Transition From 1 School To Another

[DragonQuest]

Hi all, I need some solid advice:

#1 I finished working for a school, my visa expires April 30th.

#2 another school would like to hire me starting on May 1st.

#3 How would I go about this? I browsed through the forums a bit, but I seem to get conflicting results, and not really my situation.

Thank you

p.s

Do I have to leave the country and get a tourist visa again?

Or should the school provide me with the paper work to get another non b?

Or I wont have to leave and do all the changes at immigration?(In this case can I extend my stay for 1 or 2 weeks?)

so many options so little time please help me out!

[ubonjoe]

Are you on a visa entry or an extension of stay?

If you are on an extension of stay you are already on an overstay if immigration was notified when you left your job. Your permit to stay ended when you left your other job and your work permit was cancelled.

It is possible to go from one job to another if your old and new employer work together so that you never have your work permit cancelled.

If on a visa entry you could get a 7 day extension.

You should get paperwork from new school to get a new visa instead of getting a tourist visa.

[DragonQuest]

It was an extension to complete the 1 year contract, my agency told me they wouldnt cancel my visa until April 30th.

So can I extend it for 7 days or 2 weeks for 1900 baht at immigration? Would that be enough time for my new school to prepare the documents?

I dont want my new and old employer working together because my old job sucks lol

[Mario2008]

You can extend your permission to stay by 7 days. Better have your new school start the paperwork for a new Work Permit and extension of stay right now. Don't have them wait untill the end of the month. A week should be enough to complete everything for a teacher.

[ubonjoe]

If your new employer could get started on the work permit application asap you should have enough time to get another extension. Your previous employer must cancel your work permit before you can get a new one.

The longest extension you can get get without work permit and other documents needed is 7 days.

[DragonQuest]

I just talk to my new boss and she said that 7 days is not enough time(rules are always changing and the MOE has to sigh some paperwork). They want me to leave the country and come back with a tourist visa. Then they can change that to a non-b and start fresh. One last question: Is there a way to check the status of my visa online? Or maby at Immigration soi suan plu? I want to make sure Im not an over-stayer. Because If I am I have to get the hel_l outta here b4 the 500 baht per day starts to hit me.

[ubonjoe]

Has your former employer notified the labor department that you are no longer working? If they have you may be on an overstay already.

There is no way to check the status of your extension online. A phone call to immigration might work.

Your new ewmployer should be able to start the paperwork now and not wait until you start work.

[Mario2008]

School directors have more power these days and I wonder what papers the MOE has to sign.

Try to get a letter from your employer stating that your job will be terminated as of the 30th.

[DragonQuest]

My former employer told me not to worry and that my visa will be good till april 30th, which I assume they wont cancel it b4 then.

What is the phone number to immigration? I'll give that a try and ask.You think my school might be too lazy to get it started now? Or maby they have been screwed by other farang trying to get non-b's from them.She mentioned something about the MOE and stated that it will take time and more then 7 days to process everything for me, just in case the 7 days doesnt cut it, better to get the tourist visa that will give me 1-2 months , plenty of time for the school to process me.As for my former employer I wont contact them anymore because they didnt pay my salary and Im taking them to court lol

[lopburi3]

Believe it is your responsibility to cancel your extension of stay on the day your employment ends. Employer is supposed to provide you a letter for that purpose. It appears they have chosen to just let your extension of stay die a natural death so probably best to let sleeping dogs lie. Leave and get your tourist visa (free) and return for your new employment.

[DragonQuest]

ok thx for the info, anyone have the number to immigration? or website? I want to check my visa status now. It is even possible to check over the phone? I may have to go in person, so many people are there everyday ><

[lopburi3]

The phone number is 1111

http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php

[ScienceGuy]

Hi all, I need some solid advice:

#1 I finished working for a school, my visa expires April 30th.

#2 another school would like to hire me starting on May 1st.

#3 How would I go about this? I browsed through the forums a bit, but I seem to get conflicting results, and not really my situation.

Thank you

p.s

Do I have to leave the country and get a tourist visa again?

Or should the school provide me with the paper work to get another non b?

Or I wont have to leave and do all the changes at immigration?(In this case can I extend my stay for 1 or 2 weeks?)

so many options so little time please help me out!

My school told me the same thing. Immigration said to get a new work permit and they will extend it. You may need to get the contract to start on April 30, then go get your WP, then go get extended.

[pacovl46]

Hi all, I need some solid advice:

#1 I finished working for a school, my visa expires April 30th.

#2 another school would like to hire me starting on May 1st.

#3 How would I go about this? I browsed through the forums a bit, but I seem to get conflicting results, and not really my situation.

Thank you

p.s

Do I have to leave the country and get a tourist visa again?

Or should the school provide me with the paper work to get another non b?

Or I wont have to leave and do all the changes at immigration?(In this case can I extend my stay for 1 or 2 weeks?)

so many options so little time please help me out!

Hi,

I recently changed my job as well. I used to work in Chonburi and came back to Bkk. I had to go to Laos to apply for a new non-b over there. I'm working for an agency here, and they tried everything they could, but there was no way to get around going to an Thai embassy outside Thailand, because my old and new school don't work together. I actually didn't go to the immigration to cancel my visa, I just cancelled my work permit and then left Thailand on the same day for Laos. In my case the paper work for my new job was already prepared. By the way, once you cancelled your work permit you have seven days to cancel your visa. Since I had only a single entry visa I just left Thailand and saved myself the hassle of buying a 7-day extension which costs as much as a non-b. If you don't already have the paper work for your new job I suggest to you to get a tourist visa from somewhere outside Thailand because it'll get you at least 30 days instead of only seven.

In my opinion 7 days aren't enough to get all the paper work together because you need a letter from the ministry of labour, which will take at least a week to be processed by them and lots of other stuff.

[lopburi3]

By the way, once you cancelled your work permit you have seven days to cancel your visa.

You do not have to cancel a visa entry. But if you have an extension of stay based on employment it ends on the day your employments ends (there is no more 7 days to leave). You are allowed to obtain a 7 day extension of stay but you must apply and pay for it.

[chris2dv8]

Hi all, I need some solid advice:

#1 I finished working for a school, my visa expires April 30th.

#2 another school would like to hire me starting on May 1st.

#3 How would I go about this? I browsed through the forums a bit, but I seem to get conflicting results, and not really my situation.

Thank you

p.s

Do I have to leave the country and get a tourist visa again?

Or should the school provide me with the paper work to get another non b?

Or I wont have to leave and do all the changes at immigration?(In this case can I extend my stay for 1 or 2 weeks?)

so many options so little time please help me out!

I'm sorry but most of the advice you have been given is frankly BS..

Your new school has said seven days wont be long enough, so the best idea would leave the country (by the 30th April) and as your new school wouldn't have the time to get the paperwork ready for you , then get a tourist visa.

On the 1st of May you will start your new job and then your new school can do the lot including converting your visa.

This idea of your visa would be cancelled is again BS. When ever the visa date in your passport expires THAT is the date you can stay until

DO NOT INFORM immigration, you don't have to, so why do it. (the system is not set up to check yet)

Good luck in your new job.

[KayT]

1.You will need a new visa ASAP and you cannot get an extension because the MOE wont process a new work permit unless your current visa has 3 weeks at least left before it expires.

2.Tourist visas are free until 6th June so will save you 2000 baht on getting one.

3.A new non-B can then be processed without having to go out of the country again as you will have 60 days plus possible 30 day extension by going to the immigration dept and paying 1900baht but that is sort of a safety net as the MOE should have finalised your paper work within the 60 days.

4.Your new schhol has to have documents from your old school to make new papers for you.You have to have copies of your teaching licence,cancellation of this paper and cancellation of you current work permit before new paperwork can be processed and so you will have to collect that yourself if you dont want one HR to contact the other.Having a copy of your work permit is really helpful as it has all the numbers on it and so processing a new one is faster.They have records of all your previous documents and you may not have to provide some again.

5.No rush on the visa timing and they dont check but a visa is technically supposed to be cancelled on the same day as your WP and you then have 7 days to leave the country.If you want your paperwork to match up and have no hassles getting new documents its best to comply because they can refuse to make a new Non-B if you havent.

I hope that helps.I have just dont this myself and so I know it is not fun but the easiest way to go is to follow what the law asks so you ensure no snags with your next Work Permit.