Ed Visa Extension #1 - Need Embassy Paperwork?

[karlski]

Does the Immigration Dept. require a letter from your home country embassy to extend the ED visa?

As of a few months ago, they did, but now just checking if the rules are still same, and what the wording/type of letter is required.

This would be for the US in my case.

[Mario2008]

Does the Immigration Dept. require a letter from your home country embassy to extend the ED visa?

As of a few months ago, they did, but now just checking if the rules are still same, and what the wording/type of letter is required.

This would be for the US in my case.

The rules regarding extensions of stay based on education didn't change, so probably yes. Your school will now, as will your embassy about what letter you require.

[karlski]

The letter, written by the school to the US Embassy, if anyone is interested, is worded something like this:

To Whom it may concern,

[Your Name] (Your country & passport #) has applied to partake in a Thai language course for foreigners consisting of 200 hours study time.

[Your Name] applied to this course on [date enrolled].

The duration of this course is 1 year.

[Your Name] started taking classes on [date started class].

At this time we thankfully request that a letter of recommendation be written by your agency so as to aid [Your Name] in extending his/her visa so that this course can be completed.

------

Signed & stamped with the school's official seal, on school's letterhead.

I think the only line one might wish to modify is the last, and direct the embassy as to which agency (in this case Thai Immigration).

Take this letter from your embassy to Immigration along with all of your other extension paperwork from the school. Fill out the forms in Thai if you already know enough to be clear of mistakes, but be prepared to field questions in Thai if you do.

[Mario2008]

Thank you, will be a great help to others.

[Maestro]

I thought immigration needed a letter from the Ministry of Education, and the school had to get that letter for you. At least that’s what I read in this forum being the case for the study of the Thai language at a private school.

--

Maestro

[karlski]

I thought immigration needed a letter from the Ministry of Education, and the school had to get that letter for you. At least that's what I read in this forum being the case for the study of the Thai language at a private school.

--

Maestro

You are correct, but that step happens earlier in the sequence of events. I'll get a copy of it and post a sanitized version of it.

The letter you are referring to is for early on when you first convert your existing visa to an "ED" visa. That letter is critical to have at the Immigration Office in the foreign country you cross into by minibus. In my case Penang. It's the first and main thing they look for in the pile of paperwork your school should be handing you to take with.

Even if it's on top of the pile, the officer might say "you need a letter from the Education Ministry to Immigration Ministry, I don't see one here". That's what happened with me. I had to actually show him the seal and explain that it had been written in English. Get a copy in boith languages. Not critical, but helpful more like. A border agent can't be expected to be giga-lingual.

Also, just for future reference, if you are flipping your visa to an ED visa, make duplicate if not triplicate copies of all your paperwork.

1. your school could lose records, happens a lot.

2. Immigration or Education Ministry could lose your records.

3. You could lose your records.

4. Thai Immigration will take whatever you hand them, and keep it.

You might want to take thorough inventory and ask your school "do I need to come back with this or it it OK for Immigration to keep"?

You might be surprised at how a single bit of paper cane be so significant.

---

Since I work in Immigration sector in my own country assisting attorneys on work permit visas, I read a lot about how Thailand consistently adopts procedures similar to ours, Immigration appears to always be saying "designated internal/external authority please recommend/advise us you approved us to approve this person".

Foreign Embassies, Police, Banks, Airlines, other ministries, or certified/regulated entities like teachers, schools and employers. Even your landlord or hotel manager. Be nice, always.

These help keep the Immigration Code from being as thick as a phone book and allow the agency limit the number of staff, and use it's authority on directly on actual case management, and processing daily human traffic. Limit them, Vet them, Track them.

Get used to obtaining "outside paper" or "supporting paper" and bringing it so you can stay, no matter what kind of visa. Seems to be the underlying framework. Just like back home.

[TerryLH]

A couple of inconsistencies here.

I didn't realize the US Embassy was in the habit of writing letters of recommendation.

Also, when you cross a border in your minibus, you don't deal with Immigration to get a visa.

[karlski]

A couple of inconsistencies here.

I didn't realize the US Embassy was in the habit of writing letters of recommendation.

Also, when you cross a border in your minibus, you don't deal with Immigration to get a visa.

There's a consular section of the US Embassy.

http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/service.html

The mission of the American Citizen Services (ACS) office is to provide assistance to U.S. citizens in Thailand. We provide services or information in the following areas:

• Passport and citizenship services
  
• Emergency assistance
  
• Marriage in Thailand
  
• Birth of U.S. citizens
  
• Death of U.S. citizens
  
• Notary and authentication services-would this qualify?
  
• Guidelines on living and working in Thailand
  
• Driving in Thailand
  
• Federal Benefits, taxes and voting
  
• Legal matters in Thailand -how about this?
  

A call to their office during the week should clear up the matter of if they will respond to the school's request that they provide a recommendation letter. My classmates from Canada and Denmark had no problems with this.

To make an appointment: https://evisaforms.state.gov/acs/default.as...K&appcode=1

TerryLH -You didn't realize or you know for certain they do/do not provide recommendation letters?

Maybe they won't. Perhaps they'll refuse?

My classmate from Denmark's letter was simply copied from the request letter the school submitted to them, with a few extra details noted, and read as follows:

--------------snip----------

Embassy Letterhead

To Whom It May Concern,

Re: Application For Extension of Visa To Thailand

Dear Sirs,

This letter serves to introduce [your country national Mr. [your name] date of birth] passport number].

Mr. [your name] has informed the Consulate that he is applying for an extension of his/her visa to Thailand.

Mr. [your name] has produced evidence before the Consulate which shows that he/she is a student at [language school name and address and phone number (see enclosed document) -the enclosed document is the request letter from the school.

According to the certificate issued by [language school name] he/she enrolled in the course on [date enrolled]. Mr./Ms. [your name] started the course on [date started class]. Language course length is 1 year.

Any assistance rendered to [your name] in connection with his/her application for visa extension to Thailand would be greatly appreciated by the [your country embassy]

-signed

[Consular officer]

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It's not so very different looking than the school's request letter to them, yet has the weight of an "external/outside" agency with some authority enough that allows the Thai Immigration office in Phuket Town to feel they have "vetted" you a bit, and trust that the other mechanisms in place (oversight by the Education Ministry and clean records in Police or international enforcement databases) would have flagged your record.

A few questions during a one-on-one session when you arrive for your stamp usually suffice. Different classmates all noted they'd not been officially tested or interviewed, but casually challenged to spell their name or otherwise demonstrate basics that someone who's already been studying for 4 months should know. Like how to write your name in Thai, or how to count or read signs.

Being accompanied by your teacher is also a good way to go, it'll help.

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-again, if you are a US citizen or foreign national and know the US Embassy doesn't provide 'recommendation' letters, feel free to confirm it.

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As far as the semantic issue you note with "border crossing" and Immigration, my apologies for being unclear.

You exit thailand's border, get an exit stamp, *and then* you make another stop in Penang at an office, with uniformed Thai people, whom are controlled by either Immigration or another entity, where indeed you do transact business related to your visa by paying a fee and submitting documents. The next day they presented an ED visa to me with 3 months validity. Was this the Thai Embassy and not Immigration?

Again, sorry if this detail was unclear.

[karlski]

A call to the US Embassy In BKK, as well as an email netted the same response: they don't provide the letter I asked for, but rather:

--snip----

However, we can notarize an affidavit for you that provides the information regarding your ongoing studies and referencing the language school certificate.

--snip----

By their signature/ notarization it seems implicit they "approve" of my attendance at the school. Exactly what Immigration is hoping to confirm is another matter, i'll likely visit them prior to obtaining the affidavit from BKK. I even had my question to them translated into Thai, along with what my embassy wrote, just to make it easier.

One part of the crowd says 'don't bother asking Immigration for clarifications', 'presenting a question or otherwise deviating from the most basic path could actually backfire'. Sounds kind of backward, but then....

[Mario2008]

You will find that the affidavid from the embassy is enough.

Welcome to amazing Thailand

[karlski]

You will find that the affidavid from the embassy is enough.

Welcome to amazing Thailand

Yeah thanks , -sounds pretty straightforward. -i'm envious of my peers who have a home consulate located on Phuket island -so lucky.

Seems like everyone though, regardless of home country, has to cough up around 1,000 baht or more to pay for the document from embassy, -in case anyone's keeping track of the numbers.

[karlski]

Seems like everyone though, regardless of home country, has to cough up around 1,000 baht or more to pay for the document from embassy, -in case anyone's keeping track of the numbers.

Got the extension without it.