Reduction in number of NON-Immigrant visa types from Sep 2024

[george]

BANGKOK:-- The Thai cabinet decided on its cabinet meeting 2024-05-28 to scrap 10 of the 17 different NON-Immigrant visa categories. This will be implemented starting September - December 2024.

These are the 7 remaining categories for NON-Immigrant visas.

                                    

1. (1) Category Non-Immigrant Code B (Business)                                   
2. (2) Category Non-Immigrant Code ED (Education)                                   
3. (3) Category Non-Immigrant Code F (Official)                                   
4. (4) Category Non-Immigrant Code M (Mass Media)                                   
5. (5) Category Non-Immigrant Code O (Others)                                   
6. (6) Category Non-Immigrant Code L-A (Labor)                                   
7. (7) Category Non-Immigrant Code O (L-A)

-- Translation from source: https://www.thaigov.go.th/

[DrJack54]

Where is Non O-A

Is that included in #5 others

[george]

5 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Where is Non O-A

Is that included in #5 others

It was not mentioned in the cabinet meeting. May be included in the NON-O category?

[Liquorice]

8 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Where is Non O-A

 

14 minutes ago, george said:

(7) Category Non-Immigrant Code O (L-A)

I'm reading that as the Non Imm 0-A visa, often referred to as the 'long stay' (L) visa

[george]

1 minute ago, Liquorice said:

 

I'm reading that as the Non Imm 0-A visa, often referred to as the 'long stay' (L) visa

 

No, L-A is migrant workers.

[DrJack54]

1 minute ago, Liquorice said:

I'm reading that as the Non Imm 0-A visa, often referred to as the 'long stay' (L) visa

Makes sense 

 

Edit: just saw George reply

[Pattaya57]

9 minutes ago, george said:

 

No, L-A is migrant workers.

Isn't that item 6 Non-Immigrant L-A

 

Item 7 is Non-Immigrant O (L-A) so wouldn't that be the O-A and the L for Long-term O-X?

 

[Liquorice]

4 minutes ago, Pattaya57 said:

Isn't that item 6 Non-immigrant L-A

 

Item 7 is non-immigrant O (L-A) which would be the O-A and the L for long-term O-X?

That was my train of thought, although they may dispense with the 'X'.

[george]

Just now, Liquorice said:

That was my train of thought.

 

Sounds logic.

[Liquorice]

3 minutes ago, george said:

 

Sounds logic.

The O-A must still be available, as they announced a reduction in the mandatory Insurance requirement.

[Phillip9]

10 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

The O-A must still be available, as they announced a reduction in the mandatory Insurance requirement.

Or more likely they are eliminating it and adding a health insurance requirement to all non-O visas based on retirement. 

[Mike Teavee]

11 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

The O-A must still be available, as they announced a reduction in the mandatory Insurance requirement.

Unless they've merged it with the Non-IMM O so the change in insurance requirements would apply to both now.

 

Not what I want to happen but logically it would make sense for them to do so.

[MJCM]

I wonder with all these changes what more is going to happen 🤔

[LosLobo]

19 minutes ago, MJCM said:

I wonder with all these changes what more is going to happen 🤔

I hope there will be some encouragement for Imm to go easier on long-term visa applicants in general.

From reports and my personal experience things seemed easier past years.

[MJCM]

5 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

I hope there will be some encouragement for Imm to go easier on long-term visa applicants in general.

From reports and my personal experience things seemed easier past years.

 

👍

[John Drake]

My extension for purposes of retirement has a Non-Imm B as the underlying visa. So where will that stand in all these changes?

[DrJack54]

41 minutes ago, John Drake said:

So where will that stand in all these changes?

#1 ? 

[John Drake]

3 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

#1 ? 

 

Seemingly. But if their intent is to streamline everything for retirement into an underlying O, that leaves some question as to whether the conditions for both would be the same. 

[farangkinok]

Where does extension of stay for Thai wife fit in this scheme?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

If I'm reading this topic correctly, it's about VISA categories... not about extension of stay categories.

 

[brewsterbudgen]

11 minutes ago, farangkinok said:

Where does extension of stay for Thai wife fit in this scheme?

The changes are to visas not extensions of stay.   If you need a visa to enter Thailand and you have a Thai wife, you still get a Non-Imm O visa.

[Liquorice]

13 minutes ago, farangkinok said:

Where does extension of stay for Thai wife fit in this scheme?

Extensions are permits, not visas.

This is about visa categories (Thai Embassies/Consulates).

[mark5335]

16 minutes ago, farangkinok said:

Where does extension of stay for Thai wife fit in this scheme?

5. Non O (Others)

[marino28]

Maybe after change visa they will also made some changing at extension of stay .

 

i am just guessing 

[OJAS]

4 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

Unless they've merged it with the Non-IMM O so the change in insurance requirements would apply to both now.

 

Not what I want to happen but logically it would make sense for them to do so.

 

The reduction in the mandatory minimum health insurance coverage from 3M to 440k will only apply to long-stay visa applicants between September and December, according to the thread at https://aseannow.com/topic/1328402-big-thailand-visa-changes-from-june-1/

 

What I personally find extremely worrying is that, if we are, indeed, talking about a merger of the non-O and non-OA visas in the case of retirement, the Immigration Bureau might use this as an excuse for extending the health insurance requirement (which will presumably increase back to 3M from 1/1/25) to annual extensions of stay for retirement based on original non-O (as well as non-OA) visas. Not good news for those who have ditched their original non-OA visas so as to avoid the insurance requirement by exiting Thailand, re-entering visa-exempt and then obtaining 90-day non-O conversions at their local offices. And definitely not good news for those who, for whatever reason (age or health issues), are unable to obtain minimum health insurance coverage of 3M.

 

[OJAS]

13 minutes ago, marino28 said:

Maybe after change visa they will also made some changing at extension of stay .

 

i am just guessing 

 

Agreed - I think that we rule this possibility out at our peril.

[OJAS]

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

If I'm reading this topic correctly, it's about VISA categories... not about extension of stay categories.

 

 

But they might have a knock-on effect on extension of stay requirements, particularly when it comes to health insurance coverage.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

But they might have a knock-on effect on extension of stay requirements, particularly when it comes to health insurance coverage.

 

 

Every day here continues to be an unrelenting adventure.... 😞

 

[Liquorice]

11 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

But they might have a knock-on effect on extension of stay requirements, particularly when it comes to health insurance coverage.

 

There is no merger with the O and O-A visa.

Both are separately listed as still being available.

[John Drake]

54 minutes ago, marino28 said:

Maybe after change visa they will also made some changing at extension of stay .

 

i am just guessing 

 

It's the looming interpretation of this line from the main topic on this subject yesterday that is causing the unease. I do hope there is some quick elaboration on exactly what this means: 

 

Quote

- Adjusting the criteria and conditions for the Long Stay visa for elderly people who wish to spend their retirement in Thailand, starting in September 2024.