Non B visa expiry and amnesty and extensions

[jasonsamui55]

I’ve had a Non B visa for 4 years now here in Koh Samui. Every year upon the expiration of the visa I have to take the company papers from the accountant and get in a minivan to drive to Kota Bharu in Malaysia and get a new Non B visa. The current visa expires in 3 weeks.

Obvious die to Covid, one cannot freely do a border run and cross to Malaysia to get a new visa and cross back over the border to return to Thailand.

Is there any way to get a new non-b visa from within thailand either for the same company or even a different company?

 

What are my options to stay longer? Do any of these amnesty or extension programs apply in this case? Am I then on a tourist visa? Is it now extendable every 30 days? My embassy definitely will not provide any letters for extensions.

[beano2274]

why do you not get an Extension in Thailand every year instead of travelling to Malaysia?

[Gulfsailor]

You can stay in Thailand until dated on the ‘permission to stay until’ stamp in your passport, or until 26 September, whichever comes later. 

If the company you work for meets the requirements you can apply for a 1 year extension of stay based on employment at Samui immigration. 

If you don’t meet the requirements you can still apply, but will only get 7 days to leave. 

If you are married or parent of a Thai child you can apply for a 60 days extension of stay for that reason.

you will not get any 30day extensions as these are only for tourist visa or visa exempt holders. 

Apart from that the only other option is to get an extension based on volunteering using an agent. You will have to hand in the work permit from your current job to do this, so you can’t continue to work. Samui immigration does not accept a volunteer application without a work permit from the volunteer organization, so the agent will process it in some other area.

All we can hope for is that the cabinet will come up with some amnesty or visa-renewal option specifically for non-b visa holders and employment extension holders who do not meet the normal requirements to get a 1 year extension.

I’m in the same position, as Samui immigration refused my extension application on the basis that the 100% Thai company I work for did not make a profit in recent years. Furthermore I’m the sole caretaker of a Thai stepchild, but since I never officially could adopt her, I may be kicked out on the 26th having to leave my kid here to fend for herself. It’s a mess. 

[fdsa]

Ask your visa agent for "under the table" options. Here on Phuket we can get a one year extension for approx. 30k THB

[jasonsamui55]

49 minutes ago, fdsa said:

Ask your visa agent for "under the table" options. Here on Phuket we can get a one year extension for approx. 30k THB

Do you know any in Samui?

[jasonsamui55]

1 hour ago, beano2274 said:

why do you not get an Extension in Thailand every year instead of travelling to Malaysia?

That's the normal to do things for a small one-man company with minimum capitalisation and profits.

[jasonsamui55]

1 hour ago, Gulfsailor said:

You can stay in Thailand until dated on the ‘permission to stay until’ stamp in your passport, or until 26 September, whichever comes later. 

If the company you work for meets the requirements you can apply for a 1 year extension of stay based on employment at Samui immigration. 

If you don’t meet the requirements you can still apply, but will only get 7 days to leave. 

If you are married or parent of a Thai child you can apply for a 60 days extension of stay for that reason.

you will not get any 30day extensions as these are only for tourist visa or visa exempt holders. 

Apart from that the only other option is to get an extension based on volunteering using an agent. You will have to hand in the work permit from your current job to do this, so you can’t continue to work. Samui immigration does not accept a volunteer application without a work permit from the volunteer organization, so the agent will process it in some other area.

All we can hope for is that the cabinet will come up with some amnesty or visa-renewal option specifically for non-b visa holders and employment extension holders who do not meet the normal requirements to get a 1 year extension.

I’m in the same position, as Samui immigration refused my extension application on the basis that the 100% Thai company I work for did not make a profit in recent years. Furthermore I’m the sole caretaker of a Thai stepchild, but since I never officially could adopt her, I may be kicked out on the 26th having to leave my kid here to fend for herself. It’s a mess. 

Good info. That is even worse for you.  That sucks about adopted child.  There has to be a  simpler way for  you and myself.

 

The company won't qualify as its a small one-man company with minimum capitalisation and profits. Current visa expires Sept 24. Amnesty expires Sept 26.

 

So it seems at most I could get 7 days and then have to leave?  That's no help.

 

I usually have to do 90 day border bounces and those at least have been suspended but under normal circumstances I'd do a border bounce on Sept 23 and then get 90 days and then not have to get the next Non-B until late December.  It's all a mess.  And I don't see any solution other than to leave the country for an indefinite period of time. Its a shame there are all these solutions and amnesty extensions for tourists but nothing for those who actually work here and have real non-b visas.

 

Can you PM me about the agent and the volunteer stuff?  That seems a good possibility. Do you know if anyone has had success with that option in Samui?

[fdsa]

2 hours ago, jasonsamui55 said:

Do you know any in Samui?

Try Herbert at HDVisa. I don't know if he offers that 30k option but he is in the business for many years so he should know some ppl at the immigration office.

[JackThompson]

7 hours ago, jasonsamui55 said:

Is there any way to get a new non-b visa from within thailand either for the same company or even a different company?

In Bangkok, there are "lawyers" that have been able, for years, to arrange "in country" Non-B extensions, w/o a visa-run.  But since you already entered on a Non-Imm-B permitted-stay (not Tourist), it's even easier - no "change of visa" process involved - just need to apply for a Non-B 1-year permitted stay.

 

The question is, why could your company not do this before?  - snip - nevermind, saw this:

  

4 hours ago, jasonsamui55 said:

The company won't qualify as its a small one-man company with minimum capitalisation and profits. Current visa expires Sept 24. Amnesty expires Sept 26.

So you'd definitely need a lawyer/accountant to 'fix' things somehow.

 

Quote

What are my options to stay longer? Do any of these amnesty or extension programs apply in this case? Am I then on a tourist visa?

You are on an automatic-extension of the permitted-stay you recieved when entering the country until Sept 26 - not a TR entry.  This is the law per the cabiniet's order.

 

Quote

Is it now extendable every 30 days? My embassy definitely will not provide any letters for extensions.

What embassy will not do this?  I understand policies vary from one to the other, but some report they will provide the letters, to "assist" in transitioning to a long-term stay.

 

The issue, was that immigration was trying to pretend the automatic-extensions were not "real" extensions - were an "amnesty of overstay" - and since they cannot say, "We were lying," they are now doing this little dance, where if you show an embassy-letter, suddenly your stay until Sept 26 is "real" and can be extended.

[ecosouq]

hi 

 

how can i found trusted visa office ?. 

any one try Rapid visa 24 ?.

 

thanks 

[Max69xl]

18 hours ago, JackThompson said:

In Bangkok, there are "lawyers" that have been able, for years, to arrange "in country" Non-B extensions, w/o a visa-run.  But since you already entered on a Non-Imm-B permitted-stay (not Tourist), it's even easier - no "change of visa" process involved - just need to apply for a Non-B 1-year permitted stay.

 

The question is, why could your company not do this before?  - snip - nevermind, saw this:

  

So you'd definitely need a lawyer/accountant to 'fix' things somehow.

 

You are on an automatic-extension of the permitted-stay you recieved when entering the country until Sept 26 - not a TR entry.  This is the law per the cabiniet's order.

 

What embassy will not do this?  I understand policies vary from one to the other, but some report they will provide the letters, to "assist" in transitioning to a long-term stay.

 

The issue, was that immigration was trying to pretend the automatic-extensions were not "real" extensions - were an "amnesty of overstay" - and since they cannot say, "We were lying," they are now doing this little dance, where if you show an embassy-letter, suddenly your stay until Sept 26 is "real" and can be extended.

He doesn't need a "lawyer" but most likely an agent located on Koh Samui or in Surat Thani. 

Embassies/consulates are only supposed to issue a letter to be able to apply at immigration for a 30 days extension if it's totally impossible to fly back home, nothing else. At the moment that "might" apply to Australia.