Education Extension Of Stay

[Sunbelt Asia]

The Education Extension of Stay to study Thai was being granted for one year, last week. This week, new applications are being stamped valid for 90 days. The new applicants holding the new extension of stay will need to renew the permit at Immigration at the end of every 90 days.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

[Jingthing]

Every visa class deserves a good crackdown. Oy vey.

(Class, get it? Like in school? Groan.)

Edited September 5, 2007 by Jingthing

[chinthee]

Come gather 'round people

Wherever you roam

And admit that the waters

Around you have grown

And accept it that soon

You'll be drenched to the bone.

If your time to you

Is worth savin'

Then you better start swimmin'

Or you'll sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin'.

Bob Dylan

[richard10365]

Is their any word about extensions for full time study being in danger of getting revamped or revised similiar to the Thai language visa? I'm in a BA degree program in Chiang Mai.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

The Education Extension of Stay to study Thai was being granted for one year, last week. This week, new applications are being stamped valid for 90 days. The new applicants holding the new extension of stay will need to renew the permit at Immigration at the end of every 90 days.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

I am coming back to Thailand in 2 weeks with a new Non Imm ED 1 year multi entry visa in hand. My school said they could give me paperwork for an extension. Obviously its an advantage to not have to do border runs every 90 days with a 1 year extension. Is the incentive to get an extension out the window now? An extension costs 1900 or whatever and I can do a border run for less than half that.

Any tips??

[lopburi3]

Please note this appears, from post, specific to "study Thai" at this time and has not been announced as a change yet (and is probably within regulations without change as "up to" is normal wording for length of extensions). Would not expect this to apply to full university study students myself; but that is just a guess.

[simon43]

Isuppose the authorities are concerned about people paying the (relatively) low annual fees for Thai classes and then not attending...

Simon

[ovenman]

Isuppose the authorities are concerned about people paying the (relatively) low annual fees for Thai classes and then not attending...

Maybe they are concerned about too many people getting three consecutive one-year extensions against an ED visa and applying for PR???

[permanent_disorder]

Isuppose the authorities are concerned about people paying the (relatively) low annual fees for Thai classes and then not attending...

Maybe they are concerned about too many people getting three consecutive one-year extensions against an ED visa and applying for PR???

have no source for it right now, but i read it once here, that with a non-ED visa you can not collect points or years for a later PR apply.

i think i just for that you have to bring a prove that you attend classes/school. there is a minimum for it where you have to go, like n/x hours per week. if you do that it should be not that big hassle at all.

[simon43]

Just back from Suan Phu immigration where I was successfully able to extend my existing ED visa for a further year, based on provision of a confirmation letter from Chulalongkorn University. I did ask the immigration officer about this new 90 day rule, but she knew nothing about it, (which is not really surprising...)

AFAIK, PR requires 3 annual extensions of visa, and the reason for these extensions does not exclude ED extensions. However, since you are not allowed to work with an ED visa/extension, you will fail the PR requirements because you will be unable to provide proof of working/tax payments for the required period!

Simon

[Sunbelt Asia]

The Education Extension of Stay to study Thai was being granted for one year, last week. This week, new applications are being stamped valid for 90 days. The new applicants holding the new extension of stay will need to renew the permit at Immigration at the end of every 90 days.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

Just as a follow up. The paperwork is still the same as before. You still need the letter from the Ministry of Education and school. However now its 1,900 Baht in government fees every 90 days instead of one year and the hassle of going to Immigration every 90 days to reapply.

I would expect its also a good way the Immigration officer can check to see how your Thai skills are progressing and if you are really going to class. If you are, you still can get three years ( 90 days at a time) with this type of permit.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

[samran]

Isuppose the authorities are concerned about people paying the (relatively) low annual fees for Thai classes and then not attending...

Simon

too many people exploiting the old rules perhaps?

[jinjok]

i think they just want to continue to keep the language as mystified as possible so they can continue to talk behind our backs.

of course -quadrupling the fees doesnt hurt either...

the thai language coursesi was going to take ...forget it

you can stack that against the condoi was going to buy

and the country club membership i decided against

go team thailand! chaalat thee sut!

[Charles2550]

The Education Extension of Stay to study Thai was being granted for one year, last week. This week, new applications are being stamped valid for 90 days. The new applicants holding the new extension of stay will need to renew the permit at Immigration at the end of every 90 days.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

Are there any strings attached to the renewal, every 90 days?

For example, attendance to the school, etc.

[Sunbelt Asia]

The Education Extension of Stay to study Thai was being granted for one year, last week. This week, new applications are being stamped valid for 90 days. The new applicants holding the new extension of stay will need to renew the permit at Immigration at the end of every 90 days.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

Are there any strings attached to the renewal, every 90 days?

For example, attendance to the school, etc.

Too early to tell as the 90 days just started. The odds are high they will be looking at attendance.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

[Jersey_UK]

On the one hand I can understand why they feel a crackdown is needed - Folk abusing this visa system? surely not!

On the other hand I suspect rather bad news for Thai owned and staffed Thai language schools........

If making a serious effort to learn the lingo I would have thought that 90 days was too short (unless learning 24/7 ) and then feeling that one was then relying on the whims of a Govt offical for an extention would be a disincentive to many genuine learners.

Maybe an opportunity for someone to set up a Thai language school in Malaysia?........or Burma

[lopburi3]

Believe you have misread the post - you have to extend your stay each 90 days - you do not have to become proficient in 90 days. They can potentially use this to weed out those who are not actually attending class.

[Krub]

Isuppose the authorities are concerned about people paying the (relatively) low annual fees for Thai classes and then not attending...

Simon

too many people exploiting the old rules perhaps?

Spot on my guess too

Immigration is running after the loopholes they themselves created and tolerated

[jetzie]

has this all been comfirmed yet? because my girlfriend is on her way to register her english class with thaiwelen this weekend...

[LivinLOS]

Suspect this is directly in relation to the sudden surge in ED visa apps by people looking for a nice easy way to process a long stay visa. Based on costs to gain a solid visa footing the ED was actually getting quite attractive, add in the additional Thai skils and the visa was the extra motivation needed to get people signing up.

[Jersey_UK]

Believe you have misread the post - you have to extend your stay each 90 days - you do not have to become proficient in 90 days. They can potentially use this to weed out those who are not actually attending class.

Proficient in 90 days?....yikes!.....I wasn't saying that - just that if making a serious effort to learn and planning to do so over a 1 year course then before re-organising their life to do so someone needs to be comfortable that they will not be refused a new Visa to complete their course / learning process.

[sonnyJ]

This might be wrong place to ask, but then again concerns long time students in Thaland.

What are the requirements for PR. I have lived in Thailand for 4 years on NON-ED for BBA, is it any help or not?

[lopburi3]

In the pinned items at top of this forum and near the bottom of the useful information post there is a link to the ongoing PR thread which should answer your questions.

[sonnyJ]

Thanx, Lopburi

[Briggsy]

Immigration is running after the loopholes they themselves created and tolerated

I think so too. In my opinion, this has been an obvious target for some time. The number of adverts advertising the visa rather than the course was something of a giveaway.

Who wants to play the what's next game? How about the "TV 60 + 30 extension + 3 30-day visa waivers routine" 6-month roundabout.

[Whitey]

Just another hoop the immigration people can enjoy watching the farang jump through. Everytime they make a new hoop and the farang jumps through it, they know how superior Thailand is.

[Jimjim]

So this is for the 90 day extension of visa, and not if you are able to get the initial visa valid for one year?

[simon43]

SonnyJ, you would also need to have a WP/paid tax etc for 2 or 3 years as well ...

Simon

[jetzie]

Just went to Walen School and spoke to Khun Imm about the ED visa, upon approval it will be valid for 3 months and extentable for 3 months up to a year. wont have to do border runs