Difficulty In Obtaining Wps At Boi Company

[photojourn]

A couple of friends of mine are working for a company in Bangkok with BOI status. One has a non-immigrant B visa which is due to expire in about six weeks. Prior to this non-immigrant B she was on tourist visas but not working for this company and prior to that had a non-immigrant B that had been issued on behalf of another company.

(1) Can her current non-immigrant B be extended in Bangkok when it expires?

(2) If the answer to (1) is no, is it likely that she would get issued a 2nd non-immigrant B in Vientiane (where she obtained the current one) back-to-back for the same company?

(3) How many back-toback non-immigrant B visas can a person obtain for the same company?

Three other friends working at the same BOI company are working on tourist or visa exempt entry stamps. The company has started the process of applying for work permits for them but they are getting conflicting information (surprise, surprise). In particualr they are being told they must submit certified copies of their accademic qualifications and certified original letters from previous employers in order for the work permits to be approved.

One guy in particular is in his late 40's and says he has no hope of obtaining his school records and all say it is almost impossible for them to obtain original letters from previous emploers for a variety of reasons such as previous employing companies having ceased trading, etc.

Is the requirement for accademic and past employment a requirement for a work permit or are they being given wrong information.

Naturally the friends working on tourist visas are concerned about their status and the consequences of being caught so it's not necessary for people to comment on that aspect.

Any information would be appreciated. Thanks.

Edited January 17, 2009 by photojourn

[Mario2008]

1. Yes, together with her work permit.

2. Not at issue.

3. Unlimited.

Regarding your other friends, the academic degree is not unheard of and the letters form previous employers a bit strict. Maybe get adivise from a law firm.

Edited January 17, 2009 by Mario2008

[joskydive]

1. Yes, however when I tried to do it that way, they wanted that much paperwork on top of what I'd given them it was easier to get it outside the country.

2. Yes, she can go back to Vientienne and renew her Non-B there. She must take her Work Permit and some company docs. i.e. list of shareholders, and a letter from the company offering her employment which must include her monthly income and it also must not be a job that a Thai can do.

3. Unlimited

At any time that I have had to get a Work Permit, I have had to show my Original Certificates, they are particularly interested in University Degree's. They have also demanded certified copies of the originals.

Past employment, I got around with showing them my CV. I didn't have letters from previous employers as I worked for the NHS and I made them aware of this but I also ran and owned a private business so I wrote my own letter which they accepted. Sorry can't be any more help but they are very strict on Certificates.

[photojourn]

Thanks for the answers, though perhaps I was a little unclear in my initial post. My female friend who has the non-immigrant B has not yet been issued a work permit, nor has the company as yet submitted the necessary documents for one. She is a little bit daunted by the trials that her colleagues are going through at the moment while watching the days tick away on her non-immigrant B.

As for the others, one in particular obtained his professional qualifications 20-odd years ago and these were done through something like an apprenticeship or in-industry training by his employer at the time and that employer doesn't exist any longer. The qualifications have been enough for him to work for the last 20-years but some if not all of the past employers no longer exist.

[Mario2008]

If she doesn't have a work permit yet her permission to stay cannot be extended and she would have to get a new visa from abroad.