Hello, everyone
I've got a non-r visa as a Buddhist monk and 1-year extension to it. Now I'm disrobed because I want to check other Buddhist traditions in Thailand (like Forest Tradition) and then ordain there again, if possible. My 1-year non-R visa will be valid next 6 months and I'm going to spend this time looking for a new place to stay. So the initial purpose, in fact, remains the same - dhamma studies.
But, I've just visited immigration and they told me that my visa is no longer valid because It's been granted to me as a monk and I'm no longer a monk. I can't use it because the purpose changed. So I must cancel it and get a new visa (TV or exempt visa), or if I'm caught they will prosecute me for overstaying and bun me from entering the country. They told me I might even get in prison????
I'm my first time in Thailand so I'm not really mature in visa things so I need your help. I would like to avoid losing my current visa, if not necessary because it means that next year I will spend doing border/visa runs until a new temple accepts me. And I'm not even sure they will allow me to get 45 days visa because I'm already almost a year in the country.
So my questions are
1) How real is this possibility to be prosecuted? Since the fact that my non-r visa has been granted to me as a monk is not specified in my passport, and, in fact, I'm still going to study dhamma. On this website I've encountered many times where people were suggested to get non-ed visa as an option to stay longer - it seems the same case for me.
2) What are the real consequences if I'm caught?
3) What are the consequences if I don't cancel my current non-r visa? In the immigration, they told me that even, if I do a border run and get 45 days visa I will be not able to extend it or apply for a new visa until I cancel my non-r visa. I dont really understand this, my current visa is single entry and border run seems enough to cancel it.
4) If I'm loosing my current visa do you see any other otpions for me?