Immigration said to come back on the 31st July

[adrianb]

I just visited the Immigration office in Chumphon today., a 100 mile round trip I have a multiple entry marriage visa which is valid until next year, though I was supposed to leave in June to do my 90day border hop. I asked them for an extension and they said no. I asked why, and they said they do not know yet what is happening and can not extend visas.

They asked me to go back on the 31st July. Does anyody know anything about this?

I have been reading report of other people getting extensions in Phuket, so I am confused as hell right now.

[jackdd]

For which kind of extension did you want to apply?

Some immigration offices refuse to process a legit one year extension for people under the amnesty because they want you to use an agent so that they get a backhander.

The amnesty is going to be extended until 26th September, so you still have two months time to do it.

Edited July 22, 2020 by jackdd

[Joe2050]

Same answer in CW this morning, officers told us to wait till July 31st, because at the moment they don't have clear instructions... Situation may change they said. Strange indeed.

[adrianb]

2 minutes ago, Joe2050 said:

Same answer in CW this morning, officers told us to wait till July 31st, because at the moment they don't have clear instructions... Situation may change they said. Strange indeed.

Thank you it is nice to know it was just not me, 

[DrJack54]

OP what type of extension were you trying to obtain.

In any event the amnesty extended until Sept 26 will shortly be in place.

https://www.thaigov.go.th/news/contents/details/33560

Edited July 22, 2020 by DrJack54

[adrianb]

10 minutes ago, jackdd said:

For which kind of extension did you want to apply?

Some immigration offices refuse to process a legit one year extension for people under the amnesty because they want you to use an agent so that they get a backhander.

The amnesty is going to be extended until 26th September, so you still have two months time to do it.

Any kind of extension or information. They seemed to know nothing about September 26th. I have been dealing with Thai immigartion for the last 25 years and this is the first time I have not been able to get an answer. It appears that they are also being kept in the dark.

[adrianb]

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

OP what type of extension were you trying to obtain.

In any event the amnesty extended until Sept 26 will shortly be in place.

This is the amnesty that everyone was saying would be decided on yesterday, but nothing has been decided.

Any extension I saw the article by the Phuket Immigration chief urging people to go and get extensions before the end of the month.  So I tried at my local office and got stonewalled.

[DrJack54]

Thai govt confirms extension of visa amnesty to 26 Sept

 

OP check out the article above in "Thai news forum". Announced yesterday.

https://www.thaigov.go.th/news/contents/details/33560

 

Edited July 22, 2020 by DrJack54

[adrianb]

5 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Thai govt confirms extension of visa amnesty to 26 Sept

 

OP check out the article above in "Thai news forum". Announced yesterday.

https://www.thaigov.go.th/news/contents/details/33560

 

Thank you,I had not seem that anywhere yet. Though surely the immigration should have told me this, and not to come back on the 31st. It seems wrong that they have zero information. I was polite to them not pushy. So hopefully this gets etched in stone , so it is law and I can relax for another month, 

[DrJack54]

Just now, adrianb said:

hopefully this gets etched in stone , so it is law and I can relax for another month, 

Most likely Friday. 

You state another month think you mean 2.

Which extension are you looking to obtain?

60 day extension to visit family?

[Wavel]

Somebody correct me if i'm wrong. But please don't apply for extensions whilst the Amnesty is in place. As it is absolutely pointless forfeiting an extension until the last day of the amnesty. Go to your local IO by all means to find out what paperwork they require, for you to obtain an extension. So that you don't risk an Overstay.

 

[DrJack54]

17 minutes ago, Wavel said:

As it is absolutely pointless forfeiting an extension until the last day of the amnesty.

Your advice is correct, however I would not leave it until the last day. There are many folk that have not used their one available extension and if all applying at very end it would be chaos.

26 Sept is a Saturday so I guess few days or more prior to that.

Edited July 23, 2020 by DrJack54

[Colmera]

It has to be Government or Royal gazetted I think, approval I usually a formality should be done by Friday

[JusticeGB]

I have been doing my 90 day reporting during the amnesty without any problems during the amnesty. The Jomtien Immigration Office says it's wise to keep doing this because when the amnesty ends they probably won't be able to cope with all the Visa applicants. 

[Max69xl]

20 hours ago, Joe2050 said:

Same answer in CW this morning, officers told us to wait till July 31st, because at the moment they don't have clear instructions... Situation may change they said. Strange indeed.

It's not very strange because the extended "amnesty" isn't official yet. That's why IO's still uses July 31 as the final date. I guess they don't know more than us. 

[Max69xl]

4 minutes ago, JusticeGB said:

I have been doing my 90 day reporting during the amnesty without any problems during the amnesty. The Jomtien Immigration Office says it's wise to keep doing this because when the amnesty ends they probably won't be able to cope with all the Visa applicants. 

Desk 4 at Jomtien Immigration won't handle extensions even if the place will be crowded. And they probably didn't know anything about the extension of the "amnesty" when you were there the last time. One of the reasons people staying in Pattaya/Jomtien are still doing the 90 days reports in person, is because not many stay far away from immigration. If you do the 90 days report online,and don't have a printer at home,you need to download the receipt to a flash-drive and go to a photo shop and print it out, or open the 90 days report website at an internet cafe/shop and print it out there. For many, it's easier and faster to do it in person, especially now when there are just a few people at immigration every day. On top of that, it's free. 

[luckyluke]

7 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

If you do the 90 days report online,and don't have a printer at home,you need to download the receipt to a flash-drive and go to a photo shop and print it out, or open the 90 days report website at an internet cafe/shop and print it out there. 

I keep my 90 days on line approval in my Drive, only make once a year a hard copy, when I go to Immigration for my extension.

[Clarkey611]

22 hours ago, Joe2050 said:

Same answer in CW this morning, officers told us to wait till July 31st, because at the moment they don't have clear instructions... Situation may change they said. Strange indeed.

Just back from MTT Counter K. A really nice gentleman suggested that there was no need to extend today, but to wait until the official announcement is made. He said that the paperwork needed for the extension will be known as soon as the official announcement is made. However, he said that it did mean another visit to MTT with an appointment made through the online queue system.

[drbeach]

23 hours ago, adrianb said:

This is the amnesty that everyone was saying would be decided on yesterday, but nothing has been decided.

Any extension I saw the article by the Phuket Immigration chief urging people to go and get extensions before the end of the month.  So I tried at my local office and got stonewalled.

It's been confirmed now. Cabinet has approved it. https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/thai-cabinet-extends-the-visa-amnesty-for-foreigners

[jimn]

1 hour ago, drbeach said:

It's been confirmed now. Cabinet has approved it. https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/thai-cabinet-extends-the-visa-amnesty-for-foreigners

So a 2 day old article confirms it does it? Its still not been confirmed. Wait until its in the Royal Gazette and then it will be.

[AgMech Cowboy]

On 7/22/2020 at 1:38 PM, adrianb said:

I asked them for an extension and they said no. I asked why, and they said they do not know yet what is happening and can not extend visas.

They asked me to go back on the 31st July. Does anyody know anything about this?

 

On 7/22/2020 at 2:29 PM, adrianb said:

Thank you,I had not seem that anywhere yet. Though surely the immigration should have told me this, and not to come back on the 31st. It seems wrong that they have zero information. I was polite to them not pushy. So hopefully this gets etched in stone , so it is law and I can relax for another month,

Must be published in the Royal Thai Government Gazette and then you don't have to think about for almost 2 months.

4 hours ago, JusticeGB said:

I have been doing my 90 day reporting during the amnesty without any problems during the amnesty. The Jomtien Immigration Office says it's wise to keep doing this because when the amnesty ends they probably won't be able to cope with all the Visa applicants. 

@JusticeGB Your 90 reporting is much different than those who are here on VE, TV or Non-O's from outside Thailand who either need to extend 30-60 days or leave every 90.

[Myran]

9 hours ago, Wavel said:

Somebody correct me if i'm wrong. But please don't apply for extensions whilst the Amnesty is in place. As it is absolutely pointless forfeiting an extension until the last day of the amnesty. Go to your local IO by all means to find out what paperwork they require, for you to obtain an extension. So that you don't risk an Overstay.

 

Speak for yourself. I'd much rather have it done and over with for this year, rather than waiting around and fighting the crowds when everyone goes to do it at the same time at the end of the amnesty (and the same thing next year, as people with yearly extensions will come back the same time then).

 

There's hardly any people at my immigration office now, and my extension was done in about 20 minutes, compared to 2-3 hours in usual circumstances. I don't even want to imagine what it's gonna be like at the end of the amnesty.

[adrianb]

On 7/22/2020 at 2:32 PM, DrJack54 said:

Most likely Friday. 

You state another month think you mean 2.

Which extension are you looking to obtain?

60 day extension to visit family?

I usually get 90 days every time I pop over the border and back to be with my family. I know it is unlikely but it would be nice not to have to think about it for a while. I guess we will hopefully alll get a full set of information on Friday.

[DrJack54]

4 hours ago, adrianb said:

I usually get 90 days every time I pop over the border and back to be with my family. I know it is unlikely but it would be nice not to have to think about it for a while. I guess we will hopefully alll get a full set of information on Friday.

You have a ME marriage. Have you used your 60 day extension to visit family? 

[adrianb]

On 7/24/2020 at 6:59 AM, DrJack54 said:

You have a ME marriage. Have you used your 60 day extension to visit family? 

I have never had an extension. When i went to the Chumphon Immigration office last week. They informed me they can not issue an extension and I have to leave the country by the 26 September.

[Mike Teavee]

8 hours ago, adrianb said:

I have never had an extension. When i went to the Chumphon Immigration office last week. They informed me they can not issue an extension and I have to leave the country by the 26 September.

Did you ask for a 1 year extension (which some are reporting they cannot get if their original Permission To Stay has expired) or a 60 day extension to visit your family (which you should be able to get if you haven't already had one since you entered Thailand this time)

 

[Peter Denis]

8 hours ago, adrianb said:

I have never had an extension. When i went to the Chumphon Immigration office last week. They informed me they can not issue an extension and I have to leave the country by the 26 September.

You wrote you did not yet apply for any extension since being on the Amnesty. 

That means you can still apply for a 60-day extension of stay for reason of visiting your thai wife / thai dependant child.

Such  60-day extension will provide you with a 'valid' permission to stay that can then be used as spring-board to apply for the 1-year extension of stay.  When applying for the 60-day extension of stay It will normally be provided from day of application, so best to do this in the final days/weeks of the Amnesty.  You also need to transfer the 400K to your personal thai bank-account (a joint one with your wife is not accepted) PRIOR to applying for the 60-day extension, as that 400K needs to be seasoned at least 2 months before doing your application for the 1-year extension of stay.  And it is recommended to do that 1-year extension of stay application approx 1-2 weeks before the 60-day permission to stay expires, in case your application is not complete so that you have sufficient time to get hold of the missing documents.  So when applying mid September for the 60-day extension, you would need to transfer the 400K somewhere beginning of September to your personal thai bank-account.  That will give you sufficient breathing-space for the whole process, without any stress for missing deadlines. 

 

You should enquire at your Chompun IO whether they would be willing to handle your 60-day extension of stay and then followed by the 1-year extension of stay.  Normally that would be accepted (many reports of ME Non Imm O marriage Visa holders following that route), but there are some rogue IOs that are not willing to accept such application because of the 'bogus' reason that you are on the Amnesty extension.

In that case it would be a matter of either:

- engaging a fixer agent to get your application approved (fee approx 25K) > see my response in another thread to one of your posts;

- temporarily/administratively relocating to a different province with a more accommodating IO willing to accept such application (most IOs will do this). 

Edited August 26, 2020 by Peter Denis