Thailand extends grace period for stranded foreigners

[Daithi85]

2 minutes ago, genericptr said:

This is a total slap in the face to people like me who left before the 26th after immigration made multiple threats. I even waited until the 24th, cutting it really short in my opinion.

 

What is their message here? People can stay another 30 days and then just keep extending at 60 days per time? That means they changed their mind about wanting us gone? This would have been helpful information BEFORE the amnesty expired and we were asked to go home.

 

My girlfriend called it from the start. She said they need the money and they won't send anyone home and keep extending. She even said I should listen to her because she's Thai and understands how Thai people think. Foolishly I listened to immigration and tried to keep legal and do what was required by law. Lesson learned I guess.

I feel your pain ,this should of been announced 2 weeks ago

[NorthernRyland]

2 minutes ago, Ganesh108 said:

The question is: Has anyone asked you for advice at all?

giving unsolicited advice should be against forum rules (unless you have the authority of Thai immigration). It's 100% pointless noise and does nothing but agitates people. 

[Bender Rodriguez]

15 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects foreign tourist numbers to plunge to 6.7 million this year from 39.8 million in 2019 before recovering to 20.5 million next year.

hahaha, crystal ball again

 

20.5 million next year ?

 

yeah right

 

gmo pigs that can fly invented ?

[Benitostacos]

10 minutes ago, genericptr said:

This is a total slap in the face to people like me who left before the 26th after immigration made multiple threats. I even waited until the 24th, cutting it really short in my opinion.

 

What is their message here? People can stay another 30 days and then just keep extending at 60 days per time? That means they changed their mind about wanting us gone? This would have been helpful information BEFORE the amnesty expired and we were asked to go home.

 

My girlfriend called it from the start. She said they need the money and they won't send anyone home and keep extending. She even said I should listen to her because she's Thai and understands how Thai people think. Foolishly I listened to immigration and tried to keep legal and do what was required by law. Lesson learned I guess.

I truly sympathize with you. I was fortunate enough to get an embassy letter and get the extension, although in hindsight it wasn't necessary. Ironically, my fiancee said the exact same thing, that Thailand would change their mind at the last second. Guess that is just how things are done here. Best of luck to you.

[hotchilli]

15 hours ago, Captain_Bob said:

"The matter is subject to cabinet approval on Tuesday." 

So until they do that a bunch of visitors are now on overstay. Nice timing ???? 

Only those who couldn't get their back side into gear and get their visa/extension sorted out during Sept when they were told to do it.

[NorthernRyland]

6 minutes ago, Daithi85 said:

I feel your pain ,this should of been announced 2 weeks ago

if it's just 30 days then I'm not too upset but if they allow indefinite extensions then it's pretty disappointing. I was planning to leave anyways but under the current circumstances there's no way of knowing when I could return, so obviously we're all hesitant to leave at all.

[NorthernRyland]

1 minute ago, Benitostacos said:

Ironically, my fiancee said the exact same thing, that Thailand would change their mind at the last second

they know best, lesson learned. I just couldn't shake the dirty feeling that I was desperate and begging to stay in Thailand. I don't want to be that guy. ????

[Enzian]

I'm not on a visa extension (I mean I'm Non-O), but reading about all the stress experienced here gives me insight into why I've spent a good part of this year studying the ins and outs of Scotch whisky.

Edited September 29, 2020 by Enzian
clarify

[Guderian]

If this government ever had any credibility, it's been completely shredded now. I'm happy for the people who needed this, of course, but the way the authorities have handled this has been a fiasco, causing huge levels of concern for what turns out to be no good reason at all. This really worries me because this sort of level of policy inconsistency is likely to lead to them reopening to foreign tourists just as the winter peak of both flu and C19 are arriving in the north, and then reducing the quarantine restrictions to unsafe levels and throwing away all that's been learnt and won in the last nine months for the sake of a few dollars. Come on Prayut, get a grip on yourself and your ministers, you're making the government look stupid now.

[trucking]

On 9/28/2020 at 5:41 AM, In the jungle said:

I have been here 19 years entirely legally.

 

Only once have I applied for an extension of stay in country and that was this year.

 

The process for extending my stay was so utterly dysfunctional I felt violated by submitting to it.  Requests for irrelevant documents, sign every conceivable piece of paper, certify original documents as true copies because they insist.  Watching their 'processing' of my application was like something from a Marx brothers movie.

 

I have no idea how people repeatedly go through the much worse process of applying in country for 12 months on the basis of marriage and then get self righteous about the fact they do so.  I would feel only shame and a complete lack of self worth for submitting to that.  The whole process is an abuse.  I would keep quiet about going through it rather than bang on about doing things 'the proper way' and condemning others.

 

And yes, I do have the money in a Thai bank, adequately seasoned and could jump through all the other hoops involved in a marriage application but if they are offering 60 day rolling extensions I'll take that.

 

 

 

Completely agree with all your sentiments which tell the real reason many of us preferred the Multi O option. Nothing to do with finances but everything to do with not wanting to be a performing poodle.

 

In fact , it is more expensive to do border bounces than extensions ( hotels , transport etc ). The issue seems to be that those regularly succumbing to this inquisition are jealous of those with the means and intelligence to avoid it.

 

Unfortunately, I have just been obliged to join the poodles for the first time in 40 years because this announcement comes too late to be of any use to me.  If I still had the option I would probably go the extension route anyway just to put the whole issue to bed for a year. They seem to be changing their minds so regularly now that all their utterances can be taken with a pinch of salt since they now have a proven track record of vacillation and ineptitude.

 

Interestingly, there is an article in todays leading English language newspaper about this new proposed extension. At the bottom of that article you can see that it has gleaned  92 likes and 81 dislikes.

 

It is not unfair to assume that many of those 81 dislikes come from the same sad individuals who post here in condescending tones about those not regularly taking it up the posterior like themselves ( and apparently feeling grateful for it ).

[Bender Rodriguez]

neigborg borders still closed should mean: unlimited extension

 

why not till 26 of march 2021

 

but that would be too logic

 

those 150.000 remaining are SPENDING on accomodation, food, leisure

 

so don't come with some magic expensive mumbo jumbo with max. 1200 tourists per MONTH while you have 100 MONTHS in a ROW worth it right here, safe, covid free, that are spending and helping, even a little

 

[Bangkok Barry]

14 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

What happens next month - No one believes Amnesty will not be extended. How many people will get caught out for no other reason than the belief that Thailand will go back on their statements as they did last time and the time before that ?

It doesn't matter what happens next month. The 'damage' has already been done, with people having made whatever arrangements they needed to before the 26th September deadline. Very, very few if any will be affected by what happens at the end of October. Everyone has already regularised themselves or left.

 

What I did was get the 60-day extension through marriage and transferred 400,000 into a Thai bank from the UK, as the IO told me if I didn't I had to get out of the country before the end of November. I wonder how many thousands of others were in exactly the same position. The government just played everyone for fools. Or, they really didn't know how to read the calendar and had no idea the amnesty deadline was up. Maybe too many numbers on the calendar for them to understand it.

[Scott Tracy]

I guess no one is affected now, as those who could, left, and those who couldn't were arrested.

 

 

[CorpusChristie]

29 minutes ago, Ganesh108 said:

The question is: Has anyone asked you for advice at all? I would assume people here are adults, many of them are well-travelled, possibly more than you, and they know what they're doing. 

 

Your so-called 'advice' usually has an undertone of spite. 

Some people dont like being told an opinion that doesnt agree with theres and they just want sympathy : Poor you , I hope the nasty gubbyment gives you a free one year visa because you are very nice 

[Yorkshire Tea]

5 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

What I did was get the 60-day extension through marriage and transferred 400,000 into a Thai bank from the UK, as the IO told me if I didn't I had to get out of the country before the end of November. I wonder how many thousands of others were in exactly the same position. The government just played everyone for fools. Or, they really didn't know how to read the calendar and had no idea the amnesty deadline was up. Maybe too many numbers on the calendar for them to understand it.

Me too.

[high plane drifter]

Good morning to everyone ,,,,,

 

I don't comment much on Thai Visa news...

But it would be nice if everyone would be more polite or use more polite words to describe what they think.

 

  Myself I lived in Thailand more than 20 years,  of course I speak the language ,   but the reason I left was what I could hear from the officials,   my wife {Thai} she teached me a lot about the Thai officials people , I will not comment on it.

   But please Thai officials make sure you are inviting tourists like a country should ,,,, 

I sold my 2 houses in Thailand 2 years ago, one in Hua His  and the other one in Nontaburi on Suan pack rd not far from the market on soi 32 . I know you are trying to get most money as you can for visa ,  no wonder tourists say we  don't go to Thailand for holiday. , but they say we go to Thailand for visa run. 

I work for tourist business for many years ,The country I did help with tourist were very grateful to me ,that's how I had to learnt a few languages .

One country with different rules according to the provinces ,  don't look to honest to no one .

 

  I one more word ,,, you Thais people are so hard to approche when we have problem with something.

  Like,,,, I went to a dentist to have new dentures done,  a few days later I went back to tell the dentist that my new denture was hurting on my gum in a small spot ,   wow wow,,,wow,,, I had to be so polite even so she was insulted ,  even if she could see the blesture on my gum,  It sure took some acrobatic words to bring her back to her sense ,but before I left she kind of agree that the denture needed some filing or grinding to fit properly.

 best regards to you all...

[Ventenio]

i went to immigration every day with crisp bills.   19 in total for 1900 extension.

 

i showed everyone, and never filled in one form.  I told everyone they would extend.  I posted over 537,237 comments and spent 1897 hours worrying, but I was right.  

 

i'm living the life.

 

now i gotta take care of this consideration stamp.  555

[NorthernRyland]

6 minutes ago, high plane drifter said:

I had to be so polite even so she was insulted

Yes it's well known Thais don't accept constructive criticism so they never advance. It's a plague that holds the country back in so many ways.

[KhunKenAP]

Confusion is the operating principle of all Thai government departments. Thai Immigration gets the gold medal. 

[Ventenio]

1 minute ago, genericptr said:

Yes it's well known Thais don't accept constructive criticism so they never advance. It's a plague that holds the country back in so many ways.

over the years it has gotten better.  NOW they listen.  Do they do anything about it?  99% of the time nothing is done, and then you realize it makes no sense to give any constructive criticism.  

[NorthernRyland]

23 minutes ago, CorpusChristie said:

Some people dont like being told an opinion that doesnt agree with theres and they just want sympathy

you're basically nagging people though. It's not productive and clutters up the forum. This is supposed to be a resource for people and getting nagged, interrogated and shamed by other users cheapens the experience.

[NorthernRyland]

4 minutes ago, Ventenio said:

over the years it has gotten better.  NOW they listen.  Do they do anything about it?  99% of the time nothing is done, and then you realize it makes no sense to give any constructive criticism.  

there's a particular restaurant I like and they make it unbearable to eat at some days because they refuse to provide even a single fan. I can't of course asked them for this because it would be bad manors. The result? I don't go their on hot days and they lose business. All this over egos and 500 baht fan. ????????‍♂️

[Bangkok Barry]

2 hours ago, rowdyone said:

What I would love to know is if previously obtained extensions of stay will now begin on Nov 1 instead of Sept 27?

I'm in the same boat. Bought an extension last week. But not going to happen. As it hasn't happened for those who extended during previous amnesty deadlines.

[crazykopite]

If true then the agents have done very well out of this and those who paid 1,000s of baht under the table will be jumping up and down . Did those applying at immigration have to cough up 1,900 baht along with the under consideration application if yes will they get a refund .

[ThailandRyan]

2 hours ago, vandeventer said:

Why didn't they do this 2 weeks ago? Most tourist budget their holidays so when they came to Thailand for 1 month and had to stay for 6 months, they ran out of money months ago. They had to ask friends and family for help with money, if they can get it. Now the government knows you can't get blood out of a stone so overstay would be pointless for many so Amnesty was gifted.

They did not get stuck here. Could have left at anytime. Fear kept them here. If they did not have money to cover expenses then shame on them.

[CorpusChristie]

6 minutes ago, genericptr said:

you're basically nagging people though. It's not productive and clutters up the forum. This is supposed to be a resource for people and getting nagged, interrogated and shamed by other users cheapens the experience.

I ve mostly been informing people of how to get long term visas and I dont think its a good idea to stay in Thailand on the visa amnesty until you become illegal 

[ehgnyc]

I've already heard from Grace this morning. And you? She says this now gives me time to purchase one of her visas--at a discount!

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, genericptr said:

giving unsolicited advice should be against forum rules (unless you have the authority of Thai immigration). It's 100% pointless noise and does nothing but agitates people. 

if you believe that then you live in an alternate reality. Learn to deal with Sarcasm as well, it will make you less stressed. Yes my unsolicited advice. But I do what I want.

[NoshowJones]

15 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

3 month amnesty first, then two months, now one month. Seems no amnesty is the next logical step.

The soldiers should do the sensible thing and keep the amnesty until the borders are opened up, but I think we all know that being sensible is not in the soldiers mindset.

[Snow Leopard]

Thailand could have spun this situation into a really positive message for themselves to the rest of of the world. No Covid. Tourists allowed to over stay so they don't have to travel to their home countries with high transmission rates. Locally that these people are happy to stay in a Covid free country and spend their foreign currency. Plus many more. They just had to put some thought into it. 

 

Instead a bunch of paranoid people in a government with tunnel vision and whose sole purpose is to remain in power made a total and complete hash of it. This is what happens when you let a military, xenophobic and uneducated people run a country. A total shambles.