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An Old Guy Going Home - Advice Please

An Old Guy Going Home - Advice Please

Old Feb 24th 2009, 3:42 am
  #76  
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Default Re: An Old Guy Going Home - Advice Please

Originally Posted by Englishmum
I'm intrigued by something.

In post no. 22 on this thread, someone quoted a post from the "old guy" Catch 22 (which was subsequently deleted so I can't quote it here).

The final sentence says "I am married to a Karen"

(Karens are one of the ethnic groups along the Burmese/Thai border. I believe that some of the Karens wear many bands around their necks to make them longer?)

Is the O/P planning to take his Karen wife back to the UK with him?
You are quite right with your observation.
Yes I am married to a Thai/Karen, who gained her BA (English Major) and then Teaching Degree from Chiangmai University. She too works for an NGO in an education programme with Burmese refugees. The question you ask is a good one and now that it has been brought up I’m happy to discuss it. We have been married for 5 years and my wife is a fairly level headed person. Although she has no reason or desire to leave Thailand, she does understand my concerns about health problems etc, and would leave and thinks I should take the step to start my life again in UK where I would be less vulnerable. She would join me once I became established and that leads me to further questions which I’m looking for answers to, i.e. what’s that process?…..nothing is black and white. She has been to both UK and Australia and would probably have very little problem getting entry clearance to live in the UK based on marriage, education and high level English language (also Karen, Burmese and strong Japanese). However, she wouldn’t have a job (initially) though she would get one ASAP. There is a clause that states an immigrant mustn’t fall on to public funds, i.e. welfare and she certainly wouldn’t want that anyway. But if I’m there and receiving benefits………

The Karen’s are the largest ethnic group both in Burma and Thailand.
The ‘long neck’ Karen’s that you refer to are very few and live in a small purpose built village in Northern Thailand, so that tourists can go and gawk at them, take pictures and buy souvenirs . They are basically slaves to the Thai mafia (Thai authority/police etc).
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Old Feb 24th 2009, 6:11 am
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Default Re: An Old Guy Going Home - Advice Please

Originally Posted by catch22
You are quite right with your observation.
Yes I am married to a Thai/Karen, who gained her BA (English Major) and then Teaching Degree from Chiangmai University. She too works for an NGO in an education programme with Burmese refugees. The question you ask is a good one and now that it has been brought up I’m happy to discuss it. We have been married for 5 years and my wife is a fairly level headed person. Although she has no reason or desire to leave Thailand, she does understand my concerns about health problems etc, and would leave and thinks I should take the step to start my life again in UK where I would be less vulnerable. She would join me once I became established and that leads me to further questions which I’m looking for answers to, i.e. what’s that process?…..nothing is black and white. She has been to both UK and Australia and would probably have very little problem getting entry clearance to live in the UK based on marriage, education and high level English language (also Karen, Burmese and strong Japanese). However, she wouldn’t have a job (initially) though she would get one ASAP. There is a clause that states an immigrant mustn’t fall on to public funds, i.e. welfare and she certainly wouldn’t want that anyway. But if I’m there and receiving benefits………

The Karen’s are the largest ethnic group both in Burma and Thailand.
The ‘long neck’ Karen’s that you refer to are very few and live in a small purpose built village in Northern Thailand, so that tourists can go and gawk at them, take pictures and buy souvenirs . They are basically slaves to the Thai mafia (Thai authority/police etc).

You won't necessarily receive benefits for being unemployed. You are English and you have health issues so you would receive something but new legislation is suggesting that the unemployed are going to have to work for their benefits. Hopefully your wife would find something easily as there is a skill shortage in the UK. What can she do with her qualifications?
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Old Feb 24th 2009, 8:14 am
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Default Re: An Old Guy Going Home - Advice Please

Originally Posted by cricket1
You won't necessarily receive benefits for being unemployed. You are English and you have health issues so you would receive something but new legislation is suggesting that the unemployed are going to have to work for their benefits. Hopefully your wife would find something easily as there is a skill shortage in the UK. What can she do with her qualifications?
I have no problem working for any benefits I might receive - I will be sure to bring any medical records from here and my GP who very kindly kept me on his list is aware of most. I will be guided by what he says I should avoid - other than that I'm a believer in trying anything as long as it brings enough money in to live on and you learn something at the same time.

My wife was a teacher in the government schools, teaching grade 12 English mainly. Thai government teaching jobs are purely status (any Thai government job is). She's not a status seeker, so many years ago she left teaching and started her own computer skills school with a little money she had, but it didn't go very far because Thai's don't/can't pay enough. She then discovered NGO's in Thailand and they realised her potential for refugee work, programme planning, organising etc, and she's been with NGO's ever since and has excellent references from International donors such as AusAID and BBC (Burmese Border Consortium). She is a bit of a computer wiz as far as things like Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint and Pagemaker go and pretty good with some other programs - in both Thai and English. She is a very fast typer in both Thai and English. She has considerable experience in office administration, dealing with government agencies, translating, teaching, running meetings, a great organiser, is very personable and makes one hell of a cup of tea now. People from the UK who have met her think she would walk into a job, but I know its not that easy. However, she's the kind of person who also doesn't mind getting her hands dirty, will work any shifts, quite happy to start at the bottom and is a very caring and understanding person...she has to be to put up with me.
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Old Feb 24th 2009, 8:28 am
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Default Re: An Old Guy Going Home - Advice Please

Originally Posted by catch22
When Catch22 came out, people were saying, "Well, World War II wasn't like this." But when the USA got tangled up in Vietnam, it became a sort of text for the consciousness of that time. They say fiction can't change anything, but it can certainly organise a generation's consciousness.

I'm sure I'll get the answers I need - I have been doing considerable research here today and have found many similarities. Thanks for being positive.
Who wrote these great quotes?

"I had examined myself pretty thoroughly and discovered that I was unfit for military service"

"I want to keep my dreams, even bad ones, because without them, I might have nothing all night long"

This is the best one though

"Hungry Joe Collected lists of fatal diseases and arranged them in alphabetical order so he could put his finger without delay on any one he wanted to worry about"
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Old Feb 24th 2009, 9:05 am
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Default Re: An Old Guy Going Home - Advice Please

Originally Posted by Jules Europe
Who wrote these great quotes?

"I had examined myself pretty thoroughly and discovered that I was unfit for military service"

"I want to keep my dreams, even bad ones, because without them, I might have nothing all night long"

This is the best one though

"Hungry Joe Collected lists of fatal diseases and arranged them in alphabetical order so he could put his finger without delay on any one he wanted to worry about"
You know who wrote them Jules , but I do agree the one about Hungry Joe is a corker and I can certainly relate to the first.
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Old Feb 24th 2009, 9:10 am
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Default Re: An Old Guy Going Home - Advice Please

Has "UK Visa for Thai Ladies" ad appeared in my thread by chance or are they targeting me? I'm not paranoid....really....well I could be I guess.
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Old Feb 24th 2009, 9:13 am
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Default Re: An Old Guy Going Home - Advice Please

And "Chiangmai luxury homes". Guess the ads are tied to people's IP address. Well, I won't be needing either of their services.
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Old Feb 24th 2009, 10:07 am
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Default Re: An Old Guy Going Home - Advice Please

Originally Posted by catch22
Hejinder - it's history now - no damage done.
I guess my working in a guarded situation for so many years and being very careful what I say and to whom has left its mark (could I be paranoid?) and it will take time to get back to normal.
I'm gaining some insights here as well as good advice.
Looking forward to chatting with you more.
Thanks, catch22.
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Old Feb 24th 2009, 10:09 am
  #84  
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Default Re: An Old Guy Going Home - Advice Please

Originally Posted by catch22
And "Chiangmai luxury homes". Guess the ads are tied to people's IP address. Well, I won't be needing either of their services.
Lols Yep they listen in We in another forum use to test them to see how far they would go......child like i know...but when your bored

Your wife sounds wonderful by the way and i'm sure she will fit in very well.....

And you will get Income support and help with council tax etc If you end up in rented you will also get help with rent, whether it be council or private.

Is your wife younger then you ??? If she is working ...not sure how that would affect your benefits......You may lose them, that ones a tricky one as your wife wouldn't be a UK citizen,, so she wouldn't...I'm guessing be expected to support you ???

But if she's working ...you maybe wouldn't need to claim Income support.

Of course you could buy a stick and do the bad back thing and get incapacity benefits
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Old Feb 24th 2009, 10:20 am
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Default Re: An Old Guy Going Home - Advice Please

Originally Posted by Englishmum
I'm intrigued by something.

In post no. 22 on this thread, someone quoted a post from the "old guy" Catch 22 (which was subsequently deleted so I can't quote it here).

The final sentence says "I am married to a Karen"

(Karens are one of the ethnic groups along the Burmese/Thai border. I believe that some of the Karens wear many bands around their necks to make them longer?)

Is the O/P planning to take his Karen wife back to the UK with him?
Who let you out the box you clever sausage
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Old Feb 24th 2009, 11:01 am
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Default Re: An Old Guy Going Home - Advice Please

Originally Posted by catch22
Has "UK Visa for Thai Ladies" ad appeared in my thread by chance or are they targeting me? I'm not paranoid....really....well I could be I guess.
It's a function of how smart computers are these days. They match the advertising to terms found in the thread.
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Old Feb 24th 2009, 3:29 pm
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Default Re: An Old Guy Going Home - Advice Please

Originally Posted by sans
Lols Yep they listen in We in another forum use to test them to see how far they would go......child like i know...but when your bored

Your wife sounds wonderful by the way and i'm sure she will fit in very well.....

And you will get Income support and help with council tax etc If you end up in rented you will also get help with rent, whether it be council or private.

Is your wife younger then you ??? If she is working ...not sure how that would affect your benefits......You may lose them, that ones a tricky one as your wife wouldn't be a UK citizen,, so she wouldn't...I'm guessing be expected to support you ???

But if she's working ...you maybe wouldn't need to claim Income support.

Of course you could buy a stick and do the bad back thing and get incapacity benefits
Thanks for the compliment on my wife, she is nice and yes she's younger than me and never had any major health or dental problems.
I know it's now sounding a bit tricky, that's why I didn't want to go the 'full hog' on my first post - it overwhelms me at times thinking about it. Let's get hypothetical; if I were already there and receiving income support and I brought my wife over as one does to live happily ever after - she obviously wouldn't have a job and from what I understand no recourse on public funds -so where would that leave me, how would I support both of us?

The way things are going I may not need to buy a stick
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Old Feb 24th 2009, 3:38 pm
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Default Re: An Old Guy Going Home - Advice Please

Originally Posted by catch22
Thanks for the compliment on my wife, she is nice and yes she's younger than me and never had any major health or dental problems.
I know it's now sounding a bit tricky, that's why I didn't want to go the 'full hog' on my first post - it overwhelms me at times thinking about it. Let's get hypothetical; if I were already there and receiving income support and I brought my wife over as one does to live happily ever after - she obviously wouldn't have a job and from what I understand no recourse on public funds -so where would that leave me, how would I support both of us?

The way things are going I may not need to buy a stick
Regarding bringing your wife to the UK...I think you have to prove you have somewhere to live and have a certain amount of savings/income...so she will not be a burden to UK taxpayers.

Try the search function located in the pink bar at the top of the page to search for past threads about spouses moving to the UK.

Last edited by Jerseygirl; Feb 24th 2009 at 5:12 pm.
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Old Feb 24th 2009, 5:04 pm
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Default Re: An Old Guy Going Home - Advice Please

Originally Posted by catch22
Thanks for the compliment on my wife, she is nice and yes she's younger than me and never had any major health or dental problems.
I know it's now sounding a bit tricky, that's why I didn't want to go the 'full hog' on my first post - it overwhelms me at times thinking about it. Let's get hypothetical; if I were already there and receiving income support and I brought my wife over as one does to live happily ever after - she obviously wouldn't have a job and from what I understand no recourse on public funds -so where would that leave me, how would I support both of us?

The way things are going I may not need to buy a stick
Well if she's got good teeth she's sorted

I really carn't answer on the immigration and bringing spouses over ..sorry Its not something that i have ever had to look into...but their are lots on here that have.
Maybe if you start a new thread and head line it with that question, you will get the right people to answer it for you

But people do it ..all the time so dont lose heart....

So why wont you need a stick
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Old Feb 24th 2009, 8:55 pm
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Default Re: An Old Guy Going Home - Advice Please

Originally Posted by catch22
I have no problem working for any benefits I might receive - I will be sure to bring any medical records from here and my GP who very kindly kept me on his list is aware of most. I will be guided by what he says I should avoid - other than that I'm a believer in trying anything as long as it brings enough money in to live on and you learn something at the same time.

My wife was a teacher in the government schools, teaching grade 12 English mainly. Thai government teaching jobs are purely status (any Thai government job is). She's not a status seeker, so many years ago she left teaching and started her own computer skills school with a little money she had, but it didn't go very far because Thai's don't/can't pay enough. She then discovered NGO's in Thailand and they realised her potential for refugee work, programme planning, organising etc, and she's been with NGO's ever since and has excellent references from International donors such as AusAID and BBC (Burmese Border Consortium). She is a bit of a computer wiz as far as things like Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint and Pagemaker go and pretty good with some other programs - in both Thai and English. She is a very fast typer in both Thai and English. She has considerable experience in office administration, dealing with government agencies, translating, teaching, running meetings, a great organiser, is very personable and makes one hell of a cup of tea now. People from the UK who have met her think she would walk into a job, but I know its not that easy. However, she's the kind of person who also doesn't mind getting her hands dirty, will work any shifts, quite happy to start at the bottom and is a very caring and understanding person...she has to be to put up with me.

Just a thought but I think your wife might find a job easily with any of the UK's many charities. You need to do a search but if you type in UK charities, job opportunities, you'd probably get some idea of what they're looking for.
What your wife earns will mean you get less in any benefits but at least it's a start.
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