loser4life

I'm not worried about covid.  I'm sick of these stay-at-home orders that have been going on for over a year and will probably never end.  I just want to live and if I die from covid, a motorbike accident, or some disease infested Thai girl, so be it. 

What is the status of traveling from BKK to Hua Hin as of today?  Can I still take the bus from Ekkamai?  Any quarantine or covid tests required?  What's open and what's closed? 

Good post @jackdd and @ubonjoe.  It seems in this case it is there are two problems: 1) the school that the teacher is working at  won't apply for the work permit approval letter and 2) if the school did apply for a WP, the Department of Labor (DOL) official that gets the paper work may reject it because the teacher entered Thailand on an ED and then got an ESBOE.   I have heard of some success stories with the DOL in this matter, but those may be urban legends. 

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

The is where the problem occurs.

The Department of Employment of the labor has a policy of not accepting work permit applications when a person entered the country on a non-ed visa and then got extensions of stay for attending school.

Not correct in my opinion but it has happened before.

Does anyone have an official link to this policy?

I would hate to tell my friend to look for a job at another school only for the WP application to get rejected by the DOL again.   If my friend leaves the country they will not be back any time soon and the school is down one teacher.  There has to be some solution!  Come on Thailand!

Side note:  Hey, everyone, start using my ESBOE and ESBOW acronyms.  Lets used the proper terms instead of referring to these stamps as visas.  Maybe I'll get famous.  LOL.

2 hours ago, jackdd said:

Success in what regard? Finding a job at a school that is willing to get a work permit for their teachers? Will your friend then apply for a job at that school?

I meant success in transferring an ED visa to a Non-B visa.  Or, I think the proper term is transferring an extension of stay stamp based on education to an extension of stay for working stamp without leaving Thailand. 

I'm going to make my own abbreviations here, maybe other's will start using them:

• extension of stay stamp based on education (ESBOE)
• extension of stay stamp based on  working (ESBOW)

Darn!  Both acronyms are pronounced the same!

If a school will not apply for a work permit (WP) while the teacher is on an ESBOE, should the teacher just apply at another school that will? Is it best for a teacher just to ask the school first if they are willing to do this, or is there some online resource listings schools that will apply for a WP if the teacher is on an ESBOE?

I know this dead horse has been beaten.  There are a few other threads about this and I noted the most recent reply date:

ED to NonB

• ED to NonB, Aug 2020 - https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1179571-anyone-changed-ed-visa-to-b-visa-with-borders-closed/
• ED to NonB, Sept 2020 - https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1169847-change-non-ed-to-non-b-work-permit/
• ED to NonB, Oct 2020 - https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1187564-help-is-it-possible-to-change-a-non-ed-visa-into-a-non-b-visa-been-offered-a-job-teaching-english-at-uni/

NonB to ED

• NonB to ED, Dec 2020 - https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1198390-changing-the-non-b-employment-visa-to-ed-visa/
• NonB to ED, March 2021 - https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1209131-non-b-to-ed-visa-without-leaving-thailand/

I decided to resurrect this thread because it appears to have the most recent reply (from December 2020) regarding the ED-to-NonB swap.  So . . . has anyone had any luck, without leaving Thailand, changing from: ED Visa -> extension of stay based on education stamp -> Non-B Visa -> extension of stay based on working stamp?  I know someone in this situation now.  The ED Visa extension stamp expires soon as the person is graduating, and the person has a teaching job.  However, the school they are teaching at does not want to apply for a work permit while the person is on the ED visa extension stamp.  Anyone have success stories with this?  If the teacher leaves the country, then the teacher will not be back, and Thailand is already hurting for foreign teachers now.  So many ads on Ajarn.com and the like for teachers.

The only reason that the Thai government has not fixed the immigration website is because if us foreigners did all of our reporting online, it would put many paper-pushing Thais out of a job.  By taking down the website, we all have to haul our asses to immigration which gives these paper-pushers something to do.  We also spend money on taxis and other transport to get to immigration, and some of us may be late with our reporting, pay fines, which all nets more money into Thailand's pocket.

Stepping into 21st century technology would put millions of Thais out of work.  Have you all seen the education system here?  Thais are lazy and quite frankly, pretty stupid.  There is a Thai law that all students have to "pass" despite if they are dumb as a mule.  So Thais start working despite the fact they never really learned anything in high school and some can't do anything except push papers or drive a motorbike.   Look at these Thais who do construction.  They drill with no eye protection.  Work in high areas with no harness.  They wear flip flops and smoke cigarettes while on a dangerous construction site.  Need I continue?

Thailand needs foreigners' money to survive.  Even more so now with borders closed due to Covid.  Don't expect online reporting to resume any time soon.  

Has anyone heard anything about foreigners, who are not retired, but work and pay taxes and have social insurance here in Thailand, being able to get a free Covid vaccine?  I saw a few articles about this earlier this year, including the one below, but nothing saying we are guaranteed a free vaccine.  

https://thethaiger.com/news/national/questions-raised-about-when-covid-19-vaccine-will-be-available-to-expats

14 hours ago, greg71 said:

I did mine at MTT on Monday with just the printed email - not a prob , also i made an online booking was in and out in under 10 minutes .

I agree with this.  I recently went to Bangkok's MTT.  The taxi driver was not sure of the exact spot, but there is a small sign to direct you once you are close and you can follow Google Maps pretty well.  I booked an appointment online and they only wanted my passport, new completed TM47, and the printed recent TM47.  They did not want copies of anything nor any photos.  I told the officer that I did not have a copy of my old TM47 because it is online and the system is down, so the officer just wrote "online" on my new TM47.  I was called up quickly, jumped ahead of the large queue of people who did not make online appointments, and the next officer also asked about my old printed TM47.  I gave the same response.  The officer checked their computer, saw that I was telling the truth, gave me the new TM47, and I was done.  In and out in 10 minutes. 

The worst part of this is the commute to MTT and the time it takes out of my day to do this nonsense.  If they would fix the online system, things would be much easier and there would be less crowds at MTT which could cause a new Covid outbreak; though I still do not understand the necessity of reporting every 90 days.  

6 hours ago, kleber06 said:

Does the "15 days before due date or within 7 days after due date" rule apply to the online appointment (http://203.151.166.132/immigrant_queue/booking/) ? I need to do my 90-day report on Monday (08 Mar 2021), but there's no available slot before March 10. Is it okay if I book for the 10?

Yes, that rule applies to online booking too.  If you are due on March 8th, you are fine booking online anytime before March 15th and you will not be fined.  

41 minutes ago, teacher no name said:

Just tried to book an appointment online to do go and do my 90 days next week but I was only able to choose an appointment on the actual day my 90 days is up, not during the 15 or 6 days before or after.

Also, I then tried to download the TM47 form but got a 404 error page not foundmessage,

 

anyone else?

1 minute ago, teacher no name said:

Cheers for the form link.

 

It was was for Muangthong Thani

Its asked for the counter / objective - 90 days

visa expire date - I presume this is the date my 90 days is due, not the actual date my visa expires

appointment date - after entering the visa date, there was no option to choose any other date than why my 90 day was due.

This happened to me too.  I used the website: http://203.151.166.132/immigrant_queue/booking/

When you select the option for "90 day reporting at Muangthong Thani B-1", then you can only pick an appointment date that matches your visa expiration date.  Try it and see. You can fill the first page with junk just to get to the next page but don't submit.  I just made my appointment date and ignored the fact that it automatically matched up with the visa expiration date, which is incorrect.  I figured the appointment date was more important.  Also, since Thailand is making me go to the crowded visa office, I want to let everyone know that I have Covid symptoms and will likely be infecting people while there.  Apparently the Thai government does not care about safety by allowing us to do this reporting online from home.

5 minutes ago, atpeace said:

Clarification - has anyone had luck in the last couple days with in person 90 day checkins?

Good question. I didn't save or print my previous TM.47s which are all online. If Bangkok immigration can't check it, what will happen when I go? Anyone?

32 minutes ago, samtam said:

I don't know. But I would try and avoid going to MTT, and mail in the requisite papers less the certificate and see what happens. If they are unable to process, it just proves that it is all completely bogus, and the IT recording is equally without merit.

I think I will try this.  This method seems cheaper and less of a hassle.  I am right at the 15-day mark before my reporting is due so if I do this tomorrow it gives me room for error. I can make all the photo copies at my job that I want, for free at my job.  I can send everything they have listed on the Thai Immigration 90-day Reporting website, except the copies of my old TM.47s because the system is down.  Maybe I'll include a note about that (as if they will read it or care).    Just to make sure the website is correct, I send these documents to the main immigration office which is the Government Complex on Chaengwattana Rd, and not the VISA Extension Center at Muang Thong Thani, correct?

1 hour ago, CharlieH said:

As already stated by others here,and indeed is app.icable to many things in Thailand. It depends on theOffice and can vary by officer too. Here is what has been asked of me prior to completing online reports.

 

 

• Original and copy of your passport (identification page and pages with Thai visas and stamps).
• A passport sized photo 
• A copy of your arrival/departure card TM. 6 (front and back).
• Previous notifications of staying over 90 days (if any).
• A completed form.

As always YMMV

Well, I am joining this forum because my 90-day report is due soon and for the first time I cannot do it online because the system is down.  I have been one of the lucky ones who have done all of my 90 day reports, except for the initial one, online successfully.  I suspect that the Thai government took the online system down on purpose so farangs would pay more money for taxis to get to immigration and maybe even miss the reporting deadline and have to pay fines.  More money for Thailand.  

Anyway, I have a question.  I will have to take my first trip to the Muang Thong Thani VISA Extension Center in Bangkok soon because Thailand won't fix the online option.  I do not have any copies of my previous 90 day reports.  I did them all online and never saved them because I could always just log back in and view them and save them if I ever needed to.  Well, now I need them and I can't login to the system because it is down!  I know, I learned my lesson, from now on I will save them.  Does anyone know what will happen if I don't have copies of my previous 90-day reports?  There is literally no way I can get them now.