@Chris *******

yeah, it's annoying. They closed the Perth consulate too.

I took a Jetstar flight Cairns to Sydney one way in August; $210 (just carry on) So it would be possible for your wife to do a cheap round trip to Sydney from FNQ even with a night in a cheaper hotel for less than $2000

@Peter *****

not sure anyone is getting $100,000 HECS debt relief or any other form of relief amounting to that much. The majority of former students have HECS debts in the vicinity of $30,000. Former medical students and veterinarians around $50,000. Encouraging more students to study and gain qualifications in a variety of professional roles means less need for Australia to import more and more skilled migrants from overseas to fill skill shortages. Investing in our young people's education means they will likely earn a higher income, pay more tax over their life time and spend more, thus benefiting the Australian economy manifold

@Andrew *******

it went to 800K in 2018

@Ruth ******

yes, that has long been confusing for newbies. In most countries a visa agency couldn't call themselves a name using the word "Embassy." I haven't looked at their site recently, but in the past the information that they shared wasn't always 100% up to date

@Jason ****

been in place since 1979, but started to be routinely enforced in 2017

@Craig ******

I don't think even a year here is enough to decide. Most people are still walking around with pink glasses on at a year, seeing everything as rosy. Some time in the second year seems to be the point at which the pink glasses come off and people decide to stay or go

@Vee *******

it's not about getting home sick so much. People leave due to other factors such as the language barrier, frustrations due to cultural differences, beaurocracy, unrelenting heat, unmet expectations re what they expected living in Thailand would be like, poor environmental controls ie terrible air quality for months of the year when agricultural waste is burned, neighbours burning plastic, daily late night noise from bars and neighbours partying, dangerous driving conditions, boredom and loneliness. However it is very individual and depends on a lot of factors ie what one person hates about Thailand often is, what another loves. The fact that you mention keeping busy and adapting puts your chance of settling ahead of many others

@Greg **********

it's more about not being the way they have been taught to understand their world ie they don't know the names of major and minor streets, just landmarks or the names of intersections like si yaek followed by the intersection name or sarm yaek followed by the T junction name

Best advice, rent out your property in New Zealand, come to Thailand for 2 plus years before you make any definite plans about liquidating your assets and moving to Thailand permanently. By the end of two years many foreigners who thought they wanted to live in Thailand forever, have gone home. It takes about that long for the rose coloured glasses to come off. Thailand has lots to offer, but it is not perfect or paradise, but it's definitely worth giving it a try to see if it is right for you

Would you be eligible for Medicare if you moved to Austraia? That could be a big deciding factor ie free healthcare and access to goverment subsidised medication. I ask because I've met Kiwi workers who are and others who aren't. Don't have any knowledge about Kiwi retirees. Healthcare costs in Thailand are relatively cheap, except if you're used to free healthcare in your country of origin ie a doctors visit in a private hospital outpatients department could be as little $12-20 AUS. However if you have a stroke or heart attack or end up in ICU after a serious motorbike accident you're looking at tens of thousands of AUS dollars for your medical treatment unless you have robust private health cover and no pre-existing medical conditions