If It Were Just That Easy!

[schoolgirl]

After reading one of the forum comments saying that people having difficulty obtaining visas 'should just get legal' I had to post my experience…Oh, if only it were only that easy!

I came to Thailand with my medically-retired dependent husband to get another Master's degree. We got our first ED visas in the states from a Thai consulate. This is how our conversation with the consulate employee went.

"Which one would you like, the 45 day or the1 year visa?"

"What's the difference?" we asked.

"Well", the agent told us, the 45 day is cheaper, but you will have to keep returning to the immigration office to renew it a few days before it expires. With the 1 year visa, all you have to do is leave Thailand once just before the end of the year, and get another visa for the following year".

We discussed this information. "OK, I said, I'll be attending classes and can't be going to the immigration all the time, so we'll both get the 1 year visa".

We paid our money and she put the 'visa' stamp into our passports.

We made the big move, and I was fully consumed by school.

Then things hit the fan! When we went to buy a car, they told us we had over-stayed our visa! We spent many hours trying to get this situation resolved, telling the officials what the Thai Embassy agent had told us at the time we purchased our 'visa', only to find out that we really didn't have a 1 year visas, just the permission to get a string of visas for up to a year! We were told we 'should have known better' than to believe what the consulate employee told us. We were also told that the Thai embassy employee is NOT a Thai immigration employee, so they had no responsibility for the incorrect information we (and probably many others, by this time) were given. We had to pay a fine in excess of 40,000 baht and purchase another increment of our ED visas.

When my father was inconsiderate enough to become deathly ill, we were forced to catch the first flight back to the States. No one had told us that if we didn't purchase the right to leave the country and that our visas and the 1 year "permission to get ED visas" were now null and void!

When we returned, we were told all we could get was the 30 day visitors visa (which we've now realized is really just the 30 day free stamp--not a visa at all), and we were allowed only 3 of those for a total of 90 days before leaving the country for 90 days! This would never work with my courses and my degree.

I took care to get all the necessary documents from my university and we flew to Kuala Lumpur before our stamps expired. We stood in various lines for a very long time only to be told that since I was the only student enrolled in a degree program, I was the only one that qualified for an ED visa.

Although my husband had all the documents that the official Visa website stated are required, plus additional letters from my university, notarized copies of our marriage license certificate and even letters from my husband's physician in both Thai and English, they refused to give him anything but a 60 day tourist visa. My university can't figure out why they gave us so much grief and the international affairs representative has shown me packets of visas where a whole family – spouse and several children - were all given ED visas when only one parent is enrolled in a degree program.

Now I must hire a 'helper' to accompany my husband (who has a very hard time traveling) for 'visa runs' to Thai borders and for flights outside Thailand whenever his visa expires – which seems to come up very frequently! Talk about a bad and expensive situation, but what can we do???

He IS NOT WORKING! He is not a tourist! He is my medically retired dependent! We've been informed there is no longer a 'medical visa' option and neither one of us are 50 years old yet, so a retirement visa is not an option. We are not trying to break any rules. We continue to try to 'get legal' and stay in my degree program at the university Oh, if only it were that easy!

I came to Thailand with my medically retired dependent husband to get another Masters degree. We got our first ED visas in the states from a Thai consulate. This is how our conversation with the consulate employee went.

"Which one would you like, the 45 day or the1 year visa?"

"What's the difference?" we asked.

"Well", the agent told us, the 45 day is cheaper, but you will have to keep returning to the immigration office to renew it a few days before it expires. With the 1 year visa, all you have to do is leave Thailand once just before the end of the year, and get another visa for the following year".

We discussed this information. "OK, I said, I'll be attending classes and can't be going to the immigration all the time, so we'll both get the 1 year visa".

We paid our money and she put the 'visa' stamp into our passports.

We made the big move, and I was fully consumed by school.

Then things hit the fan! When we went to buy a car, they told us we had overstayed our visa! We spent many hours trying to get this situation resolved, telling the officials what the Thai Embassy agent had told us at the time we purchased our 'visa', only to find out that we really didn't have a 1 year visas, just the permission to get a string of visas for up to a year! We were told we should have 'known better' than to believe what the consulate employee told us (even though we have lived in many other countries, and have never experienced a visa system like the Thai one before), and that the Thai embassy employee is NOT a Thai immigration employee, so they had no responsibility for the incorrect information we (and probably many others, by this time) were given. We had to pay a very large penalty fine, and purchase another increment of our ED visas.

Then my father was inconsiderate enough to become deathly ill, and we were forced to literally catch the first flight back to the states.

No one had told us that if we didn't purchase the right to leave the country, our visas and the 1 year "permission to get ED visas" were now null and void!

When we returned, we were told all we could get was the 30 day visitors visa (which we've now realized is really just the 30 day free stamp, not a visa at all, and we were allowed only 3 of those for a total of 90 days before leaving the country for 90 days! This would never work with my courses and my degree.

I took care to get all the necessary documents from my university and we flew to Kuala Lumpur before our stamps expired. We stood in various lines for a very long time only to be told that since I was the only student enrolled in a degree program, I was the only one that qualified for an ED visa.

Although my husband had all the documents that the official Visa website stated are required, plus additional letters from my university, notarized copies of our marriage license certificate, and even letters from my husband's physician in both Thai and English, they refused to give him anything but a 60 day tourist visa. My university can't figure out why they gave us so much grief and the international affairs representative has shown me packets of visas where a whole family – spouse and several children - were all given ED visas when only one parent is enrolled in a degree program.

Now I must hire a 'helper' to accompany my husband (who has a very hard time traveling) for 'visa runs' to Thai borders and for flights outside Thailand whenever his visa expires – which seems to come up very frequently! Talk about a bad and expensive situation, but what can we do???

He IS NOT WORKING! He is not a tourist! He is my medically retired dependent! We've been informed there is no longer a 'medical visa' option and neither one of us are 50 years old yet, so a retirement visa is not an option. We are not trying to break any rules. We continue to try to 'get legal' – it's impossible!

– it's impossible!

[JR Texas]

After reading one of the forum comments saying that people having difficulty obtaining visas 'should just get legal' I had to post my experience…Oh, if only it were only that easy!

I came to Thailand with my medically-retired dependent husband to get another Master's degree. We got our first ED visas in the states from a Thai consulate. This is how our conversation with the consulate employee went.

"Which one would you like, the 45 day or the1 year visa?"

"What's the difference?" we asked.

"Well", the agent told us, the 45 day is cheaper, but you will have to keep returning to the immigration office to renew it a few days before it expires. With the 1 year visa, all you have to do is leave Thailand once just before the end of the year, and get another visa for the following year".

We discussed this information. "OK, I said, I'll be attending classes and can't be going to the immigration all the time, so we'll both get the 1 year visa".

We paid our money and she put the 'visa' stamp into our passports.

We made the big move, and I was fully consumed by school.

Then things hit the fan! When we went to buy a car, they told us we had over-stayed our visa! We spent many hours trying to get this situation resolved, telling the officials what the Thai Embassy agent had told us at the time we purchased our 'visa', only to find out that we really didn't have a 1 year visas, just the permission to get a string of visas for up to a year! We were told we 'should have known better' than to believe what the consulate employee told us. We were also told that the Thai embassy employee is NOT a Thai immigration employee, so they had no responsibility for the incorrect information we (and probably many others, by this time) were given. We had to pay a fine in excess of 40,000 baht and purchase another increment of our ED visas.

When my father was inconsiderate enough to become deathly ill, we were forced to catch the first flight back to the States. No one had told us that if we didn't purchase the right to leave the country and that our visas and the 1 year "permission to get ED visas" were now null and void!

When we returned, we were told all we could get was the 30 day visitors visa (which we've now realized is really just the 30 day free stamp--not a visa at all), and we were allowed only 3 of those for a total of 90 days before leaving the country for 90 days! This would never work with my courses and my degree.

I took care to get all the necessary documents from my university and we flew to Kuala Lumpur before our stamps expired. We stood in various lines for a very long time only to be told that since I was the only student enrolled in a degree program, I was the only one that qualified for an ED visa.

Although my husband had all the documents that the official Visa website stated are required, plus additional letters from my university, notarized copies of our marriage license certificate and even letters from my husband's physician in both Thai and English, they refused to give him anything but a 60 day tourist visa. My university can't figure out why they gave us so much grief and the international affairs representative has shown me packets of visas where a whole family – spouse and several children - were all given ED visas when only one parent is enrolled in a degree program.

Now I must hire a 'helper' to accompany my husband (who has a very hard time traveling) for 'visa runs' to Thai borders and for flights outside Thailand whenever his visa expires – which seems to come up very frequently! Talk about a bad and expensive situation, but what can we do???

He IS NOT WORKING! He is not a tourist! He is my medically retired dependent! We've been informed there is no longer a 'medical visa' option and neither one of us are 50 years old yet, so a retirement visa is not an option. We are not trying to break any rules. We continue to try to 'get legal' and stay in my degree program at the university Oh, if only it were that easy!

I came to Thailand with my medically retired dependent husband to get another Masters degree. We got our first ED visas in the states from a Thai consulate. This is how our conversation with the consulate employee went.

"Which one would you like, the 45 day or the1 year visa?"

"What's the difference?" we asked.

"Well", the agent told us, the 45 day is cheaper, but you will have to keep returning to the immigration office to renew it a few days before it expires. With the 1 year visa, all you have to do is leave Thailand once just before the end of the year, and get another visa for the following year".

We discussed this information. "OK, I said, I'll be attending classes and can't be going to the immigration all the time, so we'll both get the 1 year visa".

We paid our money and she put the 'visa' stamp into our passports.

We made the big move, and I was fully consumed by school.

Then things hit the fan! When we went to buy a car, they told us we had overstayed our visa! We spent many hours trying to get this situation resolved, telling the officials what the Thai Embassy agent had told us at the time we purchased our 'visa', only to find out that we really didn't have a 1 year visas, just the permission to get a string of visas for up to a year! We were told we should have 'known better' than to believe what the consulate employee told us (even though we have lived in many other countries, and have never experienced a visa system like the Thai one before), and that the Thai embassy employee is NOT a Thai immigration employee, so they had no responsibility for the incorrect information we (and probably many others, by this time) were given. We had to pay a very large penalty fine, and purchase another increment of our ED visas.

Then my father was inconsiderate enough to become deathly ill, and we were forced to literally catch the first flight back to the states.

No one had told us that if we didn't purchase the right to leave the country, our visas and the 1 year "permission to get ED visas" were now null and void!

When we returned, we were told all we could get was the 30 day visitors visa (which we've now realized is really just the 30 day free stamp, not a visa at all, and we were allowed only 3 of those for a total of 90 days before leaving the country for 90 days! This would never work with my courses and my degree.

I took care to get all the necessary documents from my university and we flew to Kuala Lumpur before our stamps expired. We stood in various lines for a very long time only to be told that since I was the only student enrolled in a degree program, I was the only one that qualified for an ED visa.

Although my husband had all the documents that the official Visa website stated are required, plus additional letters from my university, notarized copies of our marriage license certificate, and even letters from my husband's physician in both Thai and English, they refused to give him anything but a 60 day tourist visa. My university can't figure out why they gave us so much grief and the international affairs representative has shown me packets of visas where a whole family – spouse and several children - were all given ED visas when only one parent is enrolled in a degree program.

Now I must hire a 'helper' to accompany my husband (who has a very hard time traveling) for 'visa runs' to Thai borders and for flights outside Thailand whenever his visa expires – which seems to come up very frequently! Talk about a bad and expensive situation, but what can we do???

He IS NOT WORKING! He is not a tourist! He is my medically retired dependent! We've been informed there is no longer a 'medical visa' option and neither one of us are 50 years old yet, so a retirement visa is not an option. We are not trying to break any rules. We continue to try to 'get legal' – it's impossible!

– it's impossible!

JR Texas: Thailand has, sadly, gone downhill fast......the message they keep sending is "we do not want you here and do not care anything about your problems." Others will disagree........but I am hearing it over and over and over again in different forms. I do not have a solution for you (sorry.......another person might). But your story reminded me of another.

A person I know became ill and underwent an operation at one of Thailand's best hospitals. His Thai doctor wanted him to remain in Thailand for several months so that he could monitor him........the doctor wrote a letter for him to take to immigration (this is one of Thailand's top medical doctors).....he took the letter to immigration and they simply told him to "go home and get treatment there." Unbelievable! The guy was scared to death and needed to be with his doctor and get treatment and monitoring.....but immigration told him to get lost.

A word to the wise: Thailand is not and has never been Paradise.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Your husband should NEVER have been granted an ED visa. One wonders which backwoods Thai Consulate granted him one. If your spouse is indeed a medical case, get a letter from a decent doctor from a decent hospital confirming his need for continuing treatment, and his new visa can be extended ( with the hospitals cooperation ) as the need be, and make another trip abroad and get a Non'Immigrant visa based on medical treatment for him. Upon return apply for an extension of that extended visa one MUST get a re-entry permit each and every time one depats the Kingdom during the currency of the extension. As with all immigration laws it is up to YOU to establish the rules. If in doubt ASK. ( Immigration, the Hospital and the University are good places to start. )

[Fred Sanford]

I take it you did not look at the original stamp in your passport upon arrival that 1st time.

[Maestro]

Schoolgirl, it is very unfortunate that you have been given so much wrong information by the Thai consulate.

For an English translation of the official rules about extensions of stay, please see here. From what you say, you probably have an annual extension of stay for the reason of study either under paragraph 7.7 of the rules (study at government education institute) or under paragraph 7.8 (study at private eduation institute). Now please look at paragraph 7.10, which says:

7.10 In the case of foreign family whereas a member was granted to temporarily stay in the Kingdom on the purpose of studying in the Kingdom in accordance to 7.7 or 7.8. This only applies to the father, mother, spouse, child adopted child or child of The spouse Permitted to stay for not more than 1 year per request.

I believe your husband is entitled to an annual extension under paragraph 7.10 and suggest that you talk to the Immigration office to find out what documents you need to submit. The first step will be an application by your husband to change his visa status to non-immigrant (form TM. 86, fee 2,000 Baht), then the application for annual extension of stay (form TM.7, fee 1,900 Baht). If you have somebody at the university helping you with visa matters, have perhaps them talk to Immigration first. If Immigration is uncooperative, you – or the university – may want to use the services of an expert law firm such as Sunbelt Asia, who are a sponsor of this forum.

Regarding re-entry permits, I believe you have already found out that these are necessary to keep the extension of stay alive when you leave the country and wish to return.

Best wishes for a successful outcome for your husband’s extension of stay!

--

Maestro

[astral]

I smell troll.

What is this 45 day visa that is mentioned???????????

How could a consulate dream up a visa that does not exist.

In adition anyone studying for an Masters degree should at least be able to read.

[britmaveric]

Well seems as if you didnt research this too much and that is what got you into this mess. ED Visa would not be granted for your husband, he is not attending uni. (simple logic would tell u as much)

Anyways not hard if you fit the criteria for the visa you apply for. Chok Dee!!!

[PeaceBlondie]

schoolgirl, the entire thing is very unfortunate. However, two people do not usually go nearly to the opposite end of the world without checking the visa situation very, very carefully. For that matter, very few people come to Thailand to do a master's degree. You not only made at least one mistake based upon the questionable advice of a lower ranking civil servant or franchise employee; you made several mistakes in not checking your status.

I suggest you advise other people to thoroughly check these matters, because Thailand is very hard to comprehend. It's not like going next door to Mexico, New Zealand or Ireland. Please read ThaiVisa. Thanks.

[jdinasia]

This one just doesn't make much sense!

I could see ONE of the above 3 situations happening ... once ... but to not do the basic research after you screwed up the first time (bad information or not!) really shows a lack of comprehension that one is living outside of their native country!

1) a non-imm-ed multi STILL requires leaving the country every 90 days UNLESS your school helps you get an extension of stay.

2) IF you are on a non-imm-ed-multi then you do not require re-entry permits. You DO require them if you are on an extension of stay.

3) The Hubby would be eligible for a non-O as the spouse of a grad student (I have no idea if he could qualify for an extension of stay!)

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I smell troll.

What is this 45 day visa that is mentioned???????????

How could a consulate dream up a visa that does not exist.

In adition anyone studying for an Masters degree should at least be able to read.

You might just be right Astral.

[cobra]

I smell troll.

What is this 45 day visa that is mentioned???????????

How could a consulate dream up a visa that does not exist.

In adition anyone studying for an Masters degree should at least be able to read.

You might just be right Astral.

Troll or not, it raises attention to consequences of incorrect visa(s), absent documentation or just plain incorrect information.

For the small cost of having everything checked once in country, (any of the many Visa services, Sun Belt, etc), affords peace of mind and catches any problems before they become problematic and causing issues down the line.

[Maestro]

I smell troll.

You might just be right Astral.

The smell had now reached my nose, too, wafted in my direction by the fact that he OP has not returned here by now and by something in the first line of his/her post.

--

Maestro

P.S. Ah, there I see Schoolgirl reading this topic now, at 21:36 GMT.

[PeaceBlondie]

What smells trollish to me is that somebody comes to Thailand from the West to do a master's degree...and doesn't do her homework.

[sigmondfreed]

I smell troll.

What is this 45 day visa that is mentioned???????????

How could a consulate dream up a visa that does not exist.

In adition anyone studying for an Masters degree should at least be able to read.

Why do some people always seem to have to get nasty in these forums? Your rudeness in implying the writer 'can't read' is simply unnecessry and non-value added. What was she supposed to read? Where? I thought the purpose of this forum was to aid the writers. In reviewing the posts it would seem that confusion is the defacto rule of Thai legislation. If you know of such a valuable source that the writer should have read, why not post it and be helpful instead of being negative and insulting?

[Maestro]

Closing this topic.

--

Maestro