Another "when Do I Have To Leave?"

[rollright]

I have read a bunch of the other posts about people wondering when they have to leave and I am still confused regarding my situation. I am sorry I am rehashing the same old stuff but I think my situation may be a bit different and I am getting conflicting information from all around.

I recieved my first single entry Non-Immigrant B visa in the USA. It was used on September 19, 2007. I started working for a teaching agency a month after and recieved my work permit a few months after starting to teach (I know this is illegal, but it is what happened). The agency runs semester by semester so my contract with them and the school was only for four months. After I recieved my Work Permit I applied for stay before the three months December 17, 2007 deadline was up. I recieved another 6 months until June 12, 2008 an the same visa and updated my WP to match it. However, I was only working for the school and the agency until Feb (when the contract ended). After that I signed a new contract with the agency for a different school. This meant I had to get a new visa but they said I should wait until before the new semester (May) to go to Laos and get a new visa. They took my work permit and said they returned it.

In the meantime I left the country and came back on a reentry and had no problems. A few months later I left and went into Laos right before the start of the semester in May and also had no problems leaving the country or getting a second Non-Immigrant B visa used on May 13, 2008 (sans WP again). A couple months later I got my second WP. A little after that I recieved another six months on this second visa until Feb 5, 2009 and updated my WP.

My current contract expires on Sept 16 and I will give my WP back to my agency and not renew (and they will return my 1,000 baht they have held ransom and hopefully the 1,000 they haven't returned to me for deposit from last time, I have to press them on that one). My consultant for the agency has told me I have until my Visa expires to leave the country, then he said I have until Novemeber, then he said February again. I know the above stuff isn't exactly by the book and my agency is not just a little bit dubious. My flight out of the country isn't until Oct 1 so I would want to stay an extra 2 weeks before I leave.

I am concerned that my agency is incorrect that I have until November or Feb to stay in the country. They have been wrong for whatever reasons before about such things and I have heard that in most situations you have only a week to leave the country after your WP is turned in. It doesn't help that my consultant seems unsure about it, either. Maybe they say I can stay because they don't plan on turning in my WP or giving me back my deposit for it. I have a feeling I would be able to stay longer just because I had no problem staying until my visa was almost up last time. I am not so sure and I don't know if I want to risk being hit with an overstay fine/jail time. It would be a hassle but I could leave the country and come back in on a tourist for a short time, I sort of want to travel around a bit before I leave though.

Any advice on this issue would be helpful. Sorry for any spelling errors as this internet cafe PC won't load the spellcheck and has no MS Word.

[Mario2008]

The question of wqhen you have to elave the country is determined by your visa. If you are here on a non-B visa with out an extension of stay aquired at an immigration office you can stay until the end of your permitted to stay stamp. If you are here on an extension of your non-B visa you have to leave the country the same day your contract is terminated. At immigration you can apply for an extension of stay for 7 days, cost 1,900 baht.

If you are here on a multiple non-B, also no problem. Only when you are here on an extension of stay do you have to leave the country.

Seems you are on an extension of stay. You could do a border run an get a visa exempt entry for 30 days.

Edited September 11, 2008 by Mario2008