AdamJensen

Hello My Super Best Friends,

American citizen here. Going to Thailand without a visa. Can I upgrade to a Student Visa while in the country? Or what about a Non-B Visa? Can you upgrade at all while in the country, or will I be required to leave first?

What about taking a bus to Laos? Would I have to get a tourist visa if I want back in?

I am on an extension. It's good until the 22nd of September. My flight home is on April 11th. So what would be the best thing for me to do? Apply for a tourist visa and come back for 4 weeks? Or should I just fly out and then back in and not worry about a tourist visa?

Hello,

I was employed as a teacher until recently. I've been here on a non-immigrant B visa and I had all the necessary documents. My employment just ended and I'm wondering what I should do. My former employer contacted me saying she needs me to sign something. I have a trip back home in 29 days.

Thanks for any advice.

Only 2 picture are required, not a set for each entry. Once you get the visa, you shouldn't need proof of onward travel for either the airline or immigration. However, you might need an onward ticket to get the visa. It depends on the Embassy/consulate that you use. The Honorary consulates seem to be more freindly and you used to be able to do everything by mail with out onward proof of travel but that has changed recently. The Consulate in Portland used to be very friendly and you should contact Mary by phone to see what the actual requirements are. Here's the link: Visa application porcedures, Portland Oregon.doc Good luck!

Yeah I wasn't even aware of the Portland Consulate until just recently. I actually attempted to both email and phone Mary as you suggested, but she didn't reply either time. I assume she has been really busy catching up on work since they were closed for about a month back in early January. Either way the whole process seems way easier than I had originally thought.

No, you don't need additional photos for more entries, its still just one visa app, they just mark additional entries on the one visa. You probably will need to show onward travel to get the visa. If you have the visa in-hand, then technically its not a requirement to show onward travel at immigration - but having said that, its up to the immigration officer whether he wants to ask you for that. And he's perfectly within his rights to request that from you, and refuse you for that reason. However, you will very likely not be asked.

So I may as well just book a ticket out of the country so immigration doesn't give me any hassle then. The consulate I'd send my visa application to doesn't require proof of onward travel. I appreciate the answers.

Hello everyone,

I just have 2 questions. I'm a US citizen and I have a flight to Thailand in late March.

1. To get a tourist visa, it's a requirement to send in duplicate 2x2 passport photos. Would I need to send in two sets for two entries, and 3 sets for entries?

2. Do I need proof of onward travel if I have a tourist visa?

Thanks for the help.

Just to clarifify, and avoiding you the trouble of Googling, it's TEFL not TOEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language and not Test Of English as a Foreign Language).

Both CELTA (harder) and TEFL give you a crash course in teaching English and a "passport" to do so. Great to have in your backpack next to your Swiss army nife and water purifier, not so great as a standalone qualification or plan.

Ah, okay! It looks like I'll likely be getting a 120 hour TEFL certification. It's definitely not a standalone qualification or plan. I just figured it would be a great thing to have.

Thanks for the replies. It wasn't my intention to offend anyone by using the term "native." I was trying to best describe my current situation with this topic and it seemed appropriate.

I forgot to mention I have a BA in Applied Design as well as an AAS in Animation and Game Design. My forte these days is UX design and web design. I have a knack for learning software.

My girlfriend currently has a job in the Bangkok area, so I would likely be looking to be situated somewhere near the city.

Hello everyone,

A bit of an introduction about myself - I've been to Thailand 3 times. The longest I've stayed was 2 months. I would like to stay for at least a year or possibly even longer. I've been in a relationship with a Thai native on and off for roughly 3 and 1/2 years now. I'm a 29 year old US citizen. My current situation is employed part-time. My current employer is considering allowing me to work via the internet until either the end of May or the end of September depending on circumstances. My girlfriend has brought up starting a business together, but I would like something more stable before jumping into something with less of a safety net.

When I arrive in Thailand, I plan to look for work, study at a school, and possibly teach English if I'm unable to acquire a job. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy the company of children. I love helping people learn. It's just that teaching English would not be my primary goal.

Given that I may end up teaching English (and even if I don't), I figured it would be a good idea to run through one of the standard English teacher training courses. Preferably, I would like to study before heading off. I have 3 primary questions:

1. Is the CELTA or TOEFL more preferred?

2. If I were to take these courses online, would my work options be more limited?

3. What is the best/cheapest way to go about doing this?

Any advice or stories which are similar to mine are appreciated.