Mario2008

Legalisation of documents only at laksi.

I'm not aware that there are designated areas for immigration offices and you have to go there. In my province there is no immigration office, so I always go to Mae Sod as they know me there. Other teachers at my school go to Chiang Mai and have their papers sorted out there without any problem. Never heard we should go to one particulair immigration office.

Look here for the immigration office adress:

http://www.thaivisa.com/376.0.html

It is as simple as going to the airport and on departure pay a fine of 20,000. That's all. However, the better option is to buy an airticket and pay the fine in advance at an immigration office. Currently she is illegaly staying in the country. If her papers are checked by police she will be arrested, fined and deported. A Thai immigration cell is not the nicest place to be and a small travic violation could put her there.

If any suggestions are welcome, how about volunteer work? I am staying in Thailand for more than 4 years already as a volunteer. The nice thing is there is no income check, but you would both have to do volunteer work. I'm not sure about the minimum requirement regarding the hours and your permission to stay would be tight to the volunteer work. No more volunteering with the organisation and you would have to leave the country.

You could also go to Mae Sod and cross the border there. Only about 8 hours from Bangkok by bus, on the way to Chiang Mai. Can even take the night bus and save you a hotel.

Before you cancel your old school's WP, go to Labor with your new employer's labor rep and with all your usual docs, plus your new contract, and get Labor working on adding your new school employer to your WP. Once that is in process, you should not have to make a visa run when you cancel out the WP for your prior school employer. I believe many Labor offices now take 2-3 days to process your paperwork.

I read somewhere else here that now you don't have an automatic 7 days time to leave the country or get a new job anymore. You have to ask and pay for it now. So arange for your contract to end when your contract with the new employer starts.

As for no need for a new visa, that isn't how it worked for me in June 2006. With a paper from the labour office I had to go to immigration, who canceled my visa and wrote a whole story to that effect in my passport. Next they gave me a new visa, after paying the fee for the new visa, based on my WP with my new employer.

You can apply at any immigration office, same goes for your family. Note that you will need a workpermit to work as volunteer and need a form from the labour office that you will get a WP, in order to get the visa from immigration.

As for the visa for Penang I'm not sure, but I don't believe you need one.

I was in the same situation. When quiting your job you have 7 days to leave the country or apply for a new job and arrange for the new WP and get a new visa. You don't have to go outside the country for this. But you have to change the WP to the new employer and get a new Non-B from any immigration office.

If you have enough money to live on you could do volunteerwork and apply for a non-immigrant for that purpose. Volunteerwork is also considered work and you will need a work permit for that, but there is no income check.

If you lose your job you will have to leave the country within 7 days. You should have a stamp stating that in your passport. So try to find a new job fast. Regarding transfer to another visa I don't know, but assume a no.

You are married to a Thai national, so if she is living in Thailand you could also apply for a marriage visa. You get a one year visa and don't have to go out of the country every 90 days. The requierement is that you show an income of more than 40,000 baht a month. (This is a combined income of you and your wife). This visa you can apply for in Thailand and after 3 years you can apply for permanent residency.

You need to get outside the country and apply for a non-immigrant visa with a Thai embassy. With your non-immigrant for 3 months you apply for a one year visa at the immigration office.

You will need a combined income of at least 40,000 THB a month. Since you are here now on a tourist visa you are not working, at least not legaly. So if your wife isn't earning 40,000 a month you will have to look for a job, before you apply for the non-immigrant visa.

If you can't find a job, you could find volunteer work. For that you also need a non-immigrant visa and a workpermit, but there is no income check.

Thai immigration never ask to see the airline ticket. But many airlines do ask to see a return ticket. Also if you want an extension of your tourist visa Immigration might ask to see a return ticket.