Mister Fixit Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 (edited) My nephew and pal arrived on 29 January on a 30 day visa exemption and extended it in Surat Thani for a further 30 days, expiring last Saturday, 28th March. Since then, they moved on to Koh Lanta and the virus and flights issue worsened, so they went to Krabi Immi last Wednesday for advice. They were told that morning that they needed a letter from the UK embassy, so they emailed for one that afternoon. The letter didn't arrive with them until Saturday morning when Immi was closed so they went in this morning. They were a bit taken aback when they were only given 15 days extension and not the 30 that were apparently being given last week. When they queried this, they were told by Immi staff that they had been instructed to only issue 15 day extensions from this week on. No other explanation. Would anyone know any more about this and why they have reduced the extension time? Is it a money-making scam so that people trapped here have to get 2 a month? Or have to pay overstay when they eventually leave? I had read there may be an overstay amnesty, but doesn't look as though that will happen any time soon. Edited March 30, 2020 by Mister Fixit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 Other offices have been giving a under consideration stamp to with a report back date on it. I think that is what they got not a 15 day extension. When they go back they would get the remainder of the 30 days or maybe a longer permit to stay that may be allowed soon that immigration has proposed to the cabinet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taninthai Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 (edited) What happened to there return flight,,,,,There is still flights out so they not really trapped here yet. Edited March 30, 2020 by taninthai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Fixit Posted March 30, 2020 Author Share Posted March 30, 2020 29 minutes ago, ubonjoe said: Other offices have been giving a under consideration stamp to with a report back date on it. I think that is what they got not a 15 day extension. When they go back they would get the remainder of the 30 days or maybe a longer permit to stay that may be allowed soon that immigration has proposed to the cabinet. Ah, I'll check that with them because they aren't really up to speed on the terminology and how the system works in the way we are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJack54 Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 8 minutes ago, taninthai said: What happened to there return flight,,,,,There is still flights out so they not really trapped here yet. There are many folk genuinely stuck here. There are soooo many using it as an excuse. I travel a lot and often meet young backpackers. Many times I have heard..." great we can milk this for few months" Mind you that was before to all the closures and now curfew Phuket. Bkk to follow. Quatar just announced reopen many flights to OZ. Yes only one country but there are flights out. The governments were advising all nationalities fly home NOW. Couple weeks back 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Fixit Posted March 30, 2020 Author Share Posted March 30, 2020 (edited) Quote What happened to there return flight,,,,,There is still flights out so they not really trapped here yet. I didn't see this post by taninthai in my feed, only saw it embedded in DrJack54's post. They don't have a return flight, so I didn't see the need to mention because either way, if there are no flights out, it's irrelevant. However, this is a trip they have been planning for over a year. They came here on a ONE WAY ticket on 29 January expecting to stay 60 days, then move on to Malaysia as part of a SE Asian trip. Then back to Thailand for Songkran for about 30 days then on to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, ending up in Australia to visit his older brother and wok on his in-laws pineapple form. So yes, they ARE stuck here an could be in a bit of a pickle. Edited March 30, 2020 by Mister Fixit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHdiver Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 20 minutes ago, Mister Fixit said: I didn't see this post by taninthai in my feed, only saw it embedded in DrJack54's post. They don't have a return flight, which I didn't see the need to mention because either way, if there are no flights out, it's irrelevant. However, this is a trip they have been planning for over a year. They came here on a ONE WAY ticket on 29 January expecting to stay 60 days, then move on to Malaysia as part of a SE Asian trip. Then back to Thailand for Songkran for about 30 days then on to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, ending up in Australia to visit his older brother and wok on his in-laws pineapple form. So yes, they ARE stuck here an could be in a bit of a pickle. They can put this plan in the rubbish bin. You do not tell where they are from. Many countries have emergency flights to fly stuck travellers back. No excuse if there are flights organized by your government and you do not take one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Fixit Posted March 30, 2020 Author Share Posted March 30, 2020 42 minutes ago, DrJack54 said: There are many folk genuinely stuck here. There are soooo many using it as an excuse. I travel a lot and often meet young backpackers. Many times I have heard..." great we can milk this for few months" Mind you that was before to all the closures and now curfew Phuket. Bkk to follow. Quatar just announced reopen many flights to OZ. Yes only one country but there are flights out. The governments were advising all nationalities fly home NOW. Couple weeks back As my post in reply to taninthai, yes they are stuck here because they came on a one way ticket, expecting to explore Thailand and other SE Asian countries for 4 to 6 months. As it happens, they did plan to visit Oz eventually because his older brother lives there, so I think their best bet is to bring it forward if they can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mister Fixit Posted March 30, 2020 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 30, 2020 33 minutes ago, CHdiver said: They can put this plan in the rubbish bin. You do not tell where they are from. Many countries have emergency flights to fly stuck travellers back. No excuse if there are flights organized by your government and you do not take one. Hey, guess what? I think they know that now. They did not know of any of this when they planned it last year and set out in January. There were hints of the virus then but it was still confined to Wuhan. They are from the UK and AFAIK, the UK government are not laying on flights for their citizens stuck abroad. Why would you need to be so judgemental and make such bald assumptions anyway? Do you have one of those TV crystal balls I see so often being read on here? ???? ???? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taninthai Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 (edited) No real problems for them then they just stuck in thailand instead of travelling s.e. Asia,if it opens up in time they can continue there travel plans or cancel them and return to Uk... interesting no return ticket ,must have had ticket to somewhere they don’t normally let your board from U.K. on 1 way ticket to Thailand. im sure Thai immigration will extend there visa again no problems Edited March 30, 2020 by taninthai 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Fixit Posted March 30, 2020 Author Share Posted March 30, 2020 What has now transpired is that they didn't get an actual '15 day' extension. They got a 14 day (for some reason) 'extension as their application was 'under consideration'. Never seen one of those before. Apparently they are issued when they want to keep tabs on people and hopefully, unless they can get a flight out to Oz or the UK, they will get another one in 2 weeks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Fixit Posted March 30, 2020 Author Share Posted March 30, 2020 19 minutes ago, taninthai said: No real problems for them then they just stuck in thailand instead of travelling s.e. Asia,if it opens up in time they can continue there travel plans or cancel them and return to Uk... interesting no return ticket ,must have had ticket to somewhere they don’t normally let your board from U.K. on 1 way ticket to Thailand. im sure Thai immigration will extend there visa again no problems Yes, that's it. Their plans for the Grand Tour are up the Swanee but I can think of worse places to be stuck than in Thailand. Not 100% certain about how they got past the airline without a return ticket but I don't recall ever having to show one when I have checked in, just the part for the outward leg. In my case that's Thailand to the UK, not the other way round. Yes, I think they will get another 14 day exemption in 2 weeks as well. It's just that they will have to stay in Krabi province, but that's not a disaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritTim Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 15 minutes ago, Mister Fixit said: Not 100% certain about how they got past the airline without a return ticket Most likely, they had a confirmed flight out to Malaysia or Cambodia to show the airline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 36 minutes ago, Mister Fixit said: Apparently they are issued when they want to keep tabs on people and hopefully, unless they can get a flight out to Oz or the UK, they will get another one in 2 weeks That is a standard under consideration stamp given while waiting for approval of a extension application. When they go back the will get either the remainder of the 30 days or possibley longer if the proposed extensions to June 30th are approved. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sherwood Posted March 30, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted March 30, 2020 If they have not got Australian Passports they aint going to Australia any time soon. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 1 hour ago, Mister Fixit said: Apparently they are issued when they want to keep tabs on people and hopefully, unless they can get a flight out to Oz or the UK, they will get another one in 2 weeks I suggest that they should urgently make arrangements for a commercial flight back to the UK. From The IATA website https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/international-travel-document-news/1580226297.htm Quote AUSTRALIA - published 29.03.2020 1. Passengers are not allowed to transit or enter Australia. ... From the website of the UK government https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus Quote Travel advice: coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance for British people travelling overseas during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Published 4 February 2020 Last updated 23 March 2020 — see all updates From: Foreign & Commonwealth Office Exceptional travel advisory notices Return to the UK now if you’re travelling abroad The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises British people travelling abroad to return to the UK now, if commercial flights are still available. International travel is becoming very limited as air routes close, land borders close and new restrictions are put in place that prevent flights from leaving. ... Please advise the two travellers to register themselves immediately with the British embassy in Bangkok so that the embassy can contact them if the situation should develop to the point where British Airways or the UK government needs to start an emergency evacuation before they can get a commercial flight out of Thailand. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamyai3 Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 UK is now upping the ante on this: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-government-partnership-with-airlines-to-fly-back-more-tourists-stranded-abroad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 Preparing for the worst. Good strategy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Fixit Posted March 31, 2020 Author Share Posted March 31, 2020 11 hours ago, BritTim said: Most likely, they had a confirmed flight out to Malaysia or Cambodia to show the airline. They didn't. Read my post. They came out on a one way ticket. Don't indulge in conjecture. There's too much of it about, especially now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Fixit Posted March 31, 2020 Author Share Posted March 31, 2020 11 hours ago, sherwood said: If they have not got Australian Passports they aint going to Australia any time soon. I read that they can if they have family there. I will check the Oz embassy website, unless you can point me to something definitive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacko45k Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 (edited) 13 hours ago, Mister Fixit said: They are from the UK and AFAIK, the UK government are not laying on flights for their citizens stuck abroad. Yes they are, just seen news of a flight landing in UK from Peru. Doesn't help them but hopefully Thailand will get some UK Government flights. Have they registered yet? https://www.thetimes.co.uk/ https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/75m-airlift-for-britons-stranded-on-holiday-xncmjskgn £75m airlift for Britons stranded on holiday Repatriation operation to bring home 300,000 Edited March 31, 2020 by jacko45k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Fixit Posted March 31, 2020 Author Share Posted March 31, 2020 11 hours ago, ubonjoe said: That is a standard under consideration stamp given while waiting for approval of a extension application. When they go back the will get either the remainder of the 30 days or possibley longer if the proposed extensions to June 30th are approved. Yes, thanks. I have never seen one before, but then again I have never been on a 30 day exemption stamp before. Looks like it was given to buy time for Immi to see which way the wind was blowing and also give them time to process what is plainly a huge backlog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Fixit Posted March 31, 2020 Author Share Posted March 31, 2020 15 minutes ago, jacko45k said: Yes they are, just seen news of a flight landing in UK from Peru. Doesn't help them but hopefully Thailand will get some UK Government flights. Have they registered yet? https://www.thetimes.co.uk/ https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/75m-airlift-for-britons-stranded-on-holiday-xncmjskgn £75m airlift for Britons stranded on holiday Repatriation operation to bring home 300,000 I've just set them a message suggesting they register with the UK embassy ASAP. If they do return to the UK they are a bit stuck because they gave up their jobs and tied flat to travel for a year and have nowhere to go apart from staying with his dad (my younger brother and a completely loopy PITA). ???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacko45k Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 1 minute ago, Mister Fixit said: If they do return to the UK they are a bit stuck because they gave up their jobs and tied flat to travel for a year and have nowhere to go apart from staying with his dad (my younger brother and a completely loopy PITA). Well they cannot go anywhere else I expect..... they can go on benefits! None of those in Thailand. They will have all their unused holiday spending money too! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJack54 Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 (edited) 13 hours ago, Mister Fixit said: As my post in reply to taninthai, yes they are stuck here because they came on a one way ticket, expecting to explore Thailand and other SE Asian countries for 4 to 6 months. As it happens, they did plan to visit Oz eventually because his older brother lives there, so I think their best bet is to bring it forward if they can. Word of warning. Only Oz citizens and residents and married to oz citizens can enter AU currently. Also just been announced that when you arrive you are put in designated hotels and remain for 14 days (at your own cost including food). No more self isolation at own home. Also maximum gathering of 2. (not a typo. Yes two). That includes in own home. Family members exempt. So Australia would be last place I would be going. Tell your mates to find good spot in Thailand and try chill. Edited March 31, 2020 by DrJack54 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Fixit Posted March 31, 2020 Author Share Posted March 31, 2020 I'm not sure if this will help them if they want to fly to Australia, the second item on the list. His older brother lives near Brisbane but I'm not sure if that counts as an 'immediate family member'. Does anyone from Oz know for sure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 3 minutes ago, Mister Fixit said: If they do return to the UK they are a bit stuck because they gave up their jobs and tied flat to travel for a year and have nowhere to go apart from staying with his dad (my younger brother and a completely loopy PITA). It is there choice. If they have the funds to stay here for a a few months then it is really up to them. It will not be a problem to get additional extensions and soon apparently longer extensions. Thailand is certainly not telling people to go home. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Fixit Posted March 31, 2020 Author Share Posted March 31, 2020 1 minute ago, DrJack54 said: Word of warning. Only Oz citizens and residents and married to oz citizens can enter AU currently. Also just been announced that when you arrive you are put in designated hotels and remain for 14 days (at your own cost including food). No more self isolation at own home. Also maximum gathering of 2. (not a typo. Yes two). That includes in own home. Family members exempt. So Australia would be last place I would be going. Tell your mates to find good spot in Thailand and try chill. Good to know. See my earlier post though, which IATA says 'immediate family members' can enter Australia. i am not sure if a brother is classed as an immediate family member or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 1 minute ago, Mister Fixit said: i am not sure if a brother is classed as an immediate family member or not. I suspect it means parents, spouses and their children. That is the typical definition for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Fixit Posted March 31, 2020 Author Share Posted March 31, 2020 Just now, ubonjoe said: It is there choice. If they have the funds to stay here for a a few months then it is really up to them. It will not be a problem to get additional extensions and soon apparently longer extensions. Thailand is certainly not telling people to go home. Yes, I think that is their plan. They have plenty of money so no problem about staying. They are stuck in Ao Nang at the moment because they have to report back to Immi in Krabi Town in 2 weeks, but they will probably go to Lanta once they get the remainder of their stamp. I only thought of Oz as an alternative to going back to the UK, which they certainly don't want to do unless or until it becomes mandatory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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