Is it true that if you are on a student visa, you can't leave Thailand?

[Goodboybkk]

Dear all,

Is it true that if you are on a student/ ed visa, you can't leave Thailand?

Thanks

[eisfeld]

No, it's not true. No visa type can prevent you from leaving the country.

[Maestro]

Removed an off-topic post.

[nglodnig]

3 hours ago, Goodboybkk said:

Is it true that if you are on a student/ ed visa, you can't leave Thailand?

Why aren't you at school? Playing "hookey" again?????

 

It was called "twagging" in the part of Yorkshire I went to school in.

Edited March 29, 2023 by nglodnig

[DrJack54]

OP, you can take a break from school however good idea to take letter from the school indicating approval for temporary break. 

 

[Goodboybkk]

How long is the maximal break?

[DrJack54]

39 minutes ago, Goodboybkk said:

How long is the maximal break?

There would not be a set rule.

Part of the conditions on the visa is attendance.

I recall someone asking same question previously.

He took a break of couple of weeks.

What break were you considering. 

This thread includes some info and link for reentry permit

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1260289-exit-and-re-entry-w-1-year-edu-visa/

Edited March 29, 2023 by DrJack54

[BritTim]

If you can convincingly demonstrate that your absence has no impact on your ability to complete your course, leaving and returning is not a problem. A letter from your school/university stating (i) that they are aware that you will be taking a break from your studies between specified dates; and (ii) have agreed with you how you are going to compensate for the absence: there should be no trouble at all with Immigration.

 

What length absence do you contemplate, and what kind of course are you enrolled in?

Edited March 29, 2023 by BritTim

[Celsius]

6 hours ago, eisfeld said:

No, it's not true. No visa type can prevent you from leaving the country.

 

That is true. Coming back, however, is another issue.

[Goodboybkk]

1 week break and thai language course.

I have read through all comments in that link. It seems 1 week break would be okay with immigration officers at airport.

[Caldera]

6 hours ago, Goodboybkk said:

Is it true that if you are on a student/ ed visa, you can't leave Thailand?

No, but as a student, you're generally expected to leave during school holidays. Any other absence needs to be short and/or well justified. 

[flexomike]

6 minutes ago, Goodboybkk said:

1 week break and thai language course.

I have read through all comments in that link. It seems 1 week break would be okay with immigration officers at airport.

just make sure you get a re-entry permit or your visa will be canceled

[Tod Daniels]

???????? ???????? ???????????????? ???????????????? ???????? ???????????? ???????????? ???????? ???? ????????????????????????????/ ???????? ????????????????, ???????????? ????????????'???? ???????????????????? ????????????????????????????????? <- I think you're not asking so much if you can LEAVE thailand I think you're asking more about will you have issues comin' back in on a valid ED visa/extension with a re-entry permit AFTER having left ...

Okay, here's FIRST HAND information that just happened;

A person enrolled in a well-known Bangkok school (that is NOT a visa mill) with an ED extension, re-entry permit, letter from the school stating they knew he was going abroad for 4 days and returning, photos of him IN class at the school, and his attendance book/school issued student i/d card was just denied entry at Suvarnabhumi. 

They showed everything they had to the immigration officer and even were denied entry, put in holding until the school could be contacted the following morning.
Yet even after the officer talked to the admin of the school, ascertained they were indeed a real student, really going to class, etc they were still denied entry.

What had happened was this person had taken TWO 60 day covid extensions gotten by agencies from out of province, (two stamps two different provinces), then they got the ED visa issued in country and had been extending at Chaengwattana ever since.. Immigration said it was abuse of the system and wouldn't let them in.

I advised them NOT to sign the almost 100% thai language paper they pressure you to sign about being denied entry (which they leave blank until AFTER you sign it). <- You see by NOT signing the denial of entry paperwork they can't legally put a denial of entry stamp IN your passport,

They still can deny you entry, and it's still in the computer system that you were denied
BUT
you don't have a half page denial of entry with the words ไม่มีปัจจัยในการยังชีพตามควร <- no means of support (which BTW Is the only reason they really ever write on denial stamps, no matter what they tell you the reason is). .. ... They didn't sign the paper and got no stamp in their passport saying they were denied entry.. 

They were able to buy a flight to Vientiane and are currently enjoying Lao, planning on crossing the border at the Nong Khai entry point this weekend.

This person had EVERYTHING you could possibly have to prove they were a student, they were attending class, they were following the rules for the ED visa/extension they were on yet they were still denied entry. 

My advice to anyone enrolled in a private school (as opposed to a real degree course at a uni) plan on being here for the duration of the ED visa, OR plan on the possibility of being denied entry (at Suvarnabhumi/Don Mueang almost 100%) especially if you have a lengthy entry/stay history on covid extensions PRIOR to switching over to an in country ED visa.

The above story is as accurate as I can relate it and I was in communication with the person while it was happening. You people do what you want, BUT know this ain't the soft touch, welcome back to thailand, passport control like it was pre-covid sh*t-show.. Especially not for people on ED visas.  

 

[eisfeld]

5 minutes ago, Tod Daniels said:

You people do what you want, BUT know this ain't the soft touch, welcome back to thailand, passport control like it was pre-covid sh*t-show.. Especially not for people on ED visas.  

I think what you posted is important information for anyone who might fall into that situation. The problem I see is twofold:

 

1. Immigration officers have a lot of power and leeway. They can deny you entry if they feel like and it's really hard to break through that once they decide against you. Even if you have a valid visa/re-entry permit. There is no well working backpressure mechanism. The only hope you have is that a more senior officer will look at the case and overrule the lower officer but they usually stick together. Happened once to me though. Lower officer had a bad day or whatever and tried to deny me with no reason. Senior officer looked 10 seconds at the passport and told him to let me in. That lower officer was visibly not happy about it. There is the TM11 route but that is going to take a long time and virtually no one does that.

 

2. There are from time to time orders from higher ranks of immigration to do a crackdown targeting ED visa abusers. During those times immigration officers can give people that are on this type of visa a really hard time even if everything is above board. There is always collateral damage. The missing backpressure from the prior point combined with them getting positive points for having "caught" someone even if innocent puts this into overdrive.

[Alldar]

So what if someone needs to leave for a few months? Should ED visa be cancelled (meaning leaving without re-entry permit) and afterwards new visa issued before coming back to Thailand? Or it is not a good idea if someone has ED visa?

[Lemsta69]

5 hours ago, Alldar said:

Or it is not a good idea if someone has ED visa?

pretty sure that that was covered by Tod's post!

[Goodboybkk]

How to get re-entry permit?

[DrJack54]

27 minutes ago, Goodboybkk said:

How to get re-entry permit?

You obtain from immigration or international airports such as BKK, DMK etc.

You need TM8 form and photo.

Basic copies of passport pages.

Single reentry permit 1000b 

Multiple 3800b

[Alldar]

8 hours ago, Lemsta69 said:

pretty sure that that was covered by Tod's post!

It isn't so clear from his post as he was mentioning re-entry permit, I was asking if situation is different without re-entry permit and a new visa:

23 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

???????? ???????? ???????????????? ???????????????? ???????? ???????????? ???????????? ???????? ???? ????????????????????????????/ ???????? ????????????????, ???????????? ????????????'???? ???????????????????? ????????????????????????????????? <- I think you're not asking so much if you can LEAVE thailand I think you're asking more about will you have issues comin' back in on a valid ED visa/extension with a re-entry permit AFTER having left ...

Also in his case the person had long history in Thailand with Covid extensions and in-country visa conversion. So my question is exactly about this. Was this just a specific case because of long history in Thailand before or it is a common practice to cause issues when you leave with ED visa (does it matter if one has re-entry or not)?

 

For me this is not very clear and as I am considering education visa myself it is quite useful information.

[Goodboybkk]

Thai student visa is really confusing. One language school advises me not to go outside Thailand since, for example, once it applies my ed visa today in country ( on 1 April) I am officially on student visa now even though I do not have ed visa stamp in mynpassport and might start studying the language 2 months later ( on 1 June). The visa is highly likely issued 6-8 weeks later. You can't study and come to class if you are still applying.

Another school advises me to apply re-entry permit if I really want to go outside Thailand.

Edited March 31, 2023 by Goodboybkk

[Tod Daniels]

14 minutes ago, Goodboybkk said:

Thai student visa is really confusing.

 

I think you don't understand the process to get the ED visa issued ????

You enroll in a school, PAY the tuition, they make copies of your passport, entry stamp etc and apply to the Ministry of Education for paperwork allowing you to get an ED visa. <- That can take between 2 and 6 WEEKS to get back.

They don't want you to exit/re-enter the country while you're waiting for this paperwork to come back because they applied using copies of the entry stamp you're here on NOW, not one you'd get if you left/came back in during the process. <- Although schools WILL allow you to bounce out and back if you're going to run out of time before you can get thru the process if they have to, as a rule they say DO NOT exit/re-enter during the process until you get the Non-ED visa 

Once that paperwork comes back (in bangkok at least) you go to the immigration office at Chaengwattana, Section C-1 and apply for the in country 90 day ED visa for 2000baht. That goes under review for 14 days <- during this time you CANNOT exit/re-enter at all) and then you go back to get the Non-Immigrant Type ED visa and a new 90 day admitted until stamp inked in. 

THEN when that 90 days runs down you get more paperwork from the school and go to the immigration office to apply for an extension for 1900baht.

Again in bangkok the way it works is the FIRST extension you get after the 90 day visa runs down is for 30 days and during that 30 days you go to the Ministry of Education and take a test, this is to see IF you can continue to get extensions the rest of the year OR if you can't <- in which case you're done after the 90 day ED and the one 30 day extension and leave the country to try another way to stay.

If you pass the test you get paperwork to get 60 day extensions for the rest of the year

The break down and immigration cost is like this
90 day Non-ED visa 2000baht
1 - 30 day extension 1900baht
4 - 60 day extensions 4X1900baht = 7600baht
Total time on ED visa in Bangkok from a private thai language school about 360 days

I realize that there is a whole big country out there that ISN'T Bangkok, and I am relating my experiences with REAL thai language schools (not visa mill schools) in Bangkok only.

[Tod Daniels]

1 hour ago, Alldar said:

Was this just a specific case because of long history in Thailand before or it is a common practice to cause issues when you leave with ED visa (does it matter if one has re-entry or not)?

That person had only TWO 60 day covid extensions (unlike like most people I've seen here who have been milking amnesty, covid extensions for 2+ years before they got the ED visa)  ????

They also were really studying, had their attendance booklet, a letter from their school stating they knew the student was going to be out of the country and STILL they were denied entry ???? So it wasn't just because of the "long stay history" <-(which really wasn't that long at all).

ED Visas for studying in a private language school are given a super high degree of scrutiny when people re-enter the country (and to answer your question; if you left WITHOUT a re-entry permit you'd cancel the ED visa/extension when you exited so yes, it does matter ???? )

The reason for this is during the covid lock down it seems every Tom, Dick & Somchai foreigner here enrolled in schools handing out those b/s back-door, under the table year long ED visa/extensions and yet those people NEVER went to school a single day. The abuse of the system was just off the charts. AND the scrutiny that people get entering on ED extensions w/re-entry permits is a direct result of this abuse. 

[BritTim]

35 minutes ago, Goodboybkk said:

You can't study and come to class if you are still applying.

That is not correct. There is no issue studying on a tourist entry. The Non B visa and extensions are intended to make it easy to stay in Thailand, not because they are required in order to study.

[Tod Daniels]

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

That is not correct. There is no issue studying on a tourist entry.

It's not that they're prohibited from studying on the entry stamp they're on (because you're correct you can study on a visa exempt / tourist visa entry no issue at all)

It's because the ED visa programs are sold as meeting the minimum requirements of so many hours per year.  People can't start studying until they get the ED visa issued because if you burn up the hours studying BEFORE you have the ED visa issued you're going to come up short when you go to get one of the extensions during the year.

(Again in Bangkok) most schools tell the student, you can start studying once we (the school) get the paperwork from the MOE and can go get the visa. 

[BritTim]

30 minutes ago, Tod Daniels said:

It's because the ED visa programs are sold as meeting the minimum requirements of so many hours per year

Interesting. Requirements I have seen specified hours per week rather than hours per year. Of course, if you have been learning for a couple of months when you finally received the Non Ed visa, there could be an issue that the course ends before the 12 months on education visa/extensions has been reached (meaning you do not get the full benefit) but is it really true that Immigration will refuse to honour the Non Ed visa at all if you are not committed for the full 12 months?

[Caldera]

4 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

That person had only TWO 60 day covid extensions (unlike like most people I've seen here who have been milking amnesty, covid extensions for 2+ years before they got the ED visa)

Out of curiosity, how did that even work? Isn't there a requirement that you have to leave the country 1 year after entering in case case of studying at a language school? Counted from the actual entry, not from the date the non-immigrant visa is issued, I mean.

 

I remember that people who wanted to study at Pattaya language schools when the "amnesty" was about to end (in Sep/Oct 2020) were advised that they'll only be able to study/stay for whatever time was left of that year, not a full year from starting to study. So they got a Non-ED visa, maybe one 90-day extension based on studying, then Covid extensions.

 

Did other immigration offices interpret that more generously, or did that change after Covid extensions had been introduced?

Edited March 31, 2023 by Caldera

[Goodboybkk]

What a complicated process to get a student visa.

During 14-day review an international student can't exit and enter this country. What if his/her parents die or fall ill severely during that time. 

Students have to go to Chaengwattana several times  ( 6 times!)

Why doesn't Thai ministry of education just copy and paste the Australian or UK coherent immigration policy on international students? Does thai students in UK have to go to Croydon homeoffice 5 times in 1 year? Hell no!

[DrJack54]

6 minutes ago, Goodboybkk said:

What a complicated process to get a student visa.

During 14-day review an international student can't exit and enter this country. What if his/her parents die or fall ill severely during that time. 

Students have to go to Chaengwattana several times  ( 6 times!)

Why doesn't Thai ministry of education just copy and paste the Australian or UK coherent immigration policy on international students? Does thai students in UK have to go to Croydon homeoffice 5 times in 1 year? Hell no!

Why start to complain.

You have 3 threads about gaming the system and still complain.

I have no issue with that but give us a break.

 

Thailand has so so many flexible visa options from visa exempt entry to SETV, METV, Non ED, list goes on.

 

You mention Australia.

For me to take my Thai partner to Oz it is certainly not simple process.

 

You currently don't have a non ED and complain about not able to "travel to several countries" during application process.

 

Obtain a non ED outside of Thailand at nearby consulate.