ritoyenne

my wife is on a one year ED-Visa, so there is a lot trouble now.

Correct, ED visa holders are scrutinised more these days. If immigration thinks they are not genuine students that may not get an extension, or just get a short one.

How about skype lessons at wallen school ?

What about the ED visa holders who attend skype lessons, living far away from their school ?

How does wallen school manage to report their attendance ? I know for sure that for the moment there were no change for them.

Can I know more ? I know a certain number of your students are in this case.

Could you really call that attending a class though? They haven't left their house at all. How is immigration able to do these "spot checks" of attendance that I've read about happening?

Yes I could call this "attending" a class. An online class. In my former group (at wallen) we were 6 or 7 people, and the teacher was very good, and people always attended classes. I learnt a lot with online skype lessons. It's almost the same, but you have to do the writing execises seriously at home. Homework quoi.

But I don't know also how it's possible to continue these lessons, given that it's said that immigration check attendance now. It's not compatible.

That's why I worry about these people, who learn thai on skype, have same ED-visa as everybody, and pay the same ammount to walen than everybody.

But when I asked the question, mister walen called me an idiot, and the message was deleted.

my wife is on a one year ED-Visa, so there is a lot trouble now.

Correct, ED visa holders are scrutinised more these days. If immigration thinks they are not genuine students that may not get an extension, or just get a short one.

How about skype lessons at wallen school ?

What about the ED visa holders who attend skype lessons, living far away from their school ?

How does wallen school manage to report their attendance ? I know for sure that for the moment there were no change for them.

Can I know more ? I know a certain number of your students are in this case.

I can not even spend more than 20k, how guys can spend lot of money in thailand? I m rich, but I have hard time to spend money here. After spending for everything I need, I m barely at 15k bahts/month. My friend told me they need around 20k to be comfortable in Thailand.

Explain? Because it s impossible to spend 100k bahts a month here unless someone take (steal) your money like gogo or else. In this case you are a loser. Rich people are rich because they keep their cash... Do you think I will pay for an elite card...? When I can keep the money instead? Get real.

I am same as you. It's very rare when I spend more than 15kB a month.

6k/month for my house.

100b/day for basic and good restaurants.

500b from time to time to buy a lot of food at tesco.

100b from time to time to buy gazoline.

1000b from time to time to pay a good restaurant with my girlfriend.

And a big buy from time to time, something I want, some furniture, some books, etc.

Overall I think I spend betweend 12k and 20k every month.

But I don't see why it's related to the elite card thing.

I must find a way to stay here because that's where I want to stay. How can I do, other than take a 5 years visa ? I'm 30, I don't work (legaly or illegaly), I don't have any business, I'm not willing to get married (not now), I don't have any thai kid. And on my island there is no thai school. Before the non-ed so called "crackdown" I had a non-ed visa for 15 months, with thai lessons on skype, but my school has to stop this because it can not cover me anymore (the immigration says it will check real presence at school). And my passport is full of tourist backTOback visas, so I can't take one anymore.

So tell me what other choice I have ? Other than the elite card ?

The only other solution is to go away from Thailand.

Hello,

I have been staying in Thailand with a non-ed visa for the past 15 months, with skype thai lessons 4 hours every week. I was lucky enough to get my last extension before the changes on non-ed visas, so I have 3 months now, to find a solution.

I live in a place where there are no school, and my school just told me it will not be possible anymore after my extension ends. They say it's too dangerous to keep on doing that, for the students and for the school. Do they mean it was illegal ?

Do you have any information about any way to do it again ? This solution was just ideal for me. Living on an island without any branch of any school, I can not attend any class "in real life". I didn't do it with bad intentions, I found this on internet, a few schools proposed skype lessons + non-ed visas, so I just took one.

What other solutions for me now ?

I'm 30 years old, my passport has 18 months of back-to-back tourist visas, and 18 months of student visa. Overall I've been staying almost 3 years in Thailand. I don't work here, I have no business, I have a girlfriend but I don't want to get married.

Hey guys, I'm willing to buy the 5 years card visa. I don't care about golf and limo things, I just want to stay in Thailand with no problem, and I don't want to work right now. I don't want to work illegaly also. I just want to stay here, to enjoy my simple life with my girlfriend, and take time before deciding what I will do with my life.

How de you guys evaluate the possibility that this kind of visa (so called "elite" thing, of 5 years) get canceled, in the coming months / years ?

I mean : 500k is real money (for me) ! I'm not taking it lightly !

And if I decide to take it, it's realy for having no problem for 5 years, staying clean with the rules. Do you think it's possible that, let's say, I take this visa now, and in the next 3 months I'm told by the governement "your visa has been canceled, sorry farang, bye, kop khun krap for money" ?

With all this crackdown thing, I guess a lot of people are in the same case than me (honnest guys, not working, with some money, just wanting to stay here), so maybe this elite card visas are next to be targeted by the new immigration laws ?

cheers

Just to let everybody know my situation, I have had an ED visa for a couple of years yet never had to leave the country and I have had to pay the standard 1,900 every 90 days. I was very unsure about this whole 29th of August situation so I contacted my school and they said that I did not have to leave until my current yearly visa runs out which will be next year, so that dispels that myth at least for me... How many hours we need to study I forgot to mention but she didn't bring it up so I am assuming nothing has changed.

If your visa is not older than one year, you are ok.

If your visa is older than one year, you should have to leave the country and take a new one.

Here is a mail sent by my school, about my situation :

From 29th August all the students who have extended their ED visa past one year have to apply for visa again by the date of their next extension. If I'm not mistaken, your next extension will be on 1st November, which means that you will have to apply for visa again by that date. It takes about 2 weeks to prepare documents for visa but since there are going to be more people applying, I suggest that you come to school earlier (3 weeks- 1month) to be sure (so, in the beginning of Oct)

You will need to bring your passport, 12 pictures in colour (3.5 by 4 cm and, according to the new law, you need to be wearing a shirt with a collar and long sleeves on the pictures), your address in Thailand.

It's wallen school, in Pattaya.

the whole debate is moot anyway, as much as people whinge and stamp their little feet and throw their toys out the cot, and say its just not fair, Digital nomads, on liners, independently wealthy, free lancers or what ever title they give themselves will not be getting a "special" visa to live and work in Thailand long term, so suck it up ladies

Yeah, they won't be given a new visa to live and work in thailand longterm, because they already have the thai elite card 5 years / 20 years, right ?

I'm sorry but I'm very confused now.

The monthly income OR 400kB on a bank account condition is still available for extension ?

We see the anti Elite (card) trolls appear on the Facebook page, but they don't dare to post anything much because it's not anonymous like here

Hey, I'm realy interested in the 5 years thing, I guess I'll soon take one.

Is there a way to have the FB link ?

Cheers.

 

As of yesterday, an ED visa only allows you to stay for up to 12 months in Thailand. After that, you need to exit the country and re-apply for a new ED visa.

 

These new rules also apply to current ED visas. So, if you were supposed to get your final extension on, say August 20th, you will not get it. Look at the original ED visa sticker in your passport and see when you got it. Add 1 year. That's when you have to leave the country at the latest. (For example, you got your ED visa on September 6th, 2013. That means you need to leave Thailand at the latest on September 6th, 2014).

 

I got my original ED stamp on the 16 July 2013 at the Thai embassy in London.

I have a stamp of extension until the 12 October 2014, because I didn't enter Thailand until the 18 October.

So are you saying the stamp that immigration gave me to stay until the 12 October is now illegal ?

As far as I'm aware the original stamp gives a person one year from stamp date to enter Thailand, it has nothing to do with when the visa starts.

 

Your stamp is not illegal. But you will have to renew your visa before the end of the stamp (if your visa is older than 1 year). This is the new rule. I'm in the same case of you. Here is what my school told me : 

"From 29th August all the students who have extended their ED visa past one year have to apply for visa again by the date of their next extension. If I'm not mistaken, your next extension will be on 1st November, which means that you will have to apply for visa again by that date. It takes about 2 weeks to prepare documents for visa but since there are going to be more people applying, I suggest that you come to school earlier (3 weeks- 1month) to be sure (so, in the beginning of Oct)

You will need to bring your passport, 12 pictures in colour (3.5 by 4 cm and, according to the new law, you need to be wearing a shirt with a collar and long sleeves on the pictures), your address in Thailand.

The reason we haven't notified you of the changes is because we need to establish what the payment is going to be for students with the same case as yours. We expect the owner of the school to come this evening to discuss all the details. As soon as I know something I will let you know."

Unfortunately, I think you have to do the trip again in mid October. Everybody has to now reapply after the next 3 month renewal date after 29th of August. My school started the paper work today for me. So if you just got your ED last month, you have to do the trip again late October.

No, only people with a visa older than one year must renew it.

I dont think that is how it works

I think if you have been in the school over 1 year then you have to leave after the 29th, you cant stay in the country for more then one year with a border run outside of the country.... so new people just getting wouldnt have to go until next year, if that isnt true and everyone has to go then i am super screwed as i am in laos right now getting my visa , to have to go back would seriously suck so soon

That's how I understand it also.

If your visa is older than one year, then you have to renew it before the end of your present extension.

If your visa is just fresh, you are not concerned yet, you will have to renew it next year.

For instance my visa is 15 months old. I'll have to get a new one before my 3 months extension ends.

The new regulations start on the 29th of August

1. If your visa extension is due after the 29th , you must re-apply for the student visa, even if you have only done 1,2 or 3 of your extensions.
2. This will involve another visa trip outside of Thailand to obtain a new ED Visa.
3. All new applicants on a tourist visa can apply for the student visa but will loose the length of the tourist visa from the length of the ED Visa ( for example if you have 30 day tourist visa you will loose 1 month from your 12 month ED Visa, if you have 60 days + 30 days then you would loose up to 3 months of the visa dependent on entry stamp and when you got the ED Visa
4. Students that go from year 1 to 2 or year 2-3 ect will have to re-apply in the same way but unlike now where you just continue to go to immigration , you must now take the documents outside of Thailand to a Thai embassy or consulate for them to issue a new student visa.

They are also to investigate all visa shops , law firms and bars with visa booths offering student visa's and will require them to name the schools who are doing the paperwork for them.

Your post is confusing and appears to be incorrect.

A person that has already been getting 90 day extensions will not have to go out for a new ED visa until they have been doing them for a year.after the order goes in effect.

A person that has been doing them already for more than a year would not have to do it until a year after the police order goes into effect. Immigration does not make their orders retroactive.

3. Makes no sense. The one year does not start until your first extension starts.

No he is right about the people who have a visa older than 1 year. They have to go to apply for a new visa as soon as the curent extension ends.

In my exemple :

I have one ed-visa delivered 15 months agos. My curent extension runs from 4th august to 1st November. In november I'll have to make a visa trip to get a new visa. Here is a mail sent by my school :

"That's unfortunately correct. From 29th August all the students who have extended their ED visa past one year have to apply for visa again by the date of their next extension. If I'm not mistaken, your next extension will be on 1st November, which means that you will have to apply for visa again by that date. It takes about 2 weeks to prepare documents for visa but since there are going to be more people applying, I suggest that you come to school earlier (3 weeks- 1month) to be sure (so, in the beginning of Oct)

You will need to bring your passport, 12 pictures in colour (3.5 by 4 cm and, according to the new law, you need to be wearing a shirt with a collar and long sleeves on the pictures), your address in Thailand.

The reason we haven't notified you of the changes is because we need to establish what the payment is going to be for students with the same case as yours. We expect the owner of the school to come this evening to discuss all the details. As soon as I know something I will let you know."

I sent you a private message, in french.

I agree with other people, the french rules are abusive. 

First I thought you misunderstood the 20k€ rule, and I thought it was 20,000B. But I checked it, it's true : they want 20,000e on a bank account ! This is realy abusive, it's almost ONE MILLION BAHTS ! I can not believe it. Maybe they made a mistake in their own document, you should ask them. Or maybe it's some kind of joke. Even so as to stay in thailand permanently upon marriage you need only 400,000 bahts.

You should come to Thailand with a double entry tourist visa, provided you don't have a previous history of back-to-back visa/exemptions on your passport I guess you will not have any problem.

And then you will find a school here.

Overall it will take 1 months to :

- find a serious school, pay for 180 hours

- wait for them to make the paper work

- get the papers, go to Laos (or orther) to get your visa

- come back to Thailand and start learning.

I would say you should look at walen school, they are very serious, and they have good teachers.

Ritoyenne

 

Which branch are you attending and when did they start to teach how to write from day one?

I don't know what it means.

I was attending the "book 1" class.

Wow poor guy, he was only posting some info for you all and he's got a beating. 

Bloody hell you people really do go off subject dont you,the Guy was just making the point about how he was now being quizzed about his ED visa extension under the new rules/clampdown and being tested to see if he was a genuine student or just using the ED visa for an excuse to live in Thailand long term. Who really gives a shit has to his ability to speak or write in Thi he can be learning freaking Swahili for all we know or care, its nothing to do with you or me.

 

Good luck to you mate if staying in Thailand as long as you can and enjoying yourself by whatever means it takes then good for you 

I agree with you.

I am on non-ED visa for more than one year also, and I read this thread to get information about it.

But what did I read on this thread ? Crap, crap, crap, hate, hate, hate, troll, troll, troll.

The guy came to us to post some fresh information, and we got 4 pages about learning thai alphabets or not, learning skills, which school is better than another, who is a true student, etc. Fucking boring.

Please mister the moderators ... do something -- I don't want to read 9 posts of BS just for 1 post of good fresh information about non-ED extension.

Walen must have changed a lot from when I studied there a few years ago- they never taught the alphabet at all (you had to copy what the teacher said when the book came to a list of letters, but things like class and what noise the letters actually made etc wasn't ever discussed)- it was a relief to switch to a school like Language Express where reading and writing is taught properly from day one. That's really good if Walen finality changed their terrible teaching system (even the teachers would complain about it). 

But having gone round most language schools for sample classes, I'd say the majority of them teach you the alphabet and reading from the start as well. 

 

I am a second year student in walen school, I will have my first 3 months extension on my second year on monday, at immigration at Pattaya. (my first year ends on sunday).

I was never said about the need of getting a new visa (my school mailed me today, and nothing was said about that), or having to go out of Thailand. My school also never told me about the need of attending a class everyday of the week. Plus : I never signed something about that.

I understand the new rules will run in August 29th : is it only for new visas ? Or you think I am concerned ? If I am concerned : what will happen, when I will go to get another extension in 3 months ?

This is so so so unclear.

Well I have been informed by my local language school that to apply for an ED visa moving forward you will have to sign and submit with your application a declaration that you will attend 5 days per week.

 

 

I think something been lost in translation- I think (and who knows) the jail and 20,000 baht thing is for a total failure to produce a passport - in overstaying terms- not because you'd left it at home on the table when you went out or that you've lost it and are waiting for a new one to arrive etc. 

,

+1

It seems obvious to me.

The 20k/2 yrs thing is if you realy can't produce your passport, with no reason. No if you forgot it at home.

I don't realy get something.

I payed already 24,000 bahts, for 180 hours of thai classes, and 1 year of ED visa.

What will happen to me, then ? I have to pay more ?

Edit : and I never signed something about 2 hours / day -- 5 days / week, because I made the paper work for my second year in wallen school, last week.

Have also heard (Rumour) but rules regarding Non O marriage are going to change in regard to reporting of finance and more house visits.

Are you able to expand on this? Please start a new thread if yes. Thousands will be interested to know the detail!

For me, in anticipation of an imminent change in financial requirements for a marriage extension, just last week I transferred GBP 10K to my Thai bank to cover the next years expenditure for my Thai family - this represents my annual UK pension as a lump sum. This is in excess of the Baht 400K on (permanent) deposit. I suspect those who currently 'borrow' 400k each year to renew their extensions will run into difficulty sooner or later

Only rumours.

I am sure if there was any ort of piece of information about "Non O marriage are going to change in regard to reporting of finance and more house visits", then there would be a loooooot of threads talking and asking about this.

It's possible it will change. But nobody knows.

About ED visas, I had a friend today who enrolled for a one year thai class today + ED visa, he payed the school, made the paper works, and now he is waiting for the paper work to be finished for going to Laos with his papers. At school they told him it's better for him to go to Laos BEFORE 12th of august, because after this day it would be more difficult. He has no back-to-back tourist visas. Only one 2 entries tourist visa. But I guess school told this to him 'just in case', and they don't realy know what will happen then.

No more details.

The test will be carried out at the department of immigration when you get your three month extension and extension will be denied if you do not pass the test. This is what already happens in an informal way.

Have also heard (Rumour) but rules regarding Non O marriage are going to change in regard to reporting of finance and more house visits.

As the OP said at #1, and as I reported at #25 from my test last week, it is NOT at immigration, this is a MoE test at their office, at least for people in BKK

Was it anyone from Pattaya ever tested?

I am thinking study for a year before I get married...

I am thinking go for english or thai..

I am polish so I can study eng.

Personally i would like to learn thai cuz got thai gf etc...

But simes there is less problem with eng.

Confused and i have to choose by mon.

Pattaya...

I am beginning my 2nd year of student visa (waiting for paperworks to be completed by my school), I'm learning thai in Walen school.

The first year (actualy it's 15 months, but whatever) I was never tested. Not at my school, not at immigration (envery 90 days).

When I wanted to take a new year, I was tested in my school. I have not been back to immigration since then, because I'm waiting for the paperwork to be finished by walen, so I don"t know if I will be tested by a officer, or what.

The test in my school was 15 questions asked by a staff member. I didn't understand all the questions, and I didn't know how to answer to all the questions.

I was asked to show I can write my name in thai (some kind of phonetic transcription. if your name is john, you should wirte "จอน", this kind of stuff to make the sound "jon")

And I was asked to read about 10 words in thai. Simple words, as : I, book, chair, language, study, etc. etc.

Reading and writing is quite "easy" (with some mistakes of course) after 1 year of studying, but understanding a thai talking is quite still difficult. If you don't know one main word of the sentence or the question, you're screwed. For instance a question was : how many provinces in Thailand ? I didn't know the word for province -- จังหวัด // "jang wat", so I couldn't get it, no matter how many times she repeated it.

But if you just want to study one year, and if the same rules applied to me also apply to you, you will not be tested during the first year.

OK here is the latest in Hua Hin Immigration-renewed Ed Visa today for a second year and was questioned by immigration staff -in Thai- to ensure that I was attending school and was learning the language as a legitimate student. She made it clear I should speak Thai when it came to renewing next time-fortunately some of what I learned in school stuck and I was able to answer her simple questions-but if you are not attending and cant respond you may face a difficult renewal process.

What did they ask, exactly ? thank's. Just curiosity.

In 1 year, the immigration staff never asked me anything (in Pattaya). But next month I'll have to go for my first extension of the second year. So..

I went to walen school, 1 week ago, to pay for my second year of learning thai, and make the paper work. They are doing the paperwork right now, and in the following days I will have to go back, and go to immigration for 3 new months -- the first 3 months of my second year of learning.

I had to pass a test in the school, with a girl from the staff, for my first year (speaking, reading, rather easy), but nobody talked to me about this kind of test in the ministry, and nobody talked to me about this kind of new rules. And it was after the 1st july.

I will mail my school to know more about this. It could be bullshit, or it could be the beginning of ED-visa crackdown.

He is french from Algeria

Let me correct you. He is Algerian with a French passport.

Let me correct you. He is french with a french passport. His parents were algerian and immigrated in France in the 70's.