After some 9 months of 'buck-passing' my request for a volunteer visa based upon my work in Phuket, a letter from the Big Police Boss in BKK seems to have done the trick! Today my application for this visa extension was accepted by Phuket Immigration, visa application fee paid and a 30 day 'under consideration' stamp placed in my passport. The application will be sent back to the Big Boss to confirm all is ok and then I will be issued with either a 90 day (renewal) extension of stay, or a 1 year extension.

This will make a big difference to my current circumstances which involves fortnightly sponsorship of Andaman Club casino

Now, just in case some people thinbk that they can run off and join the police volunteers, and be immediately granted this type of visa extension - it is not so! For Phuket, the volunteer must work for at least 1 year prior to their application. must have a squeaky-clean record of regular volunteer work and their application must be supported by their Thai supervisor. Renewals of this visa will be subject to the same criteria.

I'll let you know how it all goes. I'm hoping to make SJ's day by getting a WP for this volunteer work

Simon

After some 9 months of 'buck-passing' my request for a volunteer visa based upon my work in Phuket, a letter from the Big Police Boss in BKK seems to have done the trick! Today my application for this visa extension was accepted by Phuket Immigration, visa application fee paid and a 30 day 'under consideration' stamp placed in my passport. The application will be sent back to the Big Boss to confirm all is ok and then I will be issued with either a 90 day (renewal) extension of stay, or a 1 year extension.

This will make a big difference to my current circumstances which involves fortnightly sponsorship of Andaman Club casino

Now, just in case some people thinbk that they can run off and join the police volunteers, and be immediately granted this type of visa extension - it is not so! For Phuket, the volunteer must work for at least 1 year prior to their application. must have a squeaky-clean record of regular volunteer work and their application must be supported by their Thai supervisor. Renewals of this visa will be subject to the same criteria.

I'll let you know how it all goes. I'm hoping to make SJ's day by getting a WP for this volunteer work

Simon

hmmm

I was rather amazed that they would allow someone with only 15 day border stamps to even volunteer at all!

Good for you Simon! Congrads.

Good for you Simon! Congrads.

dam_n right! You're a good bloke Simon,you deserve to have this visa

After some 9 months of 'buck-passing' my request for a volunteer visa based upon my work in Phuket, a letter from the Big Police Boss in BKK seems to have done the trick! Today my application for this visa extension was accepted by Phuket Immigration, visa application fee paid and a 30 day 'under consideration' stamp placed in my passport. The application will be sent back to the Big Boss to confirm all is ok and then I will be issued with either a 90 day (renewal) extension of stay, or a 1 year extension.

This will make a big difference to my current circumstances which involves fortnightly sponsorship of Andaman Club casino

Now, just in case some people thinbk that they can run off and join the police volunteers, and be immediately granted this type of visa extension - it is not so! For Phuket, the volunteer must work for at least 1 year prior to their application. must have a squeaky-clean record of regular volunteer work and their application must be supported by their Thai supervisor. Renewals of this visa will be subject to the same criteria.

I'll let you know how it all goes. I'm hoping to make SJ's day by getting a WP for this volunteer work

Simon

Well done. But is it worth going through all of that for an extended visa? I guess if you like the work it is worth it.

Congratulations Simon, good news at last!

Congrats Simon!

I'll let you know how it all goes. I'm hoping to make SJ's day by getting a WP for this volunteer work

Simon

Through all their mountain of misleading and disingenuous and downright dishonest posts throughout many, many threads....You'd be the absolute very first police volunteer to be legal, Simon.

Good luck, you're seemingly the only farang cop who cares one iota about being forthright, sincere, and honest.

Edited February 19, 200917 yr by sriracha john

Good job Simon!

If I am in Phuket and I have a problem, yours will be the first name I will scream from the roof top!

TheWalkingMan

Congrats Simon and well done.

Let's hope that this leads to you guys being not only better taken care off but also better regulated. It is clear that you are one of the good guys but we all know that their are a lot of 'bad' volunteers out there.

And have you PM'd SJ with the good news yet? I am sure that he will be delighted to hear the good news

Well done.

I don't think you'll get a year's extension but rather 90 days as it's an unpaid position but I'll hand over to the legal eagles on that one.

Simon congrats on the extension. (it is not a visa).

To everybody else congrats are fine but no more nonsence posts please.

The application will be sent back to the Big Boss to confirm all is ok and then I will be issued with either a 90 day (renewal) extension of stay, or a 1 year extension.

One year extension we all know about, but I didn't know something like a 90 day extension issued at the immigration office existed. Or did I understand something not correctly?

The application will be sent back to the Big Boss to confirm all is ok and then I will be issued with either a 90 day (renewal) extension of stay, or a 1 year extension.

One year extension we all know about, but I didn't know something like a 90 day extension issued at the immigration office existed. Or did I understand something not correctly?

For some reasons for an extension to be granted they only give 90 days at a time.

A good example is for going to school a 90 day may be given instead of 1 year.

They might give him only 90 day extension, because he doesn't have a Work Permit. With a WP he would have to leave the country when he stops volunteering. Simon's case is a gray erea, as he doesn't have a WP and what will happen when he stops volunteering is unclear. They may there for decide to only give him 90 day extensions.

Hi Mario, the issue over the WP is a bit of a catch 22 since the Labour office said they would not accept an application for a WP without a volunteer visa, and the police guys said no WP was required, (which is incorrect). So my plan is to get the volunteer visa first and then apply for the WP.

Clearly, it's important that the issue of this visa is not 'abused', hence the requirement for my police supervisors to confirm my volunteer status on each visa extension/renewal.

I have heard some comments that allowing this type of volunteer visa will lead to abuse of the system, whereby a load of 'undesirables' apply to be police volunteers. (Some might say that people like this already exist!).

However, at least in the case of Phuket, I cannot forsee abuse occuring because the volunteer needs to prove him./herself for 1 year prior to being allowed to apply for this type of visa. In any case, such a visa is really only necessary for those (like myself), who do not qualify for other types of visa extension.

Simon

I hope you will get the WP, would be important to all the tourist police volunteers. Didn't labour want to give one because you didn't have a non-immigrant or because you didn't have a non-immigrant based on volunteering specificaly?

Pretty weird that they recruit people this way. Good for you, but pretty sad for Thailand that they use even here a patronage system.

However, at least in the case of Phuket, I cannot forsee abuse occuring because the volunteer needs to prove him./herself for 1 year prior to being allowed to apply for this type of visa.

Does that mean that you have been working for 1 year as a tourist police with no WP and only a tourist visa?

After some 9 months of 'buck-passing' my request for a volunteer visa based upon my work in Phuket, a letter from the Big Police Boss in BKK seems to have done the trick! Today my application for this visa extension was accepted by Phuket Immigration, visa application fee paid and a 30 day 'under consideration' stamp placed in my passport. The application will be sent back to the Big Boss to confirm all is ok and then I will be issued with either a 90 day (renewal) extension of stay, or a 1 year extension.

This will make a big difference to my current circumstances which involves fortnightly sponsorship of Andaman Club casino

Now, just in case some people thinbk that they can run off and join the police volunteers, and be immediately granted this type of visa extension - it is not so! For Phuket, the volunteer must work for at least 1 year prior to their application. must have a squeaky-clean record of regular volunteer work and their application must be supported by their Thai supervisor. Renewals of this visa will be subject to the same criteria.

I'll let you know how it all goes. I'm hoping to make SJ's day by getting a WP for this volunteer work

Simon

hmmm

I was rather amazed that they would allow someone with only 15 day border stamps to even volunteer at all!

I seem to remember the rules even stating you HAD to have a long stay visa...

Congratulations, Simon. So, after more than a year of working illegally for the police, you may get a visa. And maybe later, you may get a work permit. Then if your work ends, you must leave the kingdom before midnight....

After some 9 months of 'buck-passing' my request for a volunteer visa based upon my work in Phuket, a letter from the Big Police Boss in BKK seems to have done the trick! Today my application for this visa extension was accepted by Phuket Immigration, visa application fee paid and a 30 day 'under consideration' stamp placed in my passport. The application will be sent back to the Big Boss to confirm all is ok and then I will be issued with either a 90 day (renewal) extension of stay, or a 1 year extension.

This will make a big difference to my current circumstances which involves fortnightly sponsorship of Andaman Club casino

Now, just in case some people thinbk that they can run off and join the police volunteers, and be immediately granted this type of visa extension - it is not so! For Phuket, the volunteer must work for at least 1 year prior to their application. must have a squeaky-clean record of regular volunteer work and their application must be supported by their Thai supervisor. Renewals of this visa will be subject to the same criteria.

I'll let you know how it all goes. I'm hoping to make SJ's day by getting a WP for this volunteer work

Simon

hmmm

I was rather amazed that they would allow someone with only 15 day border stamps to even volunteer at all!

I seem to remember the rules even stating you HAD to have a long stay visa...

I thought so too!

Flaming post deleted.

Post discussing moderation deleted.

Nightowl, not sure who your comments are directed to, but they are lost on me...

I have been working as a volunteer for several nights per week, for over 18 months, plus on 24/7 medic call-out. I have never asked for anything in return and the volunteer visa extension exists as of the many types of visa extension available in Thailand. Is it a crime to apply for a visa extension that I would seem to qualify for?

Simon

Simon43, can you tell us if you worked with no WP and tourist visa during these 18 months? Just curious to know if this is how it works.

Off-topic posts and replies to them them have been deleted. This forum is for posts related to "Thai visas, residency and work permits". Simon has talked about the work of foreign police volunteers in his town in many other topics in appropriate forums and this topic here is not the place to question him about it.

--

Maestro

After some 9 months of 'buck-passing' my request for a volunteer visa based upon my work in Phuket, a letter from the Big Police Boss in BKK seems to have done the trick! Today my application for this visa extension was accepted by Phuket Immigration, visa application fee paid and a 30 day 'under consideration' stamp placed in my passport. The application will be sent back to the Big Boss to confirm all is ok and then I will be issued with either a 90 day (renewal) extension of stay, or a 1 year extension.

This will make a big difference to my current circumstances which involves fortnightly sponsorship of Andaman Club casino

Now, just in case some people thinbk that they can run off and join the police volunteers, and be immediately granted this type of visa extension - it is not so! For Phuket, the volunteer must work for at least 1 year prior to their application. must have a squeaky-clean record of regular volunteer work and their application must be supported by their Thai supervisor. Renewals of this visa will be subject to the same criteria.

I'll let you know how it all goes. I'm hoping to make SJ's day by getting a WP for this volunteer work

Simon

hmmm

I was rather amazed that they would allow someone with only 15 day border stamps to even volunteer at all!

I seem to remember the rules even stating you HAD to have a long stay visa...

This is correct, you do need to have an one year visa before you can apply for police or in my case immigration volunteer work.

Just for the record, until my recent divorce, I had been staying in Thailand for more than 6 years, on either one-year visas or on visa extensions to one-year visas.

Simon

Just for the record, until my recent divorce, I had been staying in Thailand for more than 6 years, on either one-year visas or on visa extensions to one-year visas.

Simon

But it appears at the time of this 'pending consideration' decision that you do not qualify, doesn't it?

Jdinasia, apparently those who are handling my application, ie Phuket Immigration, (and that of 2 other applicants), think otherwise. TiT as you know and any regulation is set in ever-shifting sand

Simon