ytrewq

desperately want to get a non-imm o for 'visiting friends' but embassy and consulate in canada said no way.

what's the rationale for giving them out in some countries and others not?

i quickly looked into opening an american franchise in thai and it supposedly costs the same as opening in western country....minimum us100,000.

still considering but a little put off by cost as it will take much longer to pay off in baht....as well as shifty political, security, business climate etc.

many knowledgeable business minds say not to invest a dime in thailand now...then again, that's sometimes a good time to invest....although my track record for stocks using that philosophy has not been good....so

any thoughts sunbelt?

what franchises are you into?....which is doing best both in sales to thai and farang?

ytrewq, this is one of the times when it would be useful to know where you are. For example, it is an open secret on this forum that in some countries some understanding honorary consuls give a multiple-entry non-O visa for the purpose of visiting "friends and family" and such visa would suit you perfectly. If once in Thailand you then want to sign up for some courses, you don't need to change visa.

Call an honorary consulate in your country, if there is any, and ask about the multiple-entry non-O. If you cannot get it, get a tourist visa for two or three entries. This gives you six to nine month to find a suitable course, then you can apply locally for a change in visa status to non-immigrant and get an annual extension.

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Maestro

thanks everyone.

from canada and think the embassy here may not be as understanding as say usa or uk but will try to obtain non-imm o.

someone let me know what paperwork other than the usual application, photo etc. is required? I have a gf in thailand....qualifies as visiting friends/family but not sure embassy would care.

i would like to get a non-imm ed but do not want to commit (pay) to any program until i am in thailand and have shopped around a little.....but want to sort out non-imm visa before i leave.

is it possible to get the required letter of invitation for ed application while i am in home country from institution / business without showing receipt for payment?

thanks for advice,

is it 'relatively' straightforward to convert a non-imm visa for studying (ed) to a non-imm visa for working?....or same hastle as converting tourist visa to non-imm b?

any recruiters in thailand worth contacting?

likely arrive in march looking for work and would prefer not to get into efl training....if at all possible.

age 34 past experience mgmt / marketing / logistics / ngo....

No financial requirements if you apply for non immigrant visa in your home country,its only when you want to extend this visa IN Thailand it gets complicated.

Correct!

For extending this visa in Thailand (with 1 year, taking away the obligation to go to the border every 3 months) you'll need 40K/month.

For getting a new visa of this kind in signapore you need 400K on your account.

But in BKK03's case: no problem because he can get a new visa in the USA every 8 months. He should apply for a "multiple-entry-non-immigrant-O-visa-based-on-marriage/visit wife".

so, you can indefinitely go home once every year then return and not have to deal with 400,000 or 40,000/mth....for now that is.

what if you want to extend in thailand but willing to cross border every 3mths....still need 40,000/mth ? .... and/or 400,000 ?

I am assuming your wife will be self-employed (so, she'll not work in her own "company").

Yes, you could get a working permit for being a general manager.

No, it's not necessary that there are other Thai people working in the business.

The business needs to have a yearly turnover of at least 350K.

non-immigrant-B offers no advantages compared to non-immigrant-O.

This is what the Thai law says.

But it's really hard to convince the people of the Work permit department to follow the Thai law.

Help of a lawyer might be necessary.

Have a look at this thread. This person actually managed to arrange everything by himself.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...l=self-employed

This is the work permit law in Thai:

http://www.kittilaw.com/thai/workpermit.htm

On the same web-site you can find the law in English.

http://www.kittilaw.com/english/workpermit.htm

thanks for that. will take me a while to sort through.

BKK03,

The easiest and cheapest solution for you in to apply for a multiple entry non-immigrant-O visa based on marriage in the USA and make 2 reentries while you stay in Chiang mai (you get 90 days per entry). A reentry is just a 1 day trip to Laos. Your visa is valid for 12 months (that's long enough). After 8 months, when you return to the USA you can apply again for a new visa. There are no financial requirements.

no financial requirements?....no 400,000 in bank ; no 40,000/mth ?....so confused

There is a lot of red tape and paperwork involved and you definitely should have assistance from someone who has knowledge of the rules.

hmm, understood. problem is time, money and headaches associated with going through the ritual may not be worth it for a small business....especially if the paperwork will have to be revised and updated as new legislation is passed and my visa / permits expire regularly....i'd end up working for accountants, lawyers and consultants.

so, lets say i marry, receive non-imm o and want to work for someone else. is it easy to get a work permit on type 'o' or would it be advised to skip the non-imm o and get non-imm b through the employer? in the end, what are the advantages of non-imm o over non-imm b?

thanks again

have read on issues but do not seem to understand basics.

hypothetical situation: canadian marries thai girl. husband gets non-imm o visa. thai wife starts new business 100% in her name....money passed from husband to wife. after receiving non-imm visa husband wants to work at wife's business....become manager.

can husband simply apply for work permit? does he need to fulfill some sort of specialized occupation to be valid for permit? does there need to be a certain percentage of thai's employed at business before farang will be permitted to work there? is there a lot of red tape that requires a lawyer and accountant to sort out?

many thanks in advance