70k Visa! - No Longer Issuing Volunteer Visas After Sept 11?

[patient37]

23 minutes ago, stranded81 said:

Thanks for your feedback - I will certainly clarify this point with them.

May I ask where you are in this similar process? Assuming you are pursing this route too -
were you able to/ are/ have already gotten the 3 month visa while under amnesty?
and thereafter are applying for/ already applied for the 12 month volunteer visa?

Also, since we already obtained 2 extensions - one 7 day extension prior to amnesty and a second "30 day under consideration" extension which allowed us to stay well into when the amnesty kicked in, would we qualify for the 30 day extension with embassy letter now even?

And if we do, then the added hurdle of the 3 month visa + 12 month volunteer thereafter
seems like a lot of stamps we would have to get which immigration wouldn't be happy yo dole out, regardless of whose getting "compensated" Just being realistic about my chances here 

Any more insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
 

I started my 15 month process last month, and it took 2.5 weeks (done now).

If anyone can help you it would be TVC, even with your current situation, just show them your stamps, and they will confirm approval if they can, or not.

 

The only think i see that could cause an issue is the "under consideration" stamp, as long as you had them complete that stamp then it should be fine. If not then TVC may say they can't, or add an additional step.

[stranded81]

2 minutes ago, patient37 said:

I started my 15 month process last month, and it took 2.5 weeks (done now).

If anyone can help you it would be TVC, even with your current situation, just show them your stamps, and they will confirm approval if they can, or not.

 

The only think i see that could cause an issue is the "under consideration" stamp, as long as you had them complete that stamp then it should be fine. If not then TVC may say they can't, or add an additional step.

thanks so much for your feedback. 
very helpful and reassuring.
congratulations on the visa approval and good luck!

[Phillip9]

4 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

So they basically pay a "consultant" to provide phony letters from the organizations they're not actually going to volunteer for? Classy.

I don't know what documents they need to get these approved.  But given that these are probably being issued by the thousands I am sure that everyone in immigration up to the top level knows this is going on, so I doubt anything like a phony letter is needed for approval.

[Dart12]

13 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

 

If you qualify there should be no issue getting a visa. You can either do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you. If you pay someone to do it for you, you will have to pay them.  Claiming you're being "hustled"  implies you are being cheated. I don't think willingly paying someone else to do work you don't want to do falls into that category.

 

Can the organization you volunteer for not help you with this?

The implied *possible* "hustle" (and it may not be), is that I cannot get a simple 30 day extension at this time and seek a long term visa next month.  Saying it won't be possible next month is my reference here. 

This is a common scarcity tactic in sales.  I have no issue with it. It's how the world works.  But a duck is a duck is a duck.  So, I call it a duck.

Oh...and each have said it's not possible to get lower priced than what they were offering.  This thread has proven that to be another false tactic...as I've now found at least one that will do it for 22,000 baht less (that is respected).

 

[Dart12]

11 hours ago, stranded81 said:

Hi Everyone,
Grateful for some feedback on the below.

BACKGROUND - Arrived in Thailand on VOA, March 2nd. Received single 7 day extension till March 23 and then a "under consideration" stamp til April 22 from Bangkok immigration after obtaining a letter from our embassy.
We moved to Hua Hin In April owing to possibility of covid cases rising in Bangkok and were told we were covered under amnesty anyway till July 31. Then till Sep 26th.
When we went to update our stamp at hua hin immigration we were refused one as the IO told us that we could obtain the stamp only at the original immigration center (bangkok) but there was no need to worry as we were technically covered by amnesty till Sep 26th, and our permission to stay was technically in the window period (April 22 and amnesty kicked in march 26th).

NEW EMBASSY LETTER -
Now, My family and I (wife + 18 month old baby) have after a lot of groveling managed to obtain a letter from our Embassy for a 30 day extension request.
However, when we went to immigration at hUA Hin with the extension request, they said we first had to go to the bangkok immigration office where we originally received the "under consideration till april 22nd" stamp, have that updated and then we can apply for the 30 day extension either at bangkok or hua hin - does this seem accurate?
We don't mind taking the day trip and heading over to Bangkok for 2 days to get our "under consideration" stamp updated on Monday, Sep 14th.
My question is - what will bangkok immigration office do exactly? update the stamp to permitted to stay till sep 26th?
And then at the same time update that to October 25th with the embassy letter?

Or is this one immigration office just passing the ball to the other in the hopes of discouraging us to apply for the 30 day extension?

12 MONTH VOLUNTEER VISA
If we are successfully granted the 30 day extension, I have been informed by the THAI VISA CENTER AGENT (I believe lot of folks using their services here), we can apply for a 12 month volunteer visa and they will take care of the entire process . Naturally, they are charging a heft amount (35K per applicant)

Summary of my inquiries -
1. Will we be able to successfully get our "under consideration till april 22nd" stamp updated at the original immigration office next week? Considering it is so close to the end of the amnesty period anyway.

2. Following that, will the immigration office in Bangkok right there and then approve and update the 30 day extension as well till October 25th since we have an embassy letter? (i understand thai immigration is under no obligation to do so, but considering that they may, can the process of updating 2 things , first the permission to stay till sep 26th and thereafter, permission to / another consideration till oct 25th with embassy letter be achieved within a single visit to the immigration office? Trying to ascertain the process flow here. I'll even have an updated hotel booking in bangkok to show the immigration office in bangkok.

3. Will the agent be able to obtain a volunteer visa so long as we are given permission to stay till October 25th? (even if the new stamp states " under consideration till october 25th"

Any feedback on the above would be greatly appreciated.
thank you very much





 

Each agent is telling NO (I cannot get the normal extension and then get a volunteer visa later).  That may just be a sales tactic though, to get me to buy one of the higher priced volunteer visas immediately.

They are saying I have to get the volunteer visa NOW. (by tuesday have it submitted).

Did Thai Visa Center say you CAN do that?  That also might be the trick:  Getting an "extension" based on your availability of them still.  I just don't know if they are recognizing those extensions after the amnesty.  I'm afraid they'll stamp mine "covid" regardless.

[Dart12]

10 hours ago, patient37 said:

I actually asked TVC this same question.

They said that if I was no longer under Amnesty they would need me to come 20 days before my expiration date (I guess with amnesty they can be a little more flexible).

 

As for you saying they quoted you 35,000 for a 1 year visa from VOA, that doesn't make sense.

You would first need to get a 3 month non-immigrant visa first for 25,000 THB to be eligible for the 1 year extension (this is what I ended up doing).

You should confirm with them, seems like you may be misunderstanding something.

if you don't mind sharing, what was your total cost?  and yes. what you are saying process wise is similar to what I'm hearing.  

@stranded81. I'm told you can get these long term visa now thru 3 other agents if you turn in your paperwork to them by the 15th.  TVC seems very reputable based on their hundreds of reviews as well.

Edited September 11, 2020 by Dart12

[patient37]

4 minutes ago, Dart12 said:

if you don't mind sharing, what was your total cost?  and yes. what you are saying process wise is similar to what I'm hearing.  

I paid 60,000 THB for 15 month volunteer visa from 30 day exempt entry.

Later I may get multiple entry for 4,000 THB if they decide to make coming back into Thailand a little easier/cheaper, if not I guess I wont be traveling outside of Thailand for a while.

[patient37]

16 minutes ago, Dart12 said:

Each agent is telling NO (I cannot get the normal extension and then get a volunteer visa later).  That may just be a sales tactic though, to get me to buy one of the higher priced volunteer visas immediately.

They are saying I have to get the volunteer visa NOW. (by tuesday have it submitted).

Did Thai Visa Center say you CAN do that?  That also might be the trick:  Getting an "extension" based on your availability of them still.  I just don't know if they are recognizing those extensions after the amnesty.  I'm afraid they'll stamp mine "covid" regardless.

I asked them about the "15th", and they said that it may be possible but after that date price might be higher ????.

So I don't think the other agents are lying to you, it could be true that some of them really cant submission after the 15th. But not all agents are the same, so some may still be able to do it.

[Phillip9]

6 minutes ago, patient37 said:

I asked them about the "15th", and they said that it may be possible but after that date price might be higher ????.

There is also a cabinet meeting on the 15th.  If they extend amnesty, it will most likely be announced that evening.  They could be just trying to scare you to buy a visa before that announcement.

[Dart12]

2 minutes ago, patient37 said:

So I don't think the other agents are lying to you, it could be true that some of them really cant submission after the 15th. But not all agents are the same, so some may still be able to do it.

I meant if I got a 30 day extension prior to doing it in a couple weeks.  They made it sound like they were being done away with.  Then they go "you never know...."  lol.  Lies? idk. It's sales tactics 101.  To me, common sense says, everyone will want money next month too, so it would be very doable.  

And, knowledge gleaned from everyone here, it really dictates what stamp you can get from immigration. A Covid one might not work next month, the standard 30 day I think would be no problem.  But can you get the standard 30? idk.

But thanks to the many people in this post that wanted to help so generously.  I think I found a good agent and solution that I'm comfortable with.

[Dart12]

12 minutes ago, patient37 said:

I asked them about the "15th", and they said that it may be possible but after that date price might be higher ????.

So I don't think the other agents are lying to you, it could be true that some of them really cant submission after the 15th. But not all agents are the same, so some may still be able to do it.

It's a business, and they need to feed their family too.  But it's not like they really know if it will get extended.

I'm probably sure though this was a favor of the cabinet to immigration...making that decision  later than the last date possible for long term visa acquisition...so they all made a little money too (even if amnesty granted again).

That way, they get both higher sums from those that can afford it, immediately.  Real? idk.  But a possible thought process.

Rather be safe than sorry by waiting too long.

Edited September 12, 2020 by Dart12

[Peter Denis]

12 hours ago, stranded81 said:

...
2. Following that, will the immigration office in Bangkok right there and then approve and update the 30 day extension as well till October 25th since we have an embassy letter? (i understand thai immigration is under no obligation to do so, but considering that they may, can the process of updating 2 things , first the permission to stay till sep 26th and thereafter, permission to / another consideration till oct 25th with embassy letter be achieved within a single visit to the immigration office? Trying to ascertain the process flow here. I'll even have an updated hotel booking in bangkok to show the immigration office in bangkok.
...

When you apply for the Embassy letter supported 'special' 30-day extension of stay, it is recommended to enquire beforehand at your IO, whether such a 'special' extension would allow you afterwards:

1 - to apply for a 'regular' Visa or extension > some IOs (e.g. HatYai, SriRacha) are not willing to handle any subsequent 'regular' applications, because they consider the Embassy letter supported 'special' extension a Waiting Room extension until you are able again to leave for your home-country;

2 - whether the IO, if not willing to handle a subsequent 'regular' application, would be willing to handle your next 'special' extension(s) > some IOs as well as some Embassies have indicated they are only willing to handle such a special extension once. 

[Dart12]

FYI, Immigration officer just told me you must be registered by today to get converted to a volunteer visa.

unlike Agents, who have said deadline is this coming week.

 

[NoshowJones]

21 hours ago, EricTh said:

 

270 days is 9 months. If one can get this, what's the point of putting in 400k or 800k in a bank?

 

Would a nine month tourist visa not be very detrimental to the agents? We all know what that will mean to the immigration officials.

 

[Dart12]

7 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Would a nine month tourist visa not be very detrimental to the agents? We all know what that will mean to the immigration officials.

 

I would believe it would be terrible for them, yes.  especially at a mere 2000bht

[FlyingThai]

Not sure what agent quoted these prices but usually agents have asked for 40-55k for the 12/15 months volunteer visa (plus a small 4k extra for a multiple entry permit).

 

As others have noted it takes a few (2-3) weeks to process these plus many agents use obscure immigration offices upcountry that adds another few days to the chain.

[FlyingThai]

5 hours ago, Dart12 said:

It's a business, and they need to feed their family too.  But it's not like they really know if it will get extended.

I'm probably sure though this was a favor of the cabinet to immigration...making that decision  later than the last date possible for long term visa acquisition...so they all made a little money too (even if amnesty granted again).

That way, they get both higher sums from those that can afford it, immediately.  Real? idk.  But a possible thought process.

Rather be safe than sorry by waiting too long.

I was told casually that from the 55k for the volunteer visa all the visa agent can manage to keep is 15k, the rest goes as payoff to the IO's responsible for affixing the visa, the visa fee itself and another payoff to the institution that fronts the "volunteering". Take it with a grain of salt but it sounds reasonable.

[Dart12]

Quote

 

Update for those in need of a long term visa.

There is an agent today that will pick up your passport by end of today if you need a long term conversion.  Company name Documanservce.

Thai Visa Centre in BKK can still do them until 3pm Monday.  You will have to drop your passport off there.

[2530Ubon]

Is this a sales tactic or a neccessity? The volunteer visa has been used for so many years that i'm a bit confused as to why they suddenly can't do it - Some embassies (such as the UK embassy) are issuing letters of support for converting a short stay visa to a long stay visa - after the 26th September.

[audaciousnomad]

On 9/12/2020 at 11:04 AM, Dart12 said:

I would believe it would be terrible for them, yes.  especially at a mere 2000bht

They will make some money by adding their "service fee" to that. Maybe they fast track your queue number, organize all your documents, etc. But yeah...not the big money they would make from doing other types of visas, especially since whatever services they would be doing could be done by yourself at immi.

[natway09]

The volunteer visa is a bit of an anomoly as it is a way for agents & Immigration staff to 

make their "bonus"

[FlyingThai]

8 hours ago, 2530Ubon said:

Is this a sales tactic or a neccessity? The volunteer visa has been used for so many years that i'm a bit confused as to why they suddenly can't do it - Some embassies (such as the UK embassy) are issuing letters of support for converting a short stay visa to a long stay visa - after the 26th September.

The reason why they suddenly "can't do it" is that there is a minimum processing time for such visas and we're heading full steam to SEP 26th. The entry needs to be extended/changed before that date.

[2530Ubon]

52 minutes ago, FlyingThai said:

The reason why they suddenly "can't do it" is that there is a minimum processing time for such visas and we're heading full steam to SEP 26th. The entry needs to be extended/changed before that date.

I see, I'm still entitled to a 30 day extension of my current visa (IO office and other posters have confirmed this is possible in Ubon) and with the embassy letters for other people, i assumed there wouldn't need to be such a rush. Who knows, maybe amnesty will be extended again/special tourist visa! Thanks for the info

[BritTim]

29 minutes ago, 2530Ubon said:

I see, I'm still entitled to a 30 day extension of my current visa (IO office and other posters have confirmed this is possible in Ubon) and with the embassy letters for other people, i assumed there wouldn't need to be such a rush. Who knows, maybe amnesty will be extended again/special tourist visa! Thanks for the info

If you can get a regular extension (which on a tourist entry under amnesty can be hard) there is no reason to panic. However, after an embassy letter assisted extension, your future options are likely to be limited. After reporting back after the "under consideration" period to get your updated permission to stay confirmed, you will have an end date of your permission to stay only 10 days later. You cannot apply for conversion visas at immigration with this short a period remaining. That is probably true even using agents except at totally insane prices.

[Dart12]

9 hours ago, 2530Ubon said:

I see, I'm still entitled to a 30 day extension of my current visa (IO office and other posters have confirmed this is possible in Ubon) and with the embassy letters for other people, i assumed there wouldn't need to be such a rush. Who knows, maybe amnesty will be extended again/special tourist visa! Thanks for the info

getting MARKED that extension is going to be your obstacle.  Whether you have it or not...they are just rubber stamping covid extensions it seems.  Then it gets harder and pricier.

You can still get long term accepted today (and maybe this week).  If not you are rolling the dice to stick around.

Edited September 13, 2020 by Dart12

[RaduAlex]

I picked up mine today. The processing time is 15 days indeed which means it's now too late. There was a farang who wanted to apply and from the looks of it he was turned down and advised to go for medical. As for the cost, I got mine from immigration DIRECTLY. I would advise to ask how to arrange this at immigration first BEFORE turning to an agent. It does make a difference.

[2530Ubon]

According to the immigration website, "each entry will be stamped for 30 days". Perhaps they have been using the 'under consideration' only for this month - waiting for the cabinet to announce something. I've read many posts that say immigration officers have been turning people away, and telling them to come back at the end of the month.

[2530Ubon]

7 minutes ago, RaduAlex said:

I picked up mine today. The processing time is 15 days indeed which means it's now too late. There was a farang who wanted to apply and from the looks of it he was turned down and advised to go for medical. As for the cost, I got mine from immigration DIRECTLY. I would advise to ask how to arrange this at immigration first BEFORE turning to an agent. It does make a difference.

Could you tell me, how did you arrange this? I would love to know a legal way to do this. I've stated before, i really don't want to buy a dodgy visa but it may become neccessary at some point. I have very solid financials, but i also have a lot of expenses - i bought a house with the GF just prior to COVID.

[Yellowtail]

2 minutes ago, 2530Ubon said:

Could you tell me, how did you arrange this? I would love to know a legal way to do this. I've stated before, i really don't want to buy a dodgy visa but it may become neccessary at some point. I have very solid financials, but i also have a lot of expenses - i bought a house with the GF just prior to COVID.

 

What organization do you volunteer for?

[2530Ubon]

2 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

 

What organization do you volunteer for?

I don't have that visa, I'm on a tourist visa, and i'm still eligible for a 30 day extension which IS being granted in Ubon. I was asking how RaduAlex obtained the visa, as i still have lot's of time.