Teachers working on visa amnesty

[dmarc028]

I know this is against immigration laws but how many of you are working while on visa amnesty? I know including myself there are a lot of teachers working here with full qualifications. The problem is none of us can convert our visa amnesty to a non immigrant B visa. What kind of information does your schools tell you?

[jackdd]

19 minutes ago, dmarc028 said:

I know this is against immigration laws but how many of you are working while on visa amnesty?

Depends on with which kind of visa you entered and if you have a work permit.

 

20 minutes ago, dmarc028 said:

The problem is none of us can convert our visa amnesty to a non immigrant B visa.

This is not correct, you can convert a tourist visa or visa exempt to a non-b visa. But depending on where you stay and what your exact circumstances are, it could be that immigration throws some hurdles in your way.

[wmlc]

This is absolutely not true. It can be done but your school will not do it for you. Also what about your work permit?

[JackThompson]

Schools here are notorious for not providing the necessary paperwork to get teachers on the correct visas with work-permits.  Pre-covid (for years), they were sent to get Tourist-Visas at Vientiane, repeatedly. 

 

When I commented on some threads, saying teachers should refuse to work w/o a work-permit, etc - I was told "Then you won't be hired."  Evidently, this is because schools have to pay off immigration, like many other businesses do, so want to make sure you will be "sticking around," before shelling out the cash.

 

If it were me, I would not set foot on the job w/o a work-permit - or at LEAST w work-permit approval-letter showing you are "in process of getting legal," which can be used to start the immigration process, so you can THEN get your WP. 

 

The immigation-process usually begins with a Non-B 90-Day stamp.  Pre-Covid, the huge payoff through "law firms" to get a this stamp "in country" was often avoided, by sending out an employee for a Non-B Visa from a Thai-consulate.    Now, that is impossible, so not sure what schools will do, unless Immigration offers a discounted "no-receipt-fee" for "in-country" Non-B 90-day stamps.

[problemfarang]

well im not a teacher but working. I have work permit and non-o 1 year visa. I did my visa extension via agency because of IO's mistake and being stubborn. 

 

I dont know why you said illegal by the law. If you have the right visa.. then should not be a problem. if you dont have the right visa or qualifications, then its amnesty or not your doing it wrong from the beginning. 

[aidenai]

On 9/5/2020 at 6:46 PM, dmarc028 said:

The problem is none of us can convert our visa amnesty to a non immigrant B visa.

According to the current provisions, you can't apply for a non-immigrant B visa (teaching) when on amnesty.

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, problemfarang said:

well im not a teacher but working. I have work permit and non-o 1 year visa. I did my visa extension via agency because of IO's mistake and being stubborn. 

 

I dont know why you said illegal by the law. If you have the right visa.. then should not be a problem. if you dont have the right visa or qualifications, then its amnesty or not your doing it wrong from the beginning. 

If you are here on a Non-O for Thai Family, you are legally allowed to work, and can get a WP from the labor-dept based on that.  That is my status also - my Non-O family permitted-stay having been "auto extended" until Sept 26. 

 

There was some issue at Labor for new and renewed WPs, for those whose stays on "work-allowed" permitted-stays had become "auto-extended."  I am not sure if/how that was resolved.   If this goes on long enough, I will find out next year when WP renewal time arrives. 

 

I will continue embassy-letter-extending until the land-borders open, because Immigration created "new requirements" to block my legit 1-year non-o extension.

Edited September 7, 2020 by JackThompson

[JackThompson]

 

7 minutes ago, aidenai said:

On 9/5/2020 at 6:46 PM, dmarc028 said:

The problem is none of us can convert our visa amnesty to a non immigrant B visa.

According to the current provisions, you can't apply for a non-immigrant B visa (teaching) when on amnesty.

Per the cabinet's ruling, whatever permitted-stay you had when the covid-auto-extension began, was "automatically extended" until Sept 26. 

 

Unless you use one of the "law firms" that partner with IOs to provide this service (and this is not cheap) yes, cannot move to a Non-B. 

 

But there is nothing in Immigration Law which requires "Go Out for a New Visa" - was just the workaround to the corruption.  The law allows changing from one non-imm extension reason to another, or doing a "change of visa status" from TR entries in-country.

[Neeranam]

What's happening after Sep 26? Could there be a further freebie from immigration?

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, Neeranam said:

What's happening after Sep 26? Could there be a further freebie from immigration?

Doubt anyone knows but the 'mood' seems to be negative,

[JackThompson]

3 hours ago, Vajra Kilaya said:

HI Jack, 

 

I was following this topic initially but based on your comment, "Per the cabinet's ruling, whatever permitted-stay you had when the covid-auto-extension began, was "automatically extended" until Sept 26."...

I must have missed something new... I could really use a copy of your source for this info... could you tell me where I mind find the specifics of this auto-extension of the visa we were on at the time covid amnesty began development? 

 

I was under the impression the amnesty was a separate thing and have been told by some officials (not recently) that my Non had expired and I was no longer on it. Your news indicates otherwise...  

 

If you have some info on where I could find this cabinet decision, that would be a huge assist.

 

Thanks a lot Jack

The auto-extension is in the rule passed by the cabinet, and published in the Gazette.  Immigration were not happy about this - even had a spokesman deny the latest extension would happen, just a few days before it was announced.  The extension of the extension cut into the huge agent-money they were raking-in on volunteer, ed, and other extensions from desperate foreigners. 

 

Many were told they were "on overstay under amnesty," and could not extend - as you apparently were.  Other offices never played this silly game, and allowed folks to apply for extensions. 

 

More recently, the 30-day extension was announced, and the USA began issuing letters for this.  Those showing these letters, at some offices, received stamps through Sept 26 - essentially "formalizing" their cabinet-ordered extensions.  This policy varies by office. 

 

This embassy-letter requirement would appear to be a face-saving measure, as some IOs/offices did not want to admit they had been lying before.

 

Not sure of your embassy, but you could apply for an embassy letter from them.  Some are handing them out easily (USA), while others are wanting "reasons" - one of which (Australia) is "to facilitate changing to a long-term stay."  I would try to get an embassy letter.  At worst, you can get 30-days with it - but better if it can "formalize" your existing permitted-stay at a difficult-office, and allow a longer-term extension from there.

[jackdd]

4 hours ago, Vajra Kilaya said:

I must have missed something new... I could really use a copy of your source for this info... could you tell me where I mind find the specifics of this auto-extension of the visa we were on at the time covid amnesty began development? 

 

I was under the impression the amnesty was a separate thing and have been told by some officials (not recently) that my Non had expired and I was no longer on it. Your news indicates otherwise...  

It has always been written in the "amnesty" (this is a misleading term, it's actually just an automatic extension), which can be found for example here:

Some immigration officers just lied to people, telling them that they were no longer on a valid permission to stay, in an attempt to extort money from them.

 

Now you can also get a stamp at an immigration office which will formally confirm your extension until 26th September:

 

5 hours ago, Neeranam said:

What's happening after Sep 26? Could there be a further freebie from immigration?

There hasn't been any freebie from immigration so far, and i doubt there ever will. Immigration just tries to give people as many problems as possible in an attempt to fill their pockets.

Edited September 7, 2020 by jackdd

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

It's a well known fact that if you show up at a school looking to teach, and they need a teacher, they'll want you to start immediately. Yet we all know there's a mountain of paperwork that takes months. Thus, many teachers are often working several months into the term, without a work permit.

 

Many can't stand the waiting and are worried about being illegal or busted, and thus they bail. Many others however, know this simply comes with the territory. In my experience and what I've heard from others, the busts usually only happen at the smaller language schools. I've never heard it happening at a government, or large private school. Former colleagues have told me of RTP or Tourist Police dropping by and requesting photo ops with the new farangs, to show their bosses they're keeping an eye on them. However, they've only taken a look at their latest visa stamp, if even that. They could've cared less about any work permits.

[JackThompson]

45 minutes ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Many can't stand the waiting and are worried about being illegal or busted, and thus they bail. Many others however, know this simply comes with the territory.

While they did drop the jail-time for illegal working, "Banned from Thailand for Life" is still on the books.  If that isn't a problem for someone - no family here, ok with never coming again, and can handle a couple weeks in the IDC - then maybe "risking it" is an acceptable choice.

[ANDREW999]

18 hours ago, jackdd said:

It has always been written in the "amnesty" (this is a misleading term, it's actually just an automatic extension), which can be found for example here:

Some immigration officers just lied to people, telling them that they were no longer on a valid permission to stay, in an attempt to extort money from them.

 

Now you can also get a stamp at an immigration office which will formally confirm your extension until 26th September:

 

There hasn't been any freebie from immigration so far, and i doubt there ever will. Immigration just tries to give people as many problems as possible in an attempt to fill their pockets.

I know exactly what you mean. All my papers were ready for a legit non b for a couple of months, my university tried to support me a lot, but IO blocked the application several times with the excuse of being "under amnesty". At the end I got tired and I decided to go together with an agent, I paid a lot of money for it (almost 30k), and it was solved in 24 hours.

They never spoke to me about a free permission to stay stamp, possibilities with an embassy letter, or anything related. They only kept saying that I needed to leave the country to get the non B and come back. 

Edited September 8, 2020 by ANDREW999

[FangFerang]

On 9/7/2020 at 12:33 PM, aidenai said:

According to the current provisions, you can't apply for a non-immigrant B visa (teaching) when on amnesty.

Ask Ubon Joe--yes you can apply for a NonB when on Tourist extended to amnesty.