timmyp

38 minutes ago, quarantined said:

I'm going through the process of applying for a new non-B and certificate of entry from the US. I will post updates as I have them.

 

 

Thank you so much for posting. I am very anxious to hear about things go for you. Getting that 72 hour test from the U.S. seems especially difficult due to the flight time from the U.S.  I suppose that immigration in will take the time difference into consideration? That is, the time stamp on the report will appear to be 12 hours older than it actually is.

Your input is much appreciated.  Please continue to update us with your progress.

45 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Afaik the only Thai embassies issuing visas to everybody are in the countries neighboring Thailand (and Vietnam). Thai embassies in other countries only issue visas to people who are either citizens of this country or have permanent residency status.

The neighboring countries are still closed except for their own citizens.

This means your only option is to apply at the Thai embassy in your home country, you will get the most current and precise information if you call them.

Thanks, jackdd. Thai embassies in other countries beyond the neighboring countries here issue various Thai visas, not just to citizens or permanent residency. 

>> countries only issue visas to people who are either citizens of this country

Obviously, a citizen of Thailand wouldn't need to be a issued a visa to Thailand, so I assume that you're just talking about citizen services there.

Under normal circumstances, I can apply at Thai embassies outside Southeast Asia that are not my home country. That is not a problem. But I am looking for information on what the situation is right now with the covid restrictions. 

The Thai embassy in the U.S. says that they are issuing visas, I have already checked their website (the link is above), but I want to hear from someone who has obtained such a visa. That is, whatever the embassy says, is it actually issuing visas?

9 minutes ago, Calvin1976 said:

My experience...

Before any Thai embassy can issue Non-B visa (3 months) to you.

You need to get approval letter WP3 from (an approval letter from the Ministry of Labour of Thailand) MoL Thailand. Quite a lot of paperwork need to submitted for this letter.

 

Yes of course I have all of the paperwork necessary for the visa. This is not my problem. My problem is:

Are any embassies actually issuing such visas right now? The Thai embassy in the U.S. says that it is, 

https://thaiembdc.org/2020/07/11/non-immigrant-b-ib_workpermit/

But I'd really like hear from someone that has actually obtained such a visa during these times, along with the other requirements: Fit to Fly certificate, corona test, etc. If someone else has done this, and returned to Thailand, then I will do it myself. I fear, however, that I would fly out to wherever a Thai embassy is, and be told, "sorry, we're not issuing visas no matter how perfect your paperwork is," and then be stuck there.

8 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

The problem with doing it on a extension based upon attending school is that you cannot apply for a work permit to get a work permit application letter to apply for the new extension. Most work permit offices will not accept a application for one.

Yes, I am aware of this. This is why I am anxious to fly out and apply for the non-B at the nearest embassy. 

I have been attending Thai classes faithfully, and my school is in good standing, so I don't imagine that I'll have a problem extending my ED visa through September. I'd sure like to leave and get my visa problem straightened out well before that time, though. 

I would love to hear from anyone who has applied for a non-B outside Thailand and obtained the visa in the last 3 weeks. 

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You cannot change to a non-b in any case. With some types of extensions it is possible to change the reason but doing it from education to working/teaching without  getting a new visa entry it is not possible.

The problem with doing it on a extension based upon attending school is that you cannot apply for a work permit to get a work permit application letter to apply for the new extension. Most work permit offices will not accept a application for one.

Thanks, ubonjoe. This is what I have been told, that it is not possible to switch. I really wish it were, it seem silly and arbitrary that an ED visa can't be switched to a non-B, but that's just my impression without knowing about how the system works. 

I have been extending my ED visa here (I've been going to immigration, and not depending on the automatic visa amnesty), and I believe that I'll be able to extend through September. I am doing this because I am waiting for the opportunity to make a visa run and get my non-B. I have been renting an apartment here, so I really want to wait this out here, rather than leaving Thailand, and continuing to pay rent on an apartment that I am paying rent on. 

I was really hoping for a "travel bubble," to open, and then make a visa run to a neighboring country, but that seems further and further away. 

I would like to go to Japan, the U.S., or anywhere with a Thai embassy to do this, but I fear that the Thai embassy there will refuse to grant a non-B visa, regardless of the paperwork being in order. 

9 hours ago, jackdd said:

Which visa do you currently have? If you entered visa exempt or with a tourist visa you can convert it in Thailand.

Yes, I was told  this. I have an ED visa for studying Thai language. I was told by the department in the company that handles visas that this specific visa cannot be changed, and that I must exit the country. I have a couple of friends in exactly the same situation: ED visas, unable to switch to non-B within Thailand (although the companies where they are work are much smaller). My two friends are still able to go to work and get paid under the table, as their companies figure that they can fly under the radar, but the company sponsoring my visa cannot fly under the radar, so I am stuck waiting to convert my visa before I can begin working and getting a pay check again. 

9 hours ago, BritTim said:

I would suggest using a well connected legal firm who can arrange the Non B visa and work permit without leaving Thailand. Assuming your salary is reasonably high (over 50,000 baht per month) it should be possible, and will cost less than leaving and reentering with all the requirements around quarantine and insurance.

The company sponsoring my visa has great pull, and they told me that my visa cannot be converted. I have an ED visa (for studying Thai language). The company says that some other visa types can be converted without leaving Thailand, but not the ED visa. 

I think because of this company, they have to go by the letter of the law, and there are no ways of bending the rule. So, while they are well-connected, bending rules on this, I am told, is not possible.

Has anyone left Thailand in the last couple of weeks, applied for a "Non-Immigrant Type B" at a Thai embassy, obtained the visa, and returned to start working in Thailand? Of course that would involve the other hoops: Fit to Fly certificate, proof of insurance, 14-day quarantine upon arrival, etc.

I am in Bangkok, and I need to leave Thailand in order to obtain a non-immigrant B. I have the paperwork, etc., but I am afraid that the Thai embassies may not be issuing visas, so even if I go to an embassy, they would say, "Sorry, no new visas." I was actually officially hired in March, but have been restricted from going to the company until I have a proper work visa. It's a super strict company, and insists on following the rules about this. So, hired, but can't start until I get that visa. I can't switch my visa within Thailand. 

Countries that I can currently fly to where there is a Thai embassy: U.S., Japan, Maldives. I am a U.S. citizen, I have permanent residency in Japan, and the Maldives is just weirdly open to tourism right now. 

I really want to leave and get my visa so that I can return and start working. Of course 14 days quarantine upon return sucks, but I can't start getting paid until I get my visa. It's worth the suffering. I will jump through all the hoops of the Fit to Fly certificate, covid test, insurance, etc. 

Life would be easier if the gov would  allow me to switch to the non-imm type B while in Thailand, but this doesn't seem likely.

I would love to hear from anyone who has successfully obtained the non B visa abroad right now.

They teach Chinese at the language school where I learn Thai and they sort out all the ED visa paperwork. It's called Pro language and is close to Asok BTS station in Sukhumvit rd, on the 10th floor of Times square building. www.prolanguage.co.th

Pro Language has had a serious problem with their ED visa language extensions for about a year now. Immigration is only allowing 30 days for students of Pro Language. That means you'll have to extend your visa every 30 days. That's not only a 1900 baht fee every month, but it's a lengthy trip to the office up in Jaeng Watthana every month as well. And re-entry permits issued with that 30 day visa are also only good for 30 days. It's a pretty serious inconvenience.

Better to go with another school until Pro Language gets their problem worked out with immigration.

I don't know why people above are telling you that you can't do it, it's weird that they would feel the need to post about something they know nothing about, but that is common on this site.

Strange !

Where are these post which tell the OP "he can't do it" ?

Sorry, sorry, I skimmed the comments about "rumours" and thought they were saying that it's only rumours that such a visa can be obtained. I know realize that they were rumours about changes in granting a visa.

You can get an ED visa to study Mandarin, yes. It has to be a school accredited by the Ministry of Ed. I got an ED visa to study Japanese. The same school offers an ED visa to study Mandarin. You will have to fill out forms showing that you are going to class everyday and stating what you learn in every single class. Everyone I know who got an ED visa to study Japanese, Chinese, and English in Thailand got tested at immigration and at the Ministry of Ed. Nobody ever tested me. The people who were faking it got rejected on their visa extensions because they couldn't pass the test. So either you have to be going to class for real, or you have to be proficient already in what you are claiming to be learning so that you can pass the simple tests they give you.

It will cost about the same as studying Thai (i.e., you pay for the ED visa sponsorship and several months of classes).

I don't know why people above are telling you that you can't do it, it's weird that they would feel the need to post about something they know nothing about, but that is common on this site.

A working-class to wealthy story: My x-gf's dad was a delivery boy at the market. At 26, he started a business selling staffs, flag poles, and batons. They weren't sure if the business would workout, so he also got a truck driver's license. The business worked out, and the family is now very well-off. Two of the daughters did their university and master's degree in the UK. The father was very working-class, and now, thanks to his hard work and the luck of the business, they are quite wealthy by Thai standards.

Many Chinese families supposedly came here with nothing, and did well for themselves. There is a saying in Thai, "to have come with just a mat to sleep on," and that is about the Chinese merchants who came with nothing and worked their way up.

I think many of these stories are true, but hard not to think many are also untrue, because most people with money want to look like, "I worked very hard to get here, nobody just handed me my wealth."

The guy who started the nori/seaweed snacks that are popular in Thailand has a great background story about starting small and hitting it really big, but the wonderful story may be more part of the product brand than reality.

They will understand Thai no problem. You might want to learn some basics about the difference online (and not on Thai Visa), such a making negative sentences and some different vocabulary words.

Reading the article, this guy doesn't strike me as a particularly interesting or mysterious character. Throwing away your life for just $30,000 seems like pretty small time stuff. Perhaps the documentary will show that there is something more interesting here than just small-time crime, and more than a fool who got killed trying to be a tough guy in Asia?

Another climate change nutter bites the dust.

Yes, those climate change nutters are a tiny minority. Good to shut them up and stop spreading those silly rumours so we can all get back to some proper polluting.

>Cambodia is now free of “blue-ear” pig disease,

The world, however, continues to suffer from rampant fat pig disease.

Japan offers something like this. It falls under the "Cultural" visa heading. I never had it, but I have met people that did. Potters, painters, textiles, welding... I never met someone using it for writing in Japan, I haven't a clue if writing is allow for such a visa there.

<removed>

But I am on your side here. The artists I met in Japan on a similar visa were putting out good work, though the cost of living there doesn't really allow one to sit around as it would here.

I mean to say that this short-film was very lakhawn-like and nothing like the more realistic portrayals of Thai society that I have seen by other Thai independent filmmakers, but at least there is some mention of the slavery problem, however clearly hi-so and plastic-surgeried up the actors are.

Like any cheesey lakhawn, I couldn't really sit through it. I scene-skipped. Above all, though, I think we have to commend the filmmakers for attempting to recognize the slavery problem in the fishing industry.

I've seen lots of independent Thai films that do a great job of using "real" people and representing a non-glamorous strata of Thai society. It's always refreshing to see those instead of pasty white plastic surgery actors pretending to cry.

Fascinating photos.

>>Danny High of Funny River

There's a good joke in there somewhere.

why are they drinking milk anyway? Milk is already rotten, it's white because of the pus.

There is more calcium in a cup of broccoli than a cup of milk.

How do the largest animals on the planet with the largest bone structures, aka calcium deposits

get all that calcium? Oh yeah! green plants!!!

Drinking milk is stupid any way you look at it. Pushing lactose on a lactose intolerant society is stupid.