Tourist visa to non-B at CW possibility

[Daddylonglegs]

Background - l have been working at a school in BK for several years using a non-O visa (WP dependent children) but when l reapplied at the beginning of this year at Nontaburi IO, l didn't meet the requirement of having 40k salary for one of the 3 stipulated months (it was 36k but they wouldn't accept it). At the time the officer recommended applying for non-B instead and my school went along with that. They pay someone to handle the paperwork for non-Bs for the other teachers anyway so it was no big deal for them. So, after exiting the country and coming back in on a 30-day tourist visa in March l find myself in this situation on amnesty and facing uncertainty. 

Is it actually possible to apply for a non-B at the moment at CW under my circumstances? I have a valid WP and all the docs have been prepared. 

If not, does anyone know what the chance is of getting a non-O (dependent children based in salary 40k) with a tourist visa at Nontaburi immigration? I've heard they are being difficult regarding tourist visas.

Any advice would be much appreciated

 

[ubonjoe]

You have to apply for the non immigrant visa at the designated office for where you living.

In order to apply for the visa you must have at least 15 days remaining on you current permit to stay.

You could apply for a 60 day extension to visit your child to get more time to sort things out. I am assuming they are Thai.

To apply based upon being the parent of a Thai you could you could use the 40k baht income option.

Requirements for the visa application are here. https://bangkokimmigration.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/07.pdf

For a visa based upon teaching they are here. https://bangkokimmigration.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/02.pdf

[Daddylonglegs]

OK thanks a lot Ubonjoe - so as long as l have the correct documents  it should be no problem applying for a non-B at CW or a non-O at Nontaburi (where l live) from a tourist visa?

[JackThompson]

4 hours ago, Daddylonglegs said:

At the time the officer recommended applying for non-B instead and my school went along with that. They pay someone to handle the paperwork for non-Bs for the other teachers anyway so it was no big deal for them. So, after exiting the country and coming back in on a 30-day tourist visa

It's illegal to work on a TR entry or w/o a Work-Permit, but many schools don't care if their teachers end up jailed, deported, and banned-for-life for illegally-working - just 'replace' those who are busted.  You have a Thai family (as do I), so this has a lot more weight.

 

If the school wanted you to go with a Non-B extension, they should have provided the paperwork to get Non-B visa from a Thai Consulate, which would have made the next step MUCH easier, and put you on a legal-path. 

 

As stated above, you can get a 60-Day based on Thai family (no financials involved), then apply for a Non-O 90-Day based on your Thai-Salary or Non-B based on teaching, extendable for a year. 

 

But a "Change of Visa Type" from a TR to 90-Day Non-B "in country" generally involves a pile of money to an "immigration-law firm" (most of the money passed to the IOs) - to spite being 100% legal, and should be available for 2000 Baht.  

 

The work-permit process is mixed up in this, also - you cannot get a WP while on an "employment prohibited" permitted-stay (TR-type).  Usually, you would get a "work-permit approval" letter from Labor, use that to "go out for a Non-B Visa" from a consulate - which is impossible now.  Hopefully, you will be able to use that Labor letter with Immigration to get your extension - Non-B or Non-O. 

 

The paperwork varies by office, so get Nonthaburi's list now, and provide to your school.  Note that you would likely be pretending to be a "new hire" - as you cannot show income-tax-payments for Illegal income, nor tell immigration you are working illegally.  The school should not have to provide any more documentation for a Non-O-Family based than they would for a Non-B, and possibly less.

[Almudena]

I was approached by a government school a few months ago to teach for them as they are desperate for NES teachers while still on an amnesty TR visa.  I have not taught here for 11 years due to that I got fed up with the immigration/WP procedures when it's easier to work in the UK for better money and only come here only on holidays. 

 

I made it clear to them that I would only do it legally as I can't see the point of doing something illegal when there's no need to.  It's time consuming for the School to get the correct documents as they need to be signed off by higher education authorities who always seems to be away from their offices on other duties and it's only that person who can sign and seal the documents for the immigration.   We submitted the documents to immigration at the beginning of the month and had a "visa under consideration" stapled to my passport and told the real visa will be issued at the end of the month.

 

The total price I was charged was 2000baht.  

  

[mrwebb8825]

The red flag for me is having a work permit and being on a tourist visa. If I'm not mistaken, canceling the old NON-O and getting a tourist stamp voids the WP or at least makes it improper to have. Be careful.

[Daddylonglegs]

Thanks for the advice - l have an appointment at CW on Thursday so l'll find out then and report back

[JackThompson]

5 hours ago, Almudena said:

 We submitted the documents to immigration at the beginning of the month and had a "visa under consideration" stapled to my passport and told the real visa will be issued at the end of the month.

 

The total price I was charged was 2000baht.  

This is VERY good news.  Was this at Chiang Wattana, or a smaller office in the sticks?

 

Many times, it ends like this - agent + pile of cash:

 

[TonBrow]

21 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

This is VERY good news.  Was this at Chiang Wattana, or a smaller office in the sticks?

 

Many times, it ends like this - agent + pile of cash:

 

I just got a "Visa Under Consideration" stamp last week with a 90 day report paper stapled into my passport to report back at the end of December.

 

I had received a Non B visa and work permit just before everything went into lock down and the Amnesty began. I tried to get the 1 year extension to the Non B, but immigration wouldn't extend it due to amnesty. Then, when the grace period began on September 1st, I went back to get the visa extended and was told again they could not extend it because I didn't have certain tax documents.
 

The office accountant obtained more documents, and still immigration would not extend my visa. No one would tell me the reason why, not even the accountant. Immigration just said, I must leave the country after Sept. 26 and make a new Non B visa using the work permit and other company documents.

 

I could see no logical reason why they shouldn't extend my visa, since I already had one that expired during amnesty, a valid work permit good till May 2021 and heaps of documents from my employer, so I sought the help of a Thai law firm that deals in helping foreigners sort out their visa problems.

 

Turns out that the accountant hadn't filled out the documents properly and some documents were missing. The Thai lawyer advised the accountant what was needed, and we went to CW together and got the "Visa Under Consideration" stamp. I'll have to go back at the end of the month with the lawyer to get the 1 year stamp or so I've been told.

 

This is not for a school teaching job though. If it had been a school, I would have not had all these problems.

[Almudena]

4 hours ago, JackThompson said:

This is VERY good news.  Was this at Chiang Wattana, or a smaller office in the sticks?

 

Many times, it ends like this - agent + pile of cash:

 

Up in Issan, but the same rules should apply to any immigration office. There's no need to pay an agent when the school can sort everything out, plus you're the one doing them the favour due to the lack of NES who can't or wont pay the ASQ to get back in. 

[ericthai]

4 hours ago, Almudena said:

Up in Issan, but the same rules should apply to any immigration office. There's no need to pay an agent when the school can sort everything out, plus you're the one doing them the favour due to the lack of NES who can't or wont pay the ASQ to get back in. 

yes, in reality the rules should be the same, but this is Thailand and all govt offices interpret and make up their own rules doesn't matter if it's correct or not. 

[ericthai]

11 hours ago, mrwebb8825 said:

The red flag for me is having a work permit and being on a tourist visa. If I'm not mistaken, canceling the old NON-O and getting a tourist stamp voids the WP or at least makes it improper to have. Be careful.

Your visa has nothing to do with your work permit they are not tied together. 

Working on a tourist visa is not allowed, however it is done allot by schools which 99% of the time 

it's not a problem.