COVID-19: Immigration proposes extending visas for people stranded in Thailand to 30 June 2020

[webfact]

COVID-19: Immigration proposes extending visas for people stranded in Thailand to 30 June 2020

 

 

The Immigration Bureau has proposed allowing foreigners who have had their travel plans disrupted by COVID-19 to extend their visas to 30 June 2020.

 

Currently, Immigration is giving foreigners who are unable to fly back to their home countries or to another destination a 30 day extension of stay, providing they can provide a ‘visa extension letter’ from their embassy.

 

But now Immigration has proposed to the Cabinet that foreigners should be given visa extensions to 30 June 2020.

 

The proposal was submitted to the Cabinet for consideration last week but it is not known if it will be approved.

 

An unofficial translation of the proposal reads:

 

Due to the worsen situation of the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic around the world including Thailand, where borders between countries are closed, while foreigners who have entered the Kingdom of Thailand for a temporary stay are unable to return to their domicile or leave the Kingdom, causing them to stay illegally in the Kingdom of Thailand violating the immigration law.

 

To mitigate the suffering among the foreigners, the Immigration Bureau hereby propose to the Cabinet in the meeting held on 24 March 2020 to consider the resolution that permits the Immigration Bureau in granting permission to foreigners an extension on a temporary stay in the Kingdom of Thailand in accordance to their visa type or the exemption for the visa as a result of border closure due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the fact that they are unable to return to domicile or leave the Kingdom, under the immigration law until 30 June 2020 or until the time frame as considered reasonable, as the case, may be. For your consideration

 

The news comes after Immigration offices nationwide have been inundated with foreigners desperately trying to extend their visas after being left stranded in Thailand. Many neighbouring countries have now closed their borders, while people have also struggled to get flights.

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-03-30

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[khwaibah]

5 minutes ago, webfact said:

The proposal was submitted to the Cabinet for consideration last week but it is not known if it will be approved.

 

So the cabinet is flogging their dog.????

[ubonjoe]

10 minutes ago, khwaibah said:

So the cabinet is flogging their dog.

Since the major subject of cabinet meeting on the 24th was the emergency decree. It might of been put off or approved but the Interior Ministry and immigration are working a official order allowing it.

If put off their is another cabinet meeting tomorrow.

[unamazedloso]

hope somethings done. Aint no borders to cross and its a little harsh being told i can extend for 23 days after paying for a 7day extension for 1900 baht which is what my local immigration said or i have to find a flight and leave. Ive been here for decades and already in lockdown doing my part so i dont appreciate having to fly to aus via 2 differing airlines with overnight staybin the philippines being the only flights i seem to be able to get which are probably gone now anyway and go in to a 14day quarantine then get stupid certificates just to return. What an absolute waste of time and i have an underlying medical condition weakening my immune system so travelling is just stupid. My house and family is here in Thailand. Seems strange that there is a virus from china and farang gotta get out immediately. Well if i have to go lets hope i bring it back then if thats how it is...

[ubonjoe]

A troll post meant to deflect the topic and a expected reply to it has been removed. No further notice will be made of posts removals and formal warning will be given for repeated posts.

[BritManToo]

Allowing immigration to extend ......... assume a visit and a payment to an immigration office.

Why not propose an automatic extension for everyone, no forms, no trips to immigration, no queue?

 

Like many other countries have done.

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

Why not propose an automatic extension for everyone, no forms, no trips to immigration, no queue?

How do you do know that is not part of their plan or perhaps a type for registration for it and a stamp for it.

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, unamazedloso said:

My house and family is here in Thailand.

If your family is Thai you may have other options.

[superal]

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

How do you do know that is not part of their plan or perhaps a type for registration for it and a stamp for it.

Is a decision imminent ? I am still waiting for my letter from the UK embassy for a 30 day extension and my border run is due today . Thinking I will wait for 2 days and pay the 1000 baht fine in the hope that a positive decision is made by the Thai Immigration Bureau or my letter arrives soon . 

[SoilSpoil]

How to get to the embassies when your locked in Phuket or Phang Nga, with no buses, trains and soon domestic air travel. Why the need for Embassy letters?

[Caldera]

3 minutes ago, SoilSpoil said:

How to get to the embassies when your locked in Phuket or Phang Nga, with no buses, trains and soon domestic air travel. Why the need for Embassy letters?

From reports here and from information from my embassy, embassies usually send the letter by email, so there's no need to visit them.

 

 

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, superal said:

Is a decision imminent ? I am still waiting for my letter from the UK embassy for a 30 day extension and my border run is due today . Thinking I will wait for 2 days and pay the 1000 baht fine in the hope that a positive decision is made by the Thai Immigration Bureau or my letter arrives soon . 

I do not know the answer to your question. I would expect something to officially be announced this week but cannot know for sure.

[FarFlungFalang]

50 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

How do you do know that is not part of their plan or perhaps a type for registration for it and a stamp for it.

In my effort to get the emergency I had to pay the 1900 baht fee I got one and a half pages of stamps including the overstay which was 10 hours past the last day of my previous extension I got 14 days and one of the stamps said my application was under consideration.I'm not sure if I'll be required to pay more when I return but even if they give the proposed extension without charge me along with everyone has had to pay for the emergency extension along with breaking the social distancing decree issued by this administration so no automatic granting of an emergency extension has been given therefore it's too late to say that might be their intention.If it was their intention they would already have done it as other countries have managed to do already without to much trouble.

[spiekerjozef]

1 hour ago, Caldera said:

From reports here and from information from my embassy, embassies usually send the letter by email, so there's no need to visit them.

 

 

Some embassies charge 30 euro for the letter.

[PST]

Whist this is good for tourists who genuinely can't get home, i do feel the 'cant go, wont go' home crew are delighted too as many of them are starting to overstay now.

 

And if it is true, then it means a tourist would get 90 days, but an O holder coming to the end of permission to stay, can only get 60 days??, and then may have to jump through hoops to get a year after that???

 

PST

[OJAS]

2 hours ago, superal said:

Is a decision imminent ?

All being well, we should hear one way or the other by 30th June!????

 

On a more serious note, though, I personally have major reservations as to whether non-immigrant longstay retirees, spouses of Thai nationals, etc would be covered by any blanket extension (although you don't appear to fall within these categories). 

 

[BritManToo]

3 minutes ago, PST said:

Whist this is good for tourists who genuinely can't get home, i do feel the 'cant go, wont go' home crew are delighted too as many of them are starting to overstay now.

Can't imagine anyone wanting to stay with everything closed.

[PST]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Can't imagine anyone wanting to stay with everything closed.

You'd be suprised, any excuse not to go back, even though they have been told to go by immigration.

[Zikomat]

1 minute ago, PST said:

You'd be suprised, any excuse not to go back, even though they have been told to go by immigration.

I was never told to go by immigration. What are you talking about?

[PST]

1 minute ago, Zikomat said:

I was never told to go by immigration. What are you talking about?

I wasnt referring to anyone in person, i meant in general, not you

[Zikomat]

1 minute ago, PST said:

I wasnt referring to anyone in person, i meant in general, not you

Not in person and not in general - I have not heard immigration asking people to leave the country. I personally have a letter from my embassy stating that I am unable to return to my country at the moment. Still I was not able to get the extension. 

[PST]

4 minutes ago, Zikomat said:

Not in person and not in general - I have not heard immigration asking people to leave the country. I personally have a letter from my embassy stating that I am unable to return to my country at the moment. Still I was not able to get the extension. 

I know of several people who have been told to leave by immigration after exhausting all their options including a 7 day stamp. They have made no effort to get home the past 2 weeks, and havent even applied for a letter from their embassys. They are happy just to 'see what happens'. So again, not about you.

[bkkexplorer]

The last spouse 'O' visa I had couldn't get extended due to work commitment I had overseas. I was going to apply for another spouse 'O' when my overseas contract expired. This worked fine as i was out of the country 6 weeks and came back for about 2 weeks and continued til about 3 months ago where I have been here since.

 

Currently in my passport I have applied for a 30 day extension and also a 60 day spouse extension which expires in mid April. If I am required to make an overseas trip just to extend my visa I would be putting myself and family and Thai nationals at risk. I really do hope immigration make exceptions as it's in their best interest to do so in these times.

 

I have a UK passport. Thailand is home and has been for over 20yrs, wife, kids and everything I own is here.

[GeorgeCross]

26 minutes ago, PST said:

Whist this is good for tourists who genuinely can't get home, i do feel the 'cant go, wont go' home crew are delighted too as many of them are starting to overstay now.

 

And if it is true, then it means a tourist would get 90 days, but an O holder coming to the end of permission to stay, can only get 60 days??, and then may have to jump through hoops to get a year after that???

 

PST

 

i have a current 1 year non-o extension based on 400K. can i get a 60 day extension on this instead of another 1 year? i have the funds and docs for a 1 year but i do not want to take my 2 toddlers (both thai) and their thai mother to any immigration office under current circumstances.

i do not feel its right to put my whole families lives at risk, thai citizens as well when, if i was a tourist, i could just go myself.

last year i was in the office for 2 hours. try keeping masks on a 2 & 4 year old for more than 2 minutes! unlike my wife and i they also won't have proper fitting N95 masks just cloth <deleted> that will not prevent any infection. 

leaving the kids with someone else is currently not an option.

 

 

[cornishcarlos]

I'm normally on a Non Imm O multi, as I work abroad.

I didn't make it "home" to Thailand before the borders closed, so riding out the situation in Singapore.

However, if I was doing my normal stint at home, on a Non Imm O and was told I can't extend and had to fly back to U.K (not sure many flights still available), I would not leave my wife. I would be over staying and dealing with the fall out when and if needed... 20k fine on departure, so be it.. 

I like many people are being kept away from our families due to the situation, but I would not let anyone separate us if I was at home already...

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Granting automatic extensions given COVID and the state of emergency, would have been the common sense thing to do from the outset... Sadly, it's taken them this long, and only after a lot of undue risk and hardship on both Immigration staff and foreigners, to try to do the right thing.

 

Let's hope the proposal actually makes it thru the Cabinet and becomes a reality...soon!!!

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

In reading the proposal as translated in the OP, it seems to me Immigration could interpret and enforce it in any variety of ways.... Could limit it only to actual tourist visa and visa exempt entries, or could apply it to everyone whose ongoing stay required an exit from the country. I don't read anything in the proposal that suggests anything one way or the other.

 

[jacob29]

24 minutes ago, PST said:

I know of several people who have been told to leave by immigration after exhausting all their options including a 7 day stamp. They have made no effort to get home the past 2 weeks, and havent even applied for a letter from their embassys. 

All fine if they had told people to leave before the borders were closed. If I had been given a notice on entry, that I would not be welcome in Thailand should the CV19 situation get worse - I could have made an informed decision. I doubt many could have predicted their response.

[WineOh]

They love a good 'proposal' round these parts.

Actual effective action less so.

[superal]

40 minutes ago, OJAS said:

All being well, we should hear one way or the other by 30th June!????

 

On a more serious note, though, I personally have major reservations as to whether non-immigrant longstay retirees, spouses of Thai nationals, etc would be covered by any blanket extension (although you don't appear to fall within these categories). 

 

What makes you think that ?  I have a non o m/e based on my UK state pension and have to leave every 90 days ( normally a border run ) and have in the past returned to the UK 2 or 3 times a year . Visa expires June but extendable to September . Been here for 8 years .

The UK immigration has given all foreigners trapped in the UK because of flight cancellations etc a visa extension to the end of May , no additional fees . Should be a reciprocal agreement with Thailand