Using the above visa for ist time on Monday. Just wondering what to expect. Will they stamp visa used or not. 

It will not be stamped used until it has expired which is 12 months from the date of issue.

You can leave and re-enter the country as many times as you want to up to the date it expires.

You can get almost 2 years of total stay from it by getting a new one year entry just before it expires and then a re-entry permit to keep that last entry valid if you want to travel.

16 minutes ago, Jdmagpie said:

Using the above visa for ist time on Monday. Just wondering what to expect. Will they stamp visa used or not. 

As for all entries with visa: write the visa number on the departure card, point to visa in the passport, check the stamp carefully before leaving the checkpoint (admitted until for one year from date of entry).

O-A is rare and more chance for an error by the officer.

 

 

Edited March 28, 20197 yr by KhunBENQ

36 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

As for all entries with visa: write the visa number on the departure card, point to visa in the passport, check the stamp carefully before leaving the checkpoint (admitted until for one year from date of entry).

O-A is rare and more chance for an error by the officer.

Good suggestions. I do that every time.  I don't think they visa is ever stamped used (may be if you arrive on the Valid Until date). It will expire after the valid until date. To keep your extension, you need to get a re-entry permit for the second year. And a re-entry permits does not extend your Admitted until date. 

1 minute ago, onera1961 said:

To keep your extension

I assume you mean the last entry from his visa that is not an extension. Extensions are applied for at a immigration office.

That visa is never likely to be stamped used as it can be used to enter the country until on or before the “enter before” (expiry) date printed on the visa.

 

The only time it would be stamped used is if you were making an entry on the visas expiry date.

 

On this subject, if I'm in the UK with six months left on my extension and a re-entry permit, and decided that instead of extending again to apply for a new Non O/A before the end of the extension term, would this be accepted even though my old extension was still valid? Would issuance of the new visa cancel and replace the existing period of extension I still have?

24 minutes ago, lamyai3 said:

Would issuance of the new visa cancel and replace the existing period of extension I still have?

Yes, since your current extension relies on the previous visa which would be canceled when a new one is issued

17 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

As for all entries with visa: write the visa number on the departure card, point to visa in the passport, check the stamp carefully before leaving the checkpoint (admitted until for one year from date of entry).

O-A is rare and more chance for an error by the officer.

 

 

This is excellent advice, but I take it one step further with mine.

 

Just below where you enter the visa number, I (literally) write "Non Imm O-A Long Stay" on the Arrival/Departure card itself.

 

Overkill perhaps, but as KhunBENQ correctly points out, this is NOT a common visa so the likelihood of error is much, much higher than normal.

 

An over-abundance of caution is rarely a bad thing...

 

1 hour ago, ThaiBunny said:

Yes, since your current extension relies on the previous visa which would be canceled when a new one is issued

He has no valid visa to cancel. I am certain it expired long ago.

1 hour ago, lamyai3 said:

On this subject, if I'm in the UK with six months left on my extension and a re-entry permit, and decided that instead of extending again to apply for a new Non O/A before the end of the extension term, would this be accepted even though my old extension was still valid? Would issuance of the new visa cancel and replace the existing period of extension I still have?

You can get the OA visa but you will have to make sure the immigration officer uses it when you enter the country instead of your re-entry permit. Put your visa number on the TM6 card when you enter the country.

7 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

On this subject, if I'm in the UK with six months left on my extension and a re-entry permit, and decided that instead of extending again to apply for a new Non O/A before the end of the extension term, would this be accepted even though my old extension was still valid?

I don’t see why the embassy wouldn’t issue the visa.

 

7 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

Would issuance of the new visa cancel and replace the existing period of extension I still have?

Not at the point of issue, as I don’t beleive the embassy would have the authority to cancel the extension/permit. The embassy could refuse the visa if they had a problem with the valid extension/permit, but I don’t see why they would.

 

Any issues could come at passport control if the IO sees the valid re-entry permit and new visa. I wouldn’t try entering using the re-entry permit (saving the new visa) to get the remaining 6 months, as the IO could — although highly unlikely — cancel the non ‘O-A’ visa. 

 

IMO it would be best to make sure the IO uses the new visa and ignores/cancels the re-entry permit.