BritTim

33 minutes ago, brianp0803 said:

I’ve heard the tests are very accurate if you test positive, but not sure about the sensitivity about being able to detect during early stages of infection. 

Usually, even the most sensitive tests do not give a positive result until 48 hours, or so, after initial exposure. It can be longer. The swabs are taking samples from a specific location, and there could be an active infection away from that site. There can also be issues with swabbing done incorrectly, or processing by the labs (especially if by inexperienced or overworked technicians) being faulty.

EDIT: By the way, positive tests can occur long after the active infection is over. even more than a month later. This is believed due to RNA fragments that linger even when there is no live virus.

1 hour ago, DrPhibes said:

Have flight reservation from LAX to BKK on Korean Aug 30th.  The RT-PCR test within 48hrs (72 is not realistic when having to get to airport early etc...) is impossible right now in Central CA down through Southern CA.  The labs are backlogged.  Even for people in ICU it is taking 48hr minimum from what I'm being told.  I am just hoping by the time it gets closer to 8/30, the delay will have gone down.

If there was an organised federal response to the pandemic, the testing issues could be mitigated. There are labs in areas with lower infection rates with spare capacity. However, full use can only be made of this capacity with a nationwide logistics system which includes rapid transport of samples to be tested to labs that can process them, and timely email notification of results to all relevant parties.

Unless there are huge Covid-19 outbreaks in Thailand (which I sincerely hope does not happen) Thailand is going to maintain somewhat strict border controls in the hopes of keeping the virus out. As ever in Thailand, money and influence will override regulations aimed at keeping Thailand safe to some degree, but fully open borders with any neighbouring country in September is almost inconceivable. As others have opined, the prospect of travel bubbles with selected countries has sadly receded with recent outbreaks in previously Covid-19 free countries. While nothing is certain (and even Prayut cannot tell you what will happen) the prospects of Thailand reopening to unrestricted tourism within the next few months is extremely slim.

1 hour ago, AndrewMciver said:

No excuse everyone boarding should be tested. Let's be honest, if you are a Thai living in the USA, UK, or rest of Europe you can afford a test. 

I have sympathy with what you are saying, but it is not so easy to have a Covid-19 test (at least, a reliable PCR test) in much of the US and have the result within 48 hours or so. In some states, results are taking as much as a week on average.

Another, somewhat different, issue is that people can become infectious before they develop symptoms. Generally, this is four to five days after initial exposure, but can be as little as two days. Also, even the best tests properly processed are not 100% accurate. It is more likely than not that there will be Covid-19 positive people (who may or may not be infectious) on any flight from a Covid-19 hotspot, even if reasonable precautions are taken.

The above needs to be understood by those who think the rapid Covid-19 tests (which are only about 90% accurate) at the airport on arrival would be sufficient protection without quarantine.

If your accountant cannot help, and any of the conditions specified in the link provided by @ubonjoe cannot be satisfied, your best bet will be to contact an immigration lawyer. Usually, they can sort something out, but it will not be cheap.

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

That is the one that has been posted here and in the news forum.

I question some of what it says though since it contradicts what was in the cabinet resolution for the extension of the ministerial notice approved on April 7th.

I believe Immigration may be able to create a fait accompli, even if the policies they publish are not exactly what the cabinet resolved. What Immigration decides to enforce is only an issue if Prayut decides to intervene. He may well not.

Even earlier during the amnesty, I think Immigration has enforced policies that were not as the cabinet intended. For instance, I believe one intention was that late applications for one-year extensions ought to be allowed during the amnesty. For the most part, without the use of agents, that does not appear to be what has happened.

19 minutes ago, Wars said:

$1300 from JFK using Korean Air. 

I assume there is a guarantee that they will hold the Seoul to Bangkok flight for the connecting passengers if the flight(s) into Seoul are delayed. A 45-minute connection time is pretty tight, especially for international-to-international.

38 minutes ago, Guderian said:

They'll just have to work out some way to accommodate people who need to do visa runs if the borders remain closed past 26th September.

Looking at it from Thailand's perspective, who needs to do visa runs, as opposed to returning to their home countries?

If you are on a one-year extension of your permission to stay based on your Thai kids, the only requirement before October is to do the 90-day address report before the end of August (assuming you have not done one recently).

24 minutes ago, fakser said:

I left Thailand on Dec 2019.

My Non Imm. O visa expired last week. Jul 17, 2020

Of course I could not extend it because I was unable to enter the Kingdom.

No one in Immigration or Thai consulate in my country can give me an answer, what to do.

Any one has an idea?

Thanks,

Fakser

I assume you were on an extension of stay, but it is unclear from your post whether this was due to retirement, Thai spouse or some other reason. If you have a Thai spouse and/or child, contact the embassy in your home country. It may be possible to arrange your return, though the process is involved and involves expense. If you are a retiree with no Thai family, there is currently no mechanism by which you can return. You will need to wait things out for a few months at least.

1 hour ago, jdlancaster said:

A japanese and russian guy have passed already through the land border. The special treatment is you get to pay for an ambulance ride into your asq.

Just a slight correction: the ambulance ride is to Alternative Hospital Quarantine, not Alternative State Quarantine. There is a difference, however unimportant.

13 hours ago, CFCjeff said:

 Why dont offices issue o visa themselves if we have all the neccessary documentation ?

They will issue you a one-year extension of your permission to stay if you meet all the requirements for a one-year multiple entry Non O visa from the Penang consulate, plus some photos. I think what you are asking is why does immigration not provide a one-year extension of stay based on the same very liberal requirements for a Non O at the Savannakhet consulate, There is no good answer to that other than to say those applying in Savannakhet in the past were very lucky.

51 minutes ago, Almer said:

Wow, breaking ones arm is a bit OTT

Yep, I have heard the phrase "I would give my right arm to ...", but surely those that keen to stay should look into the Thailand Elite program instead.

19 hours ago, SePl said:

I guess that you also are among the people who were not sure that amnesty would be extended...

In June, I was not sure the amnesty would be extended. By mid July, with no statement that people had to leave now, I was pretty sure there would be a way to stay for a month or two, possibly with a warning that this was the last chance to get affairs in order.

46 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

The announcement certainly does not mean you have to apply for a one year extension of stay. Although that might be the best thing to do if you can qualify for one.

It simply states if you cannot leave and re-enter the country you can apply for a special 30 day extension with a letter from embassy. That is under the assumption that most people will be able to leave the country prior to September 26th. If border crossings are still closed and there still very few flights leaving the country they might extend it again.

So, if I understand you correctly, you believe that senior immigration officials are sympathetic to those who do not want to return to home country, but wish to easily leave Thailand and return without doing so? You feel that this may well induce the Thai authorities to further extend the ability for people to stay without standard extensions? That differs from my own opinion. I believe there are some elsewhere in authority who would like to keep foreigners here for economic reasons, but those at the top of immigration feel foreigners should return to home country if they cannot satisfy the requirements for a long term extension of stay.

Taken literally, it seems they are very strict with those here on entries from tourist visas, visa exempt and so on. Do others interpret the announcement as indicating that those on tourist entries will not be able to request (most) kinds of regular extension, even if they have not used them before? Very significantly, it suggests that those on tourist entries will not be able to make use of a 60-day extension to visit their Thai spouse and/or child(ren). I think the implication, also, is that (without using an agent) you will not be able to convert your tourist entry into a non immigrant entry by applying for a visa at immigration.

I recommend waiting for Immigration to clarify this, which they should do within a few days. Most members right now will tell you that the overstay will run from September 26th if you do nothing before then. I am not so sure this will be the case. 

1 hour ago, dimitriv said:

Exactly. So you are not living on 20k a month.

 

Saying that you live on 20k a month and have a good life in Thailand cannot be true.

If his income is 40K per month (regular 20K income, plus the 20K he pays himself to stay in his house) this should satisfy immigration's income requirement for an extension to live with his spouse. However, my understanding is that immigration does not accept this.

24 minutes ago, dimitriv said:

 

If you have a large house than that's not included in that 20k a month you are living on.  If the rental value is 20k than you are living on 40k a month.

No problem. You are then paying yourself 20k per month rent, and your income is 40k per month.

8 minutes ago, 2 is 1 said:

So what kind case can denied that you can't get Elite Visa even you pay the current money?

If you are outside Thailand, there is no problem. If you are inside Thailand on a non immigrant extended permission to stay, there have been reports that it is not possible to convert this to a Thailand Elite entry and permission to stay. Under normal circumstances, the easy solution is to fly out and back, getting the visa at the airport. I am not sure if Thailand Elite has negotiated other solutions in this time where that would clearly be impractical.