Expats may need to take COVID-19 test in order to renew extensions of stay: Richard Barrow

[sambum]

5 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

He clearly says from next month all foreign workers require covid free tests. Quote" However the Labour Ministry has informed that they are currently in the process of including covid 19 in the list of diseases that foreign workers must submit.  The new regulation is expected to be effective next month so please keep yourself updated on the issue."

 

I must get to Specsavers one of these days!

 

I thought that your  opening sentence read:-

 

"He clearly says from next month all foreign workers require free covid tests." 

 

[Destiny1990]

18 hours ago, Saraburi121 said:

I hope my immigration office doesn't read this news.  What kind of new rules will they make up on their own now?

Pee in a cup next ?

[PGSan]

5 minutes ago, kensisaket said:

The report from Brazil of 50.3% efficiency

And with no risks, so why not get it? 

 

Please recall that this figure does not mean that 49.7% of those who get it will suffer in some way, in particular they will not get the disease or have an increased chance of doing so.

 

So why not get it? 

[Bkk Brian]

5 minutes ago, sambum said:

 

I must get to Specsavers one of these days!

 

I thought that your  opening sentence read:-

 

"He clearly says from next month all foreign workers require free covid tests." 

 

I provided a link to the vid..............take it as you may

[metisdead]

Some conspiracy troll posts and the replies have been removed.

 

Inflammatory posts and the replies have been removed. 

 

Troll posts and the replies have been removed. 

 

Some posts using links to unapproved social media sites have been removed:

 

18) Social Media content is acceptable in most social forums. However, in factual areas such as news, current affairs and health topics, it cannot be used unless it is from a credible news media source or government agency, and must include a weblink to the original source.

 

A grammar police post has been removed. 

Edited January 17, 2021 by metisdead

[Magenta408]

Richard may not be all that happy with his "Richard Barrow says". He's very modest and has be adamant to refer to the charts/data and telev

[sambum]

8 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

I provided a link to the vid..............take it as you may

 

Lighten up mate! Humour not your strong point?

[Neeranam]

19 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

 

Richard Barrow, apparently well-meaning, often whips people up into a panic based on his misunderstandings. Clearly, it would be absurd to require a Covid-19 test for extensions and it's not even what the regulations he's quoting says so this is obviously another one of his brain farts. I don't know why anyone takes him seriously.

And every year he says they are not extending his visa, but always gets it. 

[lazj58]

Why do the Thai govt always stick it to us expats. Every other country i know of treat their immigrants eqaul to locals.

We're not all rich. I live on a basic pension. 

[kingofthemountain]

32 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

 

Let us hope you are right. Otherwise, it is just more insane xenophobic nonsense from this ridiculously notorious division of an extremely incompetent administration. 

I have the same hope

However my fear is that now the Thai administration has this silly idea offered to them on a silver plate

thank you who ?

[metisdead]

A troll post with derogatory comments has been removed:

 

11) You will not post slurs, degrading or overly negative comments directed towards Thailand, specific locations, Thai institutions such as the judicial or law enforcement system, Thai culture, Thai people or any other group on the basis of race, nationality, religion, gender or sexual orientation.
 

[Hamus Yaigh]

5 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

Richard Barrow is highly respected and an excellent source for news.

He's a highly respected travel blogger. I doubt even he want's to be the focal point of a news story as is the case in this thread.

[PGSan]

19 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Most will not have had it or have it currently.

Is it possible, please, to explain further this statement as my English teacher told me that it is may be a trifle ambiguous.

 

TIA. 

[Suradit69]

20 hours ago, jackdd said:

How about some fact checking before sharing something?

Are you new to Thai Visa?

[Call]

Some 15.000 persons dies yearly in Thailand of AIDS, after receiving a virus called HIV.

So far 70 found dead of COVID-19!

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

I have no idea who Richard Barrow is or what makes him an authority on Thai Immigration.

I would like to know what Ubon Joe thinks about this.

I have an extension due in two weeks so it is important to know quickly what I might need to do.

Edited January 17, 2021 by George FmplesdaCosteedback
typo

[multatuli]

If this is correct - and as someone else stated: news from imm is never clear - this is plain dumb as far as long term residents are concerned. Can they for once be proactive and rell us when and where to get a vaccin? Probably asking too much...

[Myran]

3 minutes ago, Call said:

Some 15.000 persons dies yearly in Thailand of AIDS, after receiving a virus called HIV.

So far 70 found dead of COVID-19!

No doubt thanks to all the measures that have been taken to prevent the spread. Had life continued on as normal, that number would be much, much higher. Just look at Sweden: 10 000 deaths from covid in a country with 10 million inhabitants (compared to Thailand's 70 million).

[Chongalulu]

19 hours ago, TSF said:

Not worried. My next visa renewal is due in July, that's 6 months away, and by that time they will have changed the requirements about 255,00 times.

Thanks for your estimate- I renewed my visa last week so have until end of January 2022. Can you give me an estimate of the requirement changes by that time. Would it be proportional (so around half a million) or will it be exponential? ???? 

[Catkiwi]

5 minutes ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

I have no idea who Richard Barrow is or what makes him an authority on Thai Immigration.

I would like to know what Ubon Joe thinks about this.

I have an extension due in two weeks so it is important to know quickly what I might need to do.

Thai immigration hot line is 1178. You can also go to the immigration web site and search for your local office and contact details.

[Kalasin Jo]

19 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

 

Richard Barrow, apparently well-meaning, often whips people up into a panic based on his misunderstandings. Clearly, it would be absurd to require a Covid-19 test for extensions and it's not even what the regulations he's quoting says so this is obviously another one of his brain farts. I don't know why anyone takes him seriously.

Even if it were true, what exactly would happen if you tested positive? Your in quarantine, your extension expires, you are on overstay, they arrest you, they try to deport you. No country will take you without a negative PCR test or successful vaccination. What then?

So if true it simply opens up a host of problems for Immigration.

 

 

[OffshoreMig]

As a comparison.

Australia requires
1. A medical (400AUD)
2. Police Check(40 AUD + per country where applicant has resided for more than 1 year)
3. Bio Metric Data collection (50AUD +) for every visa application
4. Insurance

Point 2 should be adopted and required  by Thailand for long term visas)

Point 3 is outdated and unnecessary (Also a serious risk in COVID Transmission)  Thailand has been issuing e-passports since 2015.  There are cheaper, safer alternatives to confirm a persons identity (A phone App for example)

Thailand collects Biometric data at the airport and the one stop shop.  It is only collected once and also verified at the airport on arrival.
 

Edited January 17, 2021 by OffshoreMig

[Burma Bill]

20 hours ago, UncleMhee said:

5. Alcoholism 

 Well I never!!!!!

[David T Pike]

20 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

won't be taking my test at a private hospital.. just in case i test positive

 

can you imagine the bill! ????

 

 

You are required to have insurance for that! What's the problem?

[David T Pike]

I think it is a wise and reasonable requirement...

[jackdd]

Just now, David T Pike said:

You are required to have insurance for that! What's the problem?

I would expect that quite a few insurance countries will refuse to pay for two weeks in a hospital even though you didn't have any symptoms.

And even if they pay, many insurance policies have a deduct which you would have to pay out of your own pocket.

[siamsev]

18 hours ago, Catkiwi said:

I don't really care how many balls he's got, I just want to know who he is. Pray tell? Is this Easter?

He is a guy on Twitter who relays info about what is happening in Thailand. Most of the time he is right and soemtimes he isnt. As usual on here, the miseries who tear everything down have nothing positive to say so will lay into him. Go on Twitter and look him up.

[OffshoreMig]

9 minutes ago, SupermarineS6B said:

Police check to get into Australia....... ?    I thought being a criminal was immediate entry...... Used to be.... 

555  Used to be a prerequisite,

All long term visas require a police check which is valid for 12 months.  They use to request a health check until the medical officers complained about the impact of multiple x-rays. 

The bio metric data collection has no merit or valid justification.  This information is stored on the applicants e-passport and does not change.  It is a ripp-off that Thailand should lodge a complaint about.

Edited January 17, 2021 by OffshoreMig

[siamsev]

17 hours ago, Natai Beach said:

Richard Barrow earns a living out of exaggerations and wind ups. 
I thought the Thais had already deported him for lying? 
 

Nothing worse than a foreigner showing up in country and complaining about everything and exaggerating to make money for his blog. 
 

He acts as if he is helping expats, but the opposite is true spreading misinformation and causing old naive blokes to panic. 

Nothing worse than a foreigner showing up in country and complaining about everything and exaggerating to make money for his blog? You mean like every other post on here? 555 Barrow doesnt complain all that often and doesnt spread lies. He usually just diseminates info from other official sources and rarely has an negative opinion...unlike on here it seems
 

[DogNo1]

One possible scenario: The COVID test is required three days before an application for extension of stay because if longer than three days, the test is no longer valid.  The person tests positive and is sent off to a hospital.  As a result, he/she misses the deadline to extend and goes on overstay.  Would he/she then be allowed to extend late without penalty?  
It doesn’t make sense to have applicants for an extension of stay take a COVID test several weeks in advance of their applications because they could catch COVID in the interval between their test and the day that they apply.  I think that the requirement for applicants for extensions to take COVID tests should be scrapped as unworkable.