Student Visa

[bunta71]

Have seen a couple ads where a Thai Language school advertises availabilty of visas happening with their help....What it is??

[Maestro]

When you sign up and pay for the Thai language course the school will send you a confirmation. With this document you can apply at a Thai consulate for a non-immigrant visa category Ed (Education). When you arrive with this visa in Thailand you get permission to stay for 90 days. With a document you should get from your school you then can get an extension of permission to stay for one year from the Immigration office in Thailand.

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Maestro

[blizzard]

can you get this education visa after one has arrived in thailand?

[Maestro]

No, you must apply for the visa at a Thai consulate, and these consulates are outside Thailand.

However, you can go to Thailand with a tourist visa and then, with the required documentation from the school, apply at an Immigration office in Thailand for a change of visa status to non-immigrant, then apply for the extension of stay.

--

Maestro

[MichaelMF]

Are this language schools only in Bangkok or also in Pattaya/Jomtien?

Many thanks!

MichaelMF

[Xangsamhua]

Have seen a couple ads where a Thai Language school advertises availabilty of visas happening with their help....What it is??

Is it possible either on the forum or via PM to know the name of the language school in question?

[bkkguy1970]

Is it possible either on the forum or via PM to know the name of the language school in question?

a sad commentary on the power of advertising on ThaiVisa! Waylen Thai Language School advertises extensively in this forum offering just such a Thai course complete with all the docs to get the ED visa!

bkkguy

[Xangsamhua]

Is it possible either on the forum or via PM to know the name of the language school in question?

a sad commentary on the power of advertising on ThaiVisa! Waylen Thai Language School advertises extensively in this forum offering just such a Thai course complete with all the docs to get the ED visa!

bkkguy

Thanks bkkguy. I have noticed the Waylen ad. but haven't been looking for a Thai language course myself, so it didn't register. The query was on behalf of someone else who'd had an email about it, but had not kept the email. Anyway, now I can tell him to check out Waylen.

I think the advertising probably works. I used Sunbelt a few months ago because I'd seen it on tv.com.

Cheers

[Big A]

If you live out Lad Phrao/Huamark way, then Bangkok Grace Polytechnic (soi LP 112) issues a letter for a 1 year Non Imm 'ED' visa.

Edited August 7, 2007 by Big A

[Rionoir]

My Thai friends have called the school for me and they sound like nice people at Walen. The reason you can get the visa for it is because the government is encouraging the spread of Thai culture and language or something like that. Make sure you have a ed visa before you go because it sounds like you have to leave the country otherwise to switch from tourist to ed?

When my partner goes back to Thailand in Sepember (a month before I go) he is going to stop by the school and check it out. I will post something after that, there were a couple people asking about it in the language forum too.

[bombdefuzer]

I received a 90 day ED visa with a letter from my Thai Lang school. I went to Penang and used Jim's Place in Georgetown to get the visa.

Now that my 90 days are almost up, anyone know how I would get an extension to stay a for a full year?

Thanks,

BD

[lopburi3]

You visit an Immigration with 4x6cm current photos and 1,900 baht for TM.7 form with below (if you study at private school):

1. Petition Forms

2. Copy of Passport of the Applicant

3. Copy of the Institute’s educational

license issued from related

government sector.

4. Certify letter requesting for continuous

of study from that education institute

illustrating the course details and its

duration and transcript

5. Must be certified by a related

government sector or by the Provincial

Mayor which is responsible for that

education institute (exempted in the

case of studying in an international

school and undergraduate level)

[bombdefuzer]

You visit an Immigration with 4x6cm current photos and 1,900 baht for TM.7 form with below (if you study at private school):

1. Petition Forms

2. Copy of Passport of the Applicant

3. Copy of the Institute's educational

license issued from related

government sector.

4. Certify letter requesting for continuous

of study from that education institute

illustrating the course details and its

duration and transcript

5. Must be certified by a related

government sector or by the Provincial

Mayor which is responsible for that

education institute (exempted in the

case of studying in an international

school and undergraduate level)

Thanks for the info.

BD

[THAILIBAN]

so the initial non-immi-ED VIsa is just a SINGLE entry, good for 90 days, if I read that right. NOT a 1-year-multiple-Visa with unlimited entries at 90 days each.

pls correct me , if I am wrong....

[Bkkthebest]

so the initial non-immi-ED VIsa is just a SINGLE entry, good for 90 days, if I read that right. NOT a 1-year-multiple-Visa with unlimited entries at 90 days each.

pls correct me , if I am wrong....

Yup i need to know that too as i am in the process of getting a student visa now.

[MacWalen]

Go to our website to the 'visa section' and most or your questions will be answered there. It is not that easy to obtain the ED visa with just a letter from a school, the same goes for the extensions. We prosess all the paperwork through the MOE (minsitry of education). For those studying Thai at our school we take care of all the paperwork so you do not have to worry about a thing.

Walen Thai School

[Bkkthebest]

so the initial non-immi-ED VIsa is just a SINGLE entry, good for 90 days, if I read that right. NOT a 1-year-multiple-Visa with unlimited entries at 90 days each.

pls correct me , if I am wrong....

I wonder if they grant the initial 90 days entry as multi-entries ( rather than just single entry) and go back to thailand to extend this multi-entry visa. I was hoping for that.

[tropo]

so the initial non-immi-ED VIsa is just a SINGLE entry, good for 90 days, if I read that right. NOT a 1-year-multiple-Visa with unlimited entries at 90 days each.

pls correct me , if I am wrong....

I wonder if they grant the initial 90 days entry as multi-entries ( rather than just single entry) and go back to thailand to extend this multi-entry visa. I was hoping for that.

They only granted you the 90 days because you haven't actually signed up and paid for a course yet.

If you had had the full documentation for a language school you could have scored the one year visa.

[Maestro]

...If you had had the full documentation for a language school you could have scored the one year visa.

Why would a student want to waste money on the more expensive multiple-entry non-Ed visa? Will not a single-entry non-Ed visa be sufficient, and after arrival in Thailand he gets repeated extensions of stay from the local immigration office every 90 days? This way, he does not have to do border runs.

Alternatively, if the person is already in Thailand on a tourist visa, can he not with the correct paperwork from the school apply at the immigration office for a change of visa (fee 2,000 Baht) to non-immigrant and then for his first extension of stay (fee 1,900 Baht)? I guess this would be more convenient and also more economical than a trip to a Thai consulate in the region for a non-Ed visa.

Or am I missing something?

--

Maestro

[Bkkthebest]

so the initial non-immi-ED VIsa is just a SINGLE entry, good for 90 days, if I read that right. NOT a 1-year-multiple-Visa with unlimited entries at 90 days each.

pls correct me , if I am wrong....

I wonder if they grant the initial 90 days entry as multi-entries ( rather than just single entry) and go back to thailand to extend this multi-entry visa. I was hoping for that.

They only granted you the 90 days because you haven't actually signed up and paid for a course yet.

If you had had the full documentation for a language school you could have scored the one year visa.

Would the 1 year visa be multi-entry or single entry? or do i have a choice on that?

Edited October 27, 2007 by Bkkthebest

[bkkguy1970]

Alternatively, if the person is already in Thailand on a tourist visa, can he not with the correct paperwork from the school apply at the immigration office for a change of visa (fee 2,000 Baht) to non-immigrant and then for his first extension of stay (fee 1,900 Baht)? I guess this would be more convenient and also more economical than a trip to a Thai consulate in the region for a non-Ed visa.

you have suggested this on a number of threads, but do you know anyone studying at a language school that has done this recently or does it just seem reasonable?

the problem I had was is in getting the "correct" paperwork. I was in Bangkok on a tourist visa and Waylen provided a stack of documents and said go to Penang. I went to Immigration in Bangkok and was told the letter from Ministry of Education was addressed to the consulate not immigration and was thus not acceptable and immigration wanted to cite the originals of the other documents not just the certified copies. Walen's response was the Ministry only issues this letter addressed to the consulate and it is not possible to give every student an original of the other documents and the consulates always accept the certified copies. Immigration's response to that was if you cannot supply the required documents we cannot issue the visa. I took the same documents to Penang and was issued the visa with no problems

I would love to hear feedback from other students at language schools on this - Immigration's response seems to be different for university students

bkkguy

[andzi4]

Any one know language school in Phuket wchich can provide a letter for NON-IMM VISA?

[tropo]

the problem I had was is in getting the "correct" paperwork. I was in Bangkok on a tourist visa and Waylen provided a stack of documents and said go to Penang. I went to Immigration in Bangkok and was told the letter from Ministry of Education was addressed to the consulate not immigration and was thus not acceptable and immigration wanted to cite the originals of the other documents not just the certified copies. Walen's response was the Ministry only issues this letter addressed to the consulate and it is not possible to give every student an original of the other documents and the consulates always accept the certified copies. Immigration's response to that was if you cannot supply the required documents we cannot issue the visa. I took the same documents to Penang and was issued the visa with no problems

I would love to hear feedback from other students at language schools on this - Immigration's response seems to be different for university students

bkkguy

Was the visa you got in Penang a multiple entry one year visa?

[Maestro]

...I was in Bangkok on a tourist visa and Waylen provided a stack of documents and said go to Penang. I went to Immigration in Bangkok and was told the letter from Ministry of Education was addressed to the consulate not immigration and was thus not acceptable and immigration wanted to cite the originals of the other documents not just the certified copies. Walen's response was the Ministry only issues this letter addressed to the consulate and it is not possible to give every student an original of the other documents and the consulates always accept the certified copies. Immigration's response to that was if you cannot supply the required documents we cannot issue the visa.

This looks like a classical stand-off: one government department (immigration office) request documents which another government department (Ministry of Education) cannot or does not want to provide.

Or perhaps the school is not asking the MoE for the right kind of document for presentation to the immigration office? After all, even when a student arrives in Thailand with a non-Ed visa, every 90 days thereafter the school has to give him documents for his application of extension of stay at the immigration office. Of course, each immigration office may have its own way of doing things, but it would seem that the same documentation as used for these extensions should also be sufficient for a change of visa combined with a first extension.

It would not be the first time, though, that I hear of things not being done in a logical way at a government department. In your particular case, it could also be that the school went the wrong way about it.

--

Maestro

[thaiman]

any schools in pattaya offer the ed visa?

[bkkguy1970]

Was the visa you got in Penang a multiple entry one year visa?

three month single entry, you can extend in Bangkok for the length of the course, but I could have gotten a 12 month multiple entry but then you have to leave the country every three months

bkkguy

[bkkguy1970]

After all, even when a student arrives in Thailand with a non-Ed visa, every 90 days thereafter the school has to give him documents for his application of extension of stay at the immigration office.

according to Waylen the extension letter is always addressed to Immigration

In your particular case, it could also be that the school went the wrong way about it.

which is why I am interested in hearing from others who have actually done this

bkkguy

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Was the visa you got in Penang a multiple entry one year visa?

three month single entry, you can extend in Bangkok for the length of the course, but I could have gotten a 12 month multiple entry but then you have to leave the country every three months

bkkguy

I agree that is the cleanest way. Get the letter and apply for a multi entry Non Imm ED (1 year validity) and be done with it. Every three months then stamp out and back in at a border and thats all there is to it. If your trying for the in country extensions then there are issues of getting turned down, additional paperwork and fee's involved. Depends on where you are in thailand but can be fairly cheap and easy to make a border run. For me anyway in Chiang Mai

[Mac1]

I am the 3rd or 4th person to ask this : ANY similar school in Pattaya, now ???????

recommendations pliiz.

[tropo]

Was the visa you got in Penang a multiple entry one year visa?

three month single entry, you can extend in Bangkok for the length of the course, but I could have gotten a 12 month multiple entry but then you have to leave the country every three months

bkkguy

I agree that is the cleanest way. Get the letter and apply for a multi entry Non Imm ED (1 year validity) and be done with it. Every three months then stamp out and back in at a border and thats all there is to it. If your trying for the in country extensions then there are issues of getting turned down, additional paperwork and fee's involved. Depends on where you are in thailand but can be fairly cheap and easy to make a border run. For me anyway in Chiang Mai

With the additional advantage of not having to get a re-entry permit to leave Thailand.