Refused a Change of Visa status. Now what?

[flipside555]

Today I went to BKK immigration to apply for Change Of Visa Status from Tourist to a 90-Day Non-Immigrant, with the intention of subsequently applying for a retirement extension. Everything was in order except I didn't have a letter from the bank confirming that the funds in my account came from abroad. Unfortunately for me, I now have less than 15 days left on my Visa, so I can't just get a letter from the bank and go back.

 

At first the immigration officer said I should do a same-day border run to get 30 more days, and then come back and apply again. I explained that I was worried about doing that because the last time I entered the county, airport immigration almost didn't let me in because of all the stamps in my passport (mainly education visas). She then said I should go to Vientiane and get a visa that would allow me to stay here for a year. "Just get it stamped after 90 days and then you can stay a year.", she said.  I asked what visa she was referring to and I thought she replied, "An O visa.".

 

So now I have to weigh up my options.

 

1. Do a border run.

If they don't let me back in, do they write something in my passport, or can I can just go somewhere else and try again?
Where would be best? I saw something about a Nok Air fly/ride to Udon Thani=>Vientiane. I would quite like to visit Udon Thani. The Nok Air coach goes from Udon Thani to Vientiane. Presumably, I could just get off at the border, pass back through to Thailand and look for transport back to UT. Or maybe I should go for a simpler border run.

 

2. Apply for the visa the immigration officer mentioned.

Looking at the Vientiane website, the closest thing to her description I can find is Non Immigrant "B" visa, which lists as requirements a criminal background check from the country of residence and a medical certificate. I'm sure it would take a while to get the former.

 

3. See if an agent can do anything for me, either get me the 90 day Non-Immigrant or go straight to the retirement extension (can they do that?).

How does it work with the agents? Would I have to go to immigration myself? If so, I would be talking to the immigration officers who a couple of days earlier had refused my application and told me that I must do a border run.

 

Hmm.

 

All suggestions welcome.

[steve187]

have you done a 30 day extension on the tourist visa entry

[flipside555]

34 minutes ago, steve187 said:

have you done a 30 day extension on the tourist visa entry

'fraid so.

[moe666]

To get a multiply entry non-o visa you have to have the same proof as a extension. More than likely she meant a 90 day non-o you can get an extension of stay from this.

[ubonjoe]

The letter proving your funds came from abroad is a standard requirement for a change of visa status or a non immigrant visa application. To late now but you probably could of gotten it quickly at a branch of your bank on the ground floor at Chaeng Wattana immigration.

You will not get a visa like the officer advised. It sound like a multiple entry non-o visa was what he was suggesting which you could not get in Vientiane. Even a single entry non-o is difficult there since they want a police and medical certificate.

1. An easy option would be to make a land border run for a 30 day visa exempt entry then go to immigration to apply for a non immigrant visa (TM87 form) as soon as you do it. From Bangkok a good choice is the Phu Nam Ron crossing in Kanchanaburi. I can suggest this company to do the run https://www.thaivisaservice.com/ .

2. As I wrote it is not possible in Vientiane. Savannakhet or Penang would do a single entry non-o visa with by showing you bank book with 800k in the account and proof your are retired. Most people get a income letter showing any of amount of income to prove retirement.

3. Not possible unless they assist you doing it a Chaeng Wattana for a large fee. Not sure they are able to work around the 15 day requirement as well.

 

[flipside555]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

An easy option would be to make a land border run for a 30 day visa exempt entry then go to immigration to apply for a non immigrant visa (TM87 form) as soon as you do it. From Bangkok a good choice is the Phu Nam Ron crossing in Kanchanaburi. I can suggest this company to do the run https://www.thaivisaservice.com/ .

Have there been any reports of people being refused re-entry on that route? I'm just trying to think through the worst-case scenario. If they refused me a 30-day exempt, would they write something in my passport preventing me from trying at another port of entry?

 

I'm guessing that with https://www.thaivisaservice.com, it's not usual to take luggage, but I wouldn't like to be stranded on the other side of the border with nothing but the clothes I stand up in. Theoretically, there should be no problem as it was an immigration officer who told me make the run, but you never know. At my last entry, they questioned me for a good 15 minutes and it was touch and go whether they would let me in.

[JackThompson]

 

10 hours ago, flipside555 said:

At first the immigration officer said I should do a same-day border run to get 30 more days, and then come back and apply again. I explained that I was worried about doing that because the last time I entered the county, airport immigration almost didn't let me in because of all the stamps in my passport (mainly education visas).

 

Yes, the IOs at the Bangkok airport checkpoints seem to hate ED Visa users even more than Tourist Visa users, given you can stay in Thailand longer with them.  Be aware that only some airports (both in Bangkok) plus one land-border are reported to have this problem.

 

10 hours ago, flipside555 said:

If they don't let me back in, do they write something in my passport, or can I can just go somewhere else and try again?
Where would be best? I saw something about a Nok Air fly/ride to Udon Thani=>Vientiane.

 

Any land border crossing other than Poipet/Aranyaprathet will let you in if you do not have 2x land-border Visa-Exempt entries in this calendar year.  The only exception I recall, in recent years, involved a fellow with some overstays. 

 

Malaysisan crossings are the least friendly (other than Poipet), in that they are more likely to ask to see pocket-money (10K Baht worth) and make you stay out one night before returning.

 

And, yes, one of the advantages of using a land-border to enter, is that even if denied-entry, you can walk away a free person.  At an airport, if denied, you could be locked-up until a flight out - either to where you just came from (most likely) or possibly your passport-country (IO's discretion).

[JackThompson]

29 minutes ago, flipside555 said:

Have there been any reports of people being refused re-entry on that route? I'm just trying to think through the worst-case scenario. If they refused me a 30-day exempt, would they write something in my passport preventing me from trying at another port of entry? 

 

I'm guessing that with https://www.thaivisaservice.com, it's not usual to take luggage, but I wouldn't like to be stranded on the other side of the border with nothing but the clothes I stand up in. Theoretically, there should be no problem as it was an immigration officer who told me make the run, but you never know. At my last entry, they questioned me for a good 15 minutes and it was touch and go whether they would let me in.

As to "writing something in passport" - At the Poipet crossing, they have been known to officially deny-entry to people out of spite, in order to put a black-mark on their immigration record.  At other land-crossings they almost always just refuse to let you in, so you walk back and get your exit-stamp canceled from the other country.  If you made a big fuss, I suppose they could do an official denial somewhere else as punishment.

 

This does not apply at the crossing from Kanchaburi, because Thai IOs won't let you leave at that location, unless they will let you back in - because you would be stranded in the border-zone in Myanmar.  You will be entering Myanmar with a "border pass" only.  The exception is if you pre-purchased a Myanmar Visa, which would let you travel onward in Myanmar - but you would not do this for a same-day border-run from Kanchaburi.

 

Edit:  What I would take (any crossing) would be my paperwork for the Non-O conversion.  If you get any grief, recount the story with the IO and show that all you were missing was one bank-document, but ran out of time (15-day rule on the application).  Emphasize you are "doing the right thing" and getting a retirement-visa as Immigration has advised. 

 

But, I seriously doubt you will need this, as most land-borders don't have some problem with people who are making legal entries/exits from the country as permitted. 

[flipside555]

40 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Yes, the IOs at the Bangkok airport checkpoints seem to hate ED Visa users even more than Tourist Visa users, given you can stay in Thailand longer with them.  Be aware that only some airports (both in Bangkok) plus one land-border are reported to have this problem.

 

Yes, the one I ran up against refused entry to the guy immediately before me in the queue and then carted me off to see the senior IOs. 

 

12 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

This does not apply at the crossing from Kanchaburi, because Thai IOs won't let you leave at that location, unless they will let you back in - because you would be stranded in the border-zone in Myanmar. 

 

That's good to know. It sounds as though Kanchanaburi is my best bet. I can try that first, and then if there is any problem maybe try for a  non-O at Savannakhet or Penang.

[ubonjoe]

41 minutes ago, flipside555 said:

Have there been any reports of people being refused re-entry on that route?

None that I am aware of unless you have already done 2 land border crossings this year for a visa exempt entry. No need to worry about it.

All you will need is your passport to do the crossing to Myanmar.

 

[flipside555]

1 minute ago, hyku1147 said:

Has the OP talked to an agent?

Not yet. I wasn't sure how it would work with an agent.  Would they be able to get around the 15 day limit? If so, would I then need to go back to immigration myself? That would be a little awkward because I'd be speaking with the same IOs who two or three days earlier had told me I needed to do a border run.

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, hyku1147 said:

They may know a way to help you. They know many shortcuts.

Of course they might be able to help him for a very high fee.

[JackThompson]

34 minutes ago, flipside555 said:

Not yet. I wasn't sure how it would work with an agent.  Would they be able to get around the 15 day limit? If so, would I then need to go back to immigration myself? That would be a little awkward because I'd be speaking with the same IOs who two or three days earlier had told me I needed to do a border run.

The 15-day rule comes (at least in part) from needing time to approve the application via higher-ups, so I would expect this to be expensive and perhaps not possible at all.  Unlikely you would need to attend, as they would not want witnesses to what transpires to make it "possible" to do these sorts of things.

 

Agents would be my last resort.  You were almost there at immigration before - just need one more bank-letter (easy) and more time on your permitted-stay.

[flipside555]

12 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

You were almost there at immigration before - just need one more bank-letter (easy) and more time on your permitted-stay.

Yes. It was rather frustrating. I printed out the Thai version of the form which specifies what is needed from the bank. I highlighted sections 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3. and gave it to the teller in the Bangkok Bank branch in the immigration building. I was a bit concerned with the letter that she gave me back, but it was now nearly 3.00pm and I assumed that the people in that branch  would be very familiar with the requirements. When I finally got in to see the IO, she told me that the letter was certification of the funds, but not of where they came from.

[Thaidream]

Just as an aside- what happens if a person comes from abroad and carries the amount in cash or travelers checks and then opens an account in Thailand and deposits the funds. Are these monies still considered coming from abroad and if not how does one prove it ?

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

Just as an aside- what happens if a person comes from abroad and carries the amount in cash or travelers checks and then opens an account in Thailand and deposits the funds. Are these monies still considered coming from abroad and if not how does one prove it ?

Immigration will only accept a confirmation it was transferred from abroad from the bank that received it.

People have tried using currency exchange receipts and etc but they were not accepted. They had to go to a nearby embassy or consulate to get a single entry non-o visa.

[jollyhangmon]

1 hour ago, Thaidream said:

Just as an aside- what happens if a person comes from abroad and carries the amount in cash or travelers checks and then opens an account in Thailand and deposits the funds. Are these monies still considered coming from abroad and if not how does one prove it ?

 

You would have to declare the cash to customs, stamped declaration form worked for me just as it should ...

 

Form & info see in this thread:

 

 

[Queen4ADay]

15 hours ago, hyku1147 said:

They may know a way to help you. They know many shortcuts.

Good luck.

Agents are not that expensive (considering all of the alternatives, not getting back in at all for instance). 28K THB and you have you retirement visa. A great service is offered by several agents. PM for some names. It takes 1-2 days in country. They may be able to get around the shortage of time on your current visa.

[KhunFred]

I've been living here on yearly extensions of an "O" Visa acquired in Laos, since 2015. The trip there and back was a breeze and there were plenty of "facilitators" hanging around Immigration who would pick you up and take you to the Thai Consulate and help you fill out the paperwork. The consulate officer even accepted the documents affirming my state retirement and annuity, after noticing that my Social Security deposit alone, didn't quite make the mark. Officials there seem very reasonable. Laotian people are just great and helpful and they don't overcharge you. Most are happy just to get the business. Just about the only reason I would ever go back to Laos would be either visa business or the very friendly people.