Australia, not necessary having worked in Australia for 35 years and you reach the old age pension age, you will received the full pension, then you can go overseas, however after 26 weeks (currently) you will lose some benefits, like electricity subsidies etc etc which is fair enough, they are looking at cutting that back after 6 weeks, again, fair enough IMO.

 

If on the other hand you are already overseas and have reached the retirement age, you must go back and apply in person, and when approved, remain in the country for 2 years while receiving the pension, if you leave before that, they will cancel it, but once you have done your time, you can go and take it with you till you pop.

 

Personally having left Sydney Australia in November 2015, both my wife and I couldn't wait to get here, we planned it for 10 years, my wife lived in Australia for just over 10 years, like me, she didn't like the fast pace, the hours that I worked, but never once complained once, in fact the opposite, she kept saying slow down, but the reality is, she knew the more bacon I made, the better the life we would have in Thailand.

 

I reached 55 and retired. We have both not regretted it, we accepted that Thailand is not perfect, but neither is Australia, there are opportunity's in Australia, the "last"financial year not to brag I earned $170,000, not bad, but what I had to go through to make that bacon would have eventually killed me, the carrot doesn't taste that good when you look at it that way.  

 

If you have money behind you, decisions can be made quickly, and if we needed to go tomorrow, we could, however we don't get into the politics or the ways of the Thai government, sure their processes frustrate me/us at times, but the quicker you let go and give them what they want, the hoola hoops that Elvis was referring too, its not that bad, sure its backward, but it is what it is, it's not Australia, it's Thailand., yes I shake my head at times, but now I just shake my shoulders and pass it over to the wife to sort, no point in me losing face 555

 

I can't think of building the same house here, back in Sydney Australia for under $800,000, whereby here it cost me a 10th, then you have to add the purchase of land value on top of that, now pick a suburb 15 km's south of Sydney, say Bexley, you would need around another million $'s on top of that, whereby the land here cost me $4,000, sure its rural (Isaaan), but I/we are far away enough from the western life and all its intended trappings for your slavery as we can be, now having broken the chains from the slave trade, I can say this is the 1st time in my life that I can afford to live without having to think twice, but I admit, old habits do die hard.

 

Living in Sydney with a property is just that, you are living there with all your money tied up, and if you have mortgage, more tied up, but once you reach that stage in your life and have been shown that there are other places to live for heaps cheaper and you can invest your life's hard earned $'s where you choose, life is on the upside.

 

I personally think Elvis fell in love with his wife, but not Thailand, I fell in love with Thailand before I met my wife, still love them both, Thailand with her warts, the Mrs for her map of Tasmania among other things, but I will remain here till they torch my remains, because of its beauty, serenity, culture, and affordability.

 

I learn't a long time ago, life is not perfect, people are not perfect, make the best you can of it, and enjoy what you can of it while you remain in it, and don't depend on others.

 

Wishing Elvis and his wife the very best, but in my opinion, the best is here that he left behind.  

I would love to pick your brain about all this stuff but as I am only 40 its a good 30 years ( plus however many times they change the rules before now and then) before I have to worry about it . Im a Sydney boy born an bred first vame here 98, been here full time since '04. When I say full time I mean 6 months as I work offshore. What intersets me is what you were saying about living the 2 years before getting the pension. Technically I dont live in either but I do spend just over 6 months of the year in Oz do you know if that qualifies me for " living" in Australia or would I have to leave the missus and kids and live on my ace in dreary old oz for 2 years. Like you I also fell in love with Thailand before my girl and I am in a remarkably similar situation to you except the glaringly obvious fact that you are retired and got to do it at 55. Lucky barstad haha. Congratulations and best of luck for you and the other half

[4MyEgo]

32 minutes ago, starky said:

I would love to pick your brain about all this stuff but as I am only 40 its a good 30 years ( plus however many times they change the rules before now and then) before I have to worry about it . Im a Sydney boy born an bred first vame here 98, been here full time since '04. When I say full time I mean 6 months as I work offshore. What intersets me is what you were saying about living the 2 years before getting the pension. Technically I dont live in either but I do spend just over 6 months of the year in Oz do you know if that qualifies me for " living" in Australia or would I have to leave the missus and kids and live on my ace in dreary old oz for 2 years. Like you I also fell in love with Thailand before my girl and I am in a remarkably similar situation to you except the glaringly obvious fact that you are retired and got to do it at 55. Lucky barstad haha. Congratulations and best of luck for you and the other half

As far as residency goes, the golden rule from my understanding is, if you are out of the country (Australia) for more than 183 days, you are deemed a "non-resident", however there are exceptions, but to me it is a grey area, to others its as clear as daylight.

 

Now if you live here for say 6 months and 6 months in Australia and pay taxes under the Australian taxation system as a resident, i.e. you get the $18,200 threshold before you start paying tax, then I would say you have retained your residency, not to be confused with your citizenship which remains with you forever, that said, if you have a family here and the kids go to school here and they don't return with you to Australia every 6 months, you have just been taken out, because you cannot have two abode's, i.e. places of residency, now I did read somewhere in the legislation that an abode (where you normally reside), could be a park, now if that is in the legislation, that is of concern, because you would be up $hit creek trying to argue over that one.

 

If we assume your a non resident for tax purposes and I calculate back from age 40, i.e. you have been here since 2004, - 13 years, you would have been 27 at that time, now from age 16 to 27 you would have had 11 years credited to you as a resident in Australia, meaning that unless you spend any further years in Australia, when you reach the old pension age, providing they don't move the gold posts, you will receive roughly a 3rd of the pension, i.e. 11/35 years, however you would have to go back and collect it for 2 years once you reach the old age pension age which wouldn't be feasible, for what its worth, its not feasible for most who have to return, because of the cost of living, I mean your pension wouldn't even cover your rent for a one bedroom apartment in Sydney.

 

I can't see myself returning in 11 & a half years to get the pension, would have to shift funds, as they also take your assets, interest, shares into consideration to determine if you are entitled to the pension etc etc.

 

As for being a lucky bastard, I suppose there is some truth in that, i.e. being alive to live what I worked for, can't say the same for 3 of me mates who all went out before they hit 50, and of course I almost didn't make it, as I had a heart attack at 47, so yeh, I guess I am very lucky.

 

But without putting in the years f studying, the long hours working, looking for opportunities to invest in and keep going till the fruits become ripe, you will go backwards, because working, is for surviving, nothing else, and that isn't enough at times.

 

At 40 your still young and can make something in the next 15 years, unless you have an inheritance coming your way, if you haven't, which I didn't, you will have to be prepared to push yourself, or go backwards, and that isn't pretty from what I ave heard from some on TVF, and there's only one short cut that I know of in life, and that's to the grave 555  

Edited February 23, 2017 by 4MyEgo

[steve down under]

At least  expats don't have to do border runs every  90 days to stay in Australia !

[giddyup]

3 hours ago, catman20 said:

its all about the perks of getting some stupid farang, going back to farang land, then leave him for a young model. these guy have such big egos they think the girl really dose love him its all about the Thai girls improving their life for their families.

You seem to find your own posts pretty funny, and you assume that all falangs get ripped off and deserted once they take their spouse back to their home country. Obviously no facts to back that up, only unfounded supposition.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Well good luck to him I say !!
I hope it all works out well for him and Mrs Elvis !!

" Elvis has left the building "
Wonder how long he has been dreaming about putting that on his last TV post


Sent from my iPhone with the usual amount of sincerity and sarcasm [emoji4]

[Gonefortea]

4 hours ago, impulse said:

 

Some people (not all of them) find that the grass isn't really greener...  Fortunately, some come to that revelation before they're in too deep to change their mind.  Others burn their bridges and/or their cash and get stuck in a bad situation with no viable way back.

Of course the other side is some really do see the grass is greener on this side and have no reason to return to the place they left behind.

[Gonefortea]

4 hours ago, F4UCorsair said:

Because  It's true love?  She truly loves money!!!

 

Suckers!!

Are you single then?

[sandgroper2]

Two years and she gives him the big heave ho. Stupid old man. And no  age pension after ten years of working. He act proud that he thinks he is goint to Oz to rip off us Oz taxpayers.

[impulse]

36 minutes ago, Gonefortea said:

Of course the other side is some really do see the grass is greener on this side and have no reason to return to the place they left behind.

 

No doubt.  Thailand fits some people's likes and dislikes like a glove.  I'm not one of them.  I'm here for the paycheck.  But I don't begrudge those that do fall in long term love with the place.

 

Other people find out that all the stuff they're giving up by moving here was more important to them than they realized, especially in the long term.  Things like family, professional sports, concerts, rodeos, skiing, good public education, a functional legal system, the ability to make a few bucks on the side without fear of being deported, and on and on.

 

I think it's an especially difficult decision for the guys who came here with no intention of starting a family, then find themselves the proud father of a gifted kid that would be absolutely cheated by the indigenous education system.  Or those whose "retirement" savings didn't go as far as they predicted and find themselves in need of an income to supplement it.

 

Even if they love the place, their better judgment tells them it's not wise to stay.

Edited February 23, 2017 by impulse

[Gonefortea]

15 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

No doubt.  Thailand fits some people's likes and dislikes like a glove.  I'm not one of them.  I'm here for the paycheck.  But I don't begrudge those that do fall in long term love with the place.

 

Other people find out that all the stuff they're giving up by moving here was more important to them than they realized, especially in the long term.  Things like family, professional sports, concerts, rodeos, skiing, good public education, a functional legal system, the ability to make a few bucks on the side without fear of being deported, and on and on.

 

I think it's an especially difficult decision for the guys who came here with no intention of starting a family, then find themselves the proud father of a gifted kid that would be absolutely cheated by the indigenous education system.  Or those whose "retirement" savings didn't go as far as they predicted and find themselves in need of an income to supplement it.

 

Even if they love the place, their better judgment tells them it's not wise to stay.

So I can deduce you really don't like Thailand then LOL. If you come here with an open mind, which unfortunately most don't having read posts like yours above. Then you may just make a decision based on facts and your own thoughts and experiencesee.  But all to often people come thinking they are open minded only to find they are in fact already damaged by posts they read on here and other sites. No matter what you think thoughts of the mostly bad  and anecdotal themes read will come to the surface. Impairing there judgment and sewing there real feeling its a shame. But things will never change now thanks to the Internet.  Hence my old saying now Not everything you read or see on the Internet is True.

[F4UCorsair]

1 hour ago, Gonefortea said:

Are you single then?

Yes, after two attempts at marriage, one 12 years and one 30 years, bit neither to a foreign woman.  

Best days of my life!!

[impulse]

18 minutes ago, Gonefortea said:

So I can deduce you really don't like Thailand then LOL. If you come here with an open mind, which unfortunately most don't having read posts like yours above. Then you may just make a decision based on facts and your own thoughts and experiencesee.  But all to often people come thinking they are open minded only to find they are in fact already damaged by posts they read on here and other sites. No matter what you think thoughts of the mostly bad  and anecdotal themes read will come to the surface. Impairing there judgment and sewing there real feeling its a shame. But things will never change now thanks to the Internet.  Hence my old saying now Not everything you read or see on the Internet is True.

 

I've been living and working here for 6 years, after living and working in China for 10.   Thailand wasn't even on my radar (good or bad) until a company needed my eclectic skillsets and asked me to work here.

 

I promise you that none of my judgments about Thailand were pre-conceived.  I like it here fine.  But there are other places I've lived that offer more of the things I enjoy doing, and without a 60 hour roundtrip voyage if I decide to visit my family.

 

Edit:  BTW, I don't drink and I don't chase women.  If you outlawed those 2 activities, Thailand would actually be more appealing to me- still not appealing enough to retire here.  But if that happened, I suspect most of the guys I know here would have their plane ticket outta' here before the end of the month- just enough time to liquidate their Thai assets. 

Edited February 23, 2017 by impulse

[moe666]

O the sad stories about living in Thailand, it is such a harsh country they treat us so mean.

[transam]

33 minutes ago, Gonefortea said:

So I can deduce you really don't like Thailand then LOL. If you come here with an open mind, which unfortunately most don't having read posts like yours above. Then you may just make a decision based on facts and your own thoughts and experiencesee.  But all to often people come thinking they are open minded only to find they are in fact already damaged by posts they read on here and other sites. No matter what you think thoughts of the mostly bad  and anecdotal themes read will come to the surface. Impairing there judgment and sewing there real feeling its a shame. But things will never change now thanks to the Internet.  Hence my old saying now Not everything you read or see on the Internet is True.

Except Trans can can sing................

[Gonefortea]

31 minutes ago, F4UCorsair said:

Yes, after two attempts at marriage, one 12 years and one 30 years, bit neither to a foreign woman.  

Best days of my life!!

So you were a double suckered then lol