The sad truth of retired expats on pension returning Stateside with their younger Thai brides

Coffee

Coffee

You chose a custom title
Am I understanding this scenario correctly ? For example...
You've got everything covered except the cost of prescription drugs, healthcare and hospitalization for your bride (who in the majority of cases is at least 15 years younger).

If you're predominantly living on a social-security budget that includes paying for your Medicare you're probably not going to be able to afford your bride's health insurance.

If you're married and she is a citizen with a Social Security document then she might have to wait the turning of age prior to receiving any benefits as your spouse after you're deceased.

So what happens if there is a health issue and she doesn't have health coverage ?

Further if she has to take a job to afford health insurance then realistically how is she going to care for you ?

In retrospect does it really make any sense moving back to the US with a Thai partner ?

Within this particular type of narrative what are your thoughts and views on 'repatriating' ?
 
Quality of life and standard of living.


Just because you can buy 3 kilos of cooked rice for bugger all, doesn't make it nutritious.


There are a few Aussies on here who will attest to the the benefits of 'western living'.

In the UK I have seen a number of teeraks moved in and, without exception, not one has been in any hurry to return to her homeland.
 
Coffee:
Most of your Social Security/Spouse questions are answered here:
https://www.aarp.org/retirement/social-security/questions-answers/social-security-spouse-dies/

The rest of your questions appear to pertain to preference and circumstance, so difficult to find one answer for all. We decided not to live in America for many reasons, but probably the biggest ones were cost of living and quality of living. For me, born and raised in the Los Angeles area (South Bay beach areas), was fine until I got to be in my mid-twenties (around 1975) and then I got the heck out and went north to the Portland, Oregon/Vancouver, Washington areas. My reasons then were cost of living in the Los Angeles area and the rapidly increasing crime there.

I lived a pretty good life in the Pacific Northwest for the next 30 or so years, but similar to things before, everything began to change. Higher cost of living, more crime. I married my lovely wife in Thailand in 2006, and gradually began to spend more and more time here. We live in a fairly small village rather comfortably. We built our home here in 2008, and everything is paid for which makes our cost of living very low. (Approximately 20,000 baht/month for everything).

There have been some posts lately on other threads about barb wire and broken glass on the fences...living in fear. If I choose to I can leave our gates open and the keys sitting in the motocy, and nobody will bother anything. Try that today in L.A. or Seattle or Portland or even Surin and Prasat.

Now I know I'm getting a bit long-winded about your questions, but I guess my best answer to you would be to ask YOU why you would want to live in America?
For me, I'm here because of cost of living like I want to and quality of living like I want to.

mario299
 
Just taking CO-CO's first sentence "Quality of life and standard of living."

For most expats considering repatriation, whether it be to the US, UK or wherever they originated from, standard of living is likely to be somewhat lower than here in Thailand. Most of us live on a fixed income from pensions and the like, and would likely find it harder to make ends meet "back home" on the same income. We have homes here (albeit in our wives names) cars.motorbikes, but would not have these basics back home, and likely as not would not have the money to buy. To take ones wife back to the UK requires a specific amount of income, and most expats who have been here for a while, may well not be able to meet this minimum criteria, so repatriation, with your wife, would be a non starter.

Quality of life is what you make it. Whilst is is quite normal, and acceptable, to be seen around Thailand with a much younger wife (15 years + or more), such age difference is not considered acceptable in some locations in western countries, and both you, and your wife (if you can afford to get her there in the first place) may well not feel happy about the many comments you overhear being said about you.

45 years ago, in Leicester, which is now somewhat overrun with South Asians, I lived with a Chinese Malay girl. Age difference was not an issue, but the locals then (mainly young whites) would regularly make snide remarks to us due to her looking Chinese.. That did not help with our quality of life. It was better though when moving to a rural area I believe things in the main are somewaht better now, due to the huge number of immigrants over the years, but it is still a potential for problem. That said, we farangs face some of the same issues living in Thailand.

After 33 years in Thailand, there is no way I would consider returning to my home country, either alone or with my wife. It is no longer the country I grew up in. My last visit to the UK some 10 years ago, when I stayed in Reading with my British daughter, a large town to the West of London. showed me that I seemed to be an outsider in my own country. In the main huge mall, some 50% of the people were of colour, with the majority of the remainder seeming to be non English speaking caucasians. I can stay in Thailand and live along with the Thais (foreigners to me) but generally friendly and welcoming, with a better standard of living and quality of life than I imagine I would have if I repatriated.

Lets hear what others have to say.
 
Prakhonchai Nick said:
Just taking CO-CO's first sentence "Quality of life and standard of living."

For most expats considering repatriation, whether it be to the US, UK or wherever they originated from, standard of living is likely to be somewhat lower than here in Thailand. Most of us live on a fixed income from pensions and the like, and would likely find it harder to make ends meet "back home" on the same income. We have homes here (albeit in our wives names) cars.motorbikes, but would not have these basics back home, and likely as not would not have the money to buy. To take ones wife back to the UK requires a specific amount of income, and most expats who have been here for a while, may well not be able to meet this minimum criteria, so repatriation, with your wife, would be a non starter.

Quality of life is what you make it. Whilst is is quite normal, and acceptable, to be seen around Thailand with a much younger wife (15 years + or more), such age difference is not considered acceptable in some locations in western countries, and both you, and your wife (if you can afford to get her there in the first place) may well not feel happy about the many comments you overhear being said about you.

45 years ago, in Leicester, which is now somewhat overrun with South Asians, I lived with a Chinese Malay girl. Age difference was not an issue, but the locals then (mainly young whites) would regularly make snide remarks to us due to her looking Chinese.. That did not help with our quality of life. It was better though when moving to a rural area I believe things in the main are somewaht better now, due to the huge number of immigrants over the years, but it is still a potential for problem. That said, we farangs face some of the same issues living in Thailand.

After 33 years in Thailand, there is no way I would consider returning to my home country, either alone or with my wife. It is no longer the country I grew up in. My last visit to the UK some 10 years ago, when I stayed in Reading with my British daughter, a large town to the West of London. showed me that I seemed to be an outsider in my own country. In the main huge mall, some 50% of the people were of colour, with the majority of the remainder seeming to be non English speaking caucasians. I can stay in Thailand and live along with the Thais (foreigners to me) but generally friendly and welcoming, with a better standard of living and quality of life than I imagine I would have if I repatriated.

Lets hear what others have to say.
Click to expand...


Agree with all that.


Your situation, like many expats, is one that didn't have the luxury of options. Whilst you were only 42 years old, and I was 52, the decision to 'retire' is almost irreversible. After a few years here you couldn't go back even if you wanted to - similarly, had I tried to return to the UK at age 57 and look for a job I would have struggled.

It is those younger expats (and I have recently been doing UK visas where the Farang is under 40) who have employment/self-employment who are the more likely candidates to make a go of life in their home country - which was exactly your situation until you chose to leave. I suggest that you knew in 1982 that there was no turning back. You, partly through necessity - but mainly through desire - adapted to your new physical and financial surroundings. That is the 'norm' for the majority of older expats who choose to live out their life in Thailand.

However, there are others - Surin and George are a couple of examples - who could not and would not drop their living standards to adapt in the same way. Indeed, they have chosen to live in their home countries with their Thai wives.

Your point about a 15-30 year age difference is perfectly valid and I am sure Surin has learned to deal with any snidey remarks but, as you say, they are inevitable in a western culture.
 
Prakhonchai Nick said:
Just taking CO-CO's first sentence "Quality of life and standard of living."

For most expats considering repatriation, whether it be to the US, UK or wherever they originated from, standard of living is likely to be somewhat lower than here in Thailand. Most of us live on a fixed income from pensions and the like, and would likely find it harder to make ends meet "back home" on the same income. We have homes here (albeit in our wives names) cars.motorbikes, but would not have these basics back home, and likely as not would not have the money to buy. To take ones wife back to the UK requires a specific amount of income, and most expats who have been here for a while, may well not be able to meet this minimum criteria, so repatriation, with your wife, would be a non starter.

Quality of life is what you make it. Whilst is is quite normal, and acceptable, to be seen around Thailand with a much younger wife (15 years + or more), such age difference is not considered acceptable in some locations in western countries, and both you, and your wife (if you can afford to get her there in the first place) may well not feel happy about the many comments you overhear being said about you.

45 years ago, in Leicester, which is now somewhat overrun with South Asians, I lived with a Chinese Malay girl. Age difference was not an issue, but the locals then (mainly young whites) would regularly make snide remarks to us due to her looking Chinese.. That did not help with our quality of life. It was better though when moving to a rural area I believe things in the main are somewaht better now, due to the huge number of immigrants over the years, but it is still a potential for problem. That said, we farangs face some of the same issues living in Thailand.

After 33 years in Thailand, there is no way I would consider returning to my home country, either alone or with my wife. It is no longer the country I grew up in. My last visit to the UK some 10 years ago, when I stayed in Reading with my British daughter, a large town to the West of London. showed me that I seemed to be an outsider in my own country. In the main huge mall, some 50% of the people were of colour, with the majority of the remainder seeming to be non English speaking caucasians. I can stay in Thailand and live along with the Thais (foreigners to me) but generally friendly and welcoming, with a better standard of living and quality of life than I imagine I would have if I repatriated.

Lets hear what others have to say.
Click to expand...

Apart from the cost of living, for which my fixed income would never provide for a family of 4, I would never want to return to the UK to live. As my tag suggests, I have wandered far and lonely around the world and, for the past 15 years, feel well and truly at home in Surin. Moreover, given the age difference between myself and my wife and two daughters, the comments myself and the family would attract in the UK would almost certainly be adverse, rude and not friendly. I agree with Nick, living among Thais does not seem to attract that kind of attention and are in general rather friendly.
 
nomad97 said:
Apart from the cost of living, for which my fixed income would never provide for a family of 4, I would never want to return to the UK to live. As my tag suggests, I have wandered far and lonely around the world and, for the past 15 years, feel well and truly at home in Surin. Moreover, given the age difference between myself and my wife and two daughters, the comments myself and the family would attract in the UK would almost certainly be adverse, rude and not friendly. I agree with Nick, living among Thais does not seem to attract that kind of attention and are in general rather friendly.
Click to expand...


I agree - we have all chosen Thailand for similar reasons.

I think the 'friendliness' is more likely to be experienced in rural areas such as Surin and Buriram.
 
CO-CO said:
The Thai ladies have no need to work when they are 70 !..... it is they who are earning more than 300 Baht a day :)
Click to expand...

To quote the OP: "Further if she has to take a job to afford health insurance then realistically how is she going to care for you?"
 
Yorky said:
To quote the OP: "Further if she has to take a job to afford health insurance then realistically how is she going to care for you?"
Click to expand...


I can only relate to the UK and the Thai partners seem very comfortable with the NHS.......... some say it is actually better than the Thai 30 Baht scheme.....
 
Like Nick said, I also returned to UK about 9 years ago (when mum was dying) and couldn’t wait to get back to Thailand even though (at that time) I had little to return to. 9/10 years later, I still wouldn’t go back for any reason.
I have been offered accommodation/work in Spain but like the sound of the Philippines (never been & un-frozen pensions), maybe something to consider when retire for the second time in around 5 years time and get a government pension (@66).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
How this OP came about was from a conversation I was having with another American who has had to move Stateside due to medical circumstances which can not be addressed affordably by him in Thailand.
He now wants his Thai wife to join him and care for him daily.

My inquiry was mostly related to the cost of medical insurance and health coverage in America.
I asked what happens if her health begins to falter or a health emergency arises.
He didn't really have this one fully thought through.

So basically I'm thinking about certain things particularly in regards to healthcare. Do I really want to be an OAP living in a large American city...

(Let's not even begin with the debate on free healthcare for illegal immigrants when legal citizens aren't receiving coverage.)
 
10 year tourist visa based on marriage to a US citizen I think would be a way to at least have your wife with you in the states for up to 6 months a year. Health insurance for her may be the crux, which may be cheap enough to buy as a tourist using travel insurance possibly? Haven't looked into that yet, but may work/be more affordable. If you have been 'legally' married for 2 or more years this is the easier visa to get for her. And it can possibly be changed while in country due to her husband's medical reasons... possibly. Depends on the circumstances.
 
Cent said:
10 year tourist visa based on marriage to a US citizen I think would be a way to at least have your wife with you in the states for up to 6 months a year. Health insurance for her may be the crux, which may be cheap enough to buy as a tourist using travel insurance possibly? Haven't looked into that yet, but may work/be more affordable. If you have been 'legally' married for 2 or more years this is the easier visa to get for her. And it can possibly be changed while in country due to her husband's medical reasons... possibly. Depends on the circumstances.
Click to expand...

Been reported that this visa can be done in as little as 100 days at the embassy in BK. She gets a green card and SS number within a month after entering the US. You have to be legally;y married for 2 years or more.

IR-1 Visa Requirements. The IR-1 visa application process allows an American citizen to sponsor their foreign born spouse for permanent residency. If you and your spouse have been married for more than 2 years, you can apply for a IR-1 visa. Your spouse becomes a permanent resident automatically after entering the US.

https://travel.state.gov/content/tr...ly-immigration/immigrant-visa-for-spouse.html
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top