Change Non O To Non B

[QED]

Hi,

I have been in Thailand for the last 3 years on multi entry non immigrant O visas, as I have not been working, am not married, and under 50. I now have a job offer in Thailand working for an offshore inspection company but based in Thailand.

I am currently in the UK, planning to travel back next week. So what should I do? Apply for a non immigrant B visa before I travel, or travel on my non O (valid until March 2010) and somehow get it converted in Thailand?

Not having been through the non B process before, what information do I need to support my application? Can I just say I will be looking for work when I get there, or do I need something from my employer? Also do you need the non B before you apply for the work permit or vice versa?

Sorry for what are probably very simple questions, but it's a sea change to what I am used to, non O's are very simple to get in the UK.

Thanks for any input.

[ubonjoe]

Use your non-o.

There is no conversion needed because you will have a non immigrant entry. That is all that is required to get a work permit and an extension of stay if the company can meet all the requirements.

[2008bangkok]

Use your non-o.

There is no conversion needed because you will have a non immigrant entry. That is all that is required to get a work permit and an extension of stay if the company can meet all the requirements.

Are you sure on that?? i thought that a extension of stay is based on the visa you have so if your not married etc then you need a NON-B in the 1st place before you can apply for a extension of stay???

Either way i would say get a NON-B in the UK..for one thing if you get a extension of stay then when the job finishes or if it goes sour then your have 7 days to leave..at least a NON-B then its your visa and not works..

[QED]

On the non o it says 'employment prohibited' so I assumed I would need a non b.

What paperwork will they require for the non b?

[ubonjoe]

Ignore that stamp on your visa. It means nothing to immigration. I have even seen a picture of visa that immigration had crossed that line out.

You don't need a non-b.

[ubonjoe]

Use your non-o.

There is no conversion needed because you will have a non immigrant entry. That is all that is required to get a work permit and an extension of stay if the company can meet all the requirements.

Are you sure on that?? i thought that a extension of stay is based on the visa you have so if your not married etc then you need a NON-B in the 1st place before you can apply for a extension of stay???

Either way i would say get a NON-B in the UK..for one thing if you get a extension of stay then when the job finishes or if it goes sour then your have 7 days to leave..at least a NON-B then its your visa and not works..

A visa only gives you the ability to enter the country. Once in the country you are on a permit to stay that is from a non immigrant visa.

You can get an extension of stay for a variety of reasons as long as it is a non immigrant visa that was used to get that permit to stay.

The OP already has a multiple entry visa that is good until March of next year. It will remain valid even if he got an extension of his permit to stay.

[BritRakThai]

Well I'm in the same boat (I think) - I am living here with my family and have a one year 'extension' because my wife is Thai. It expires April 2010. I have just got a job starting in August and the company asked me to get a Non-Im B which I was going to do as we are going to the UK soon.

I went to immigration today to do a 90 day report and just asked how would I cancel my existing extension and then apply for a Non-Im B. I expected to just have to leave without a re-entry but no.. Immigration told me that I can get my work permit on my existing extension; I also rang Hull who said they cannot cancel any extension of stay issued in Thailand.

So the upshot is - don't need and Non-Im B..... I hope!

Cheers,

J

[Lite Beer]

Can get a Work Permit and Work with a Non Imm O Visa or a 12 month extension based on marriage.

In fact it is preferable. Lose your job and you do not lose your Immigration Status.

[BritRakThai]

Thanks LiteBeer and ubonjoe,

So when the 1 year marriage extension expires then, I assume I could apply for another year based on marriage, keep the job and have the security you mention?

Cheers,

J

[ubonjoe]

Yes you can get another extension based upon marriage. You can also show tax receipts for the previous three months for the 40K baht income requirement since you will have a work permit to show them.

[Lite Beer]

If your Marriage is secure it is a much better option.

[QED]

Thanks for all the replies, I will just return on my non-o then, one less thing to worry about!

[BritRakThai]

Thanks Guys,

What about the dates? My extension expires in April 2010 - will this have any impact on the length of the work permit? I'm not sure how that works?

Cheers, J

[Soutpeel]

Hi,

I have been in Thailand for the last 3 years on multi entry non immigrant O visas, as I have not been working, am not married, and under 50. I now have a job offer in Thailand working for an offshore inspection company but based in Thailand.

Assuming here the offshore inspection company is based in Thailand ?....if it is be very careful what you are getting yourself into....if you want more info drop me a PM

[ubonjoe]

Thanks Guys,

What about the dates? My extension expires in April 2010 - will this have any impact on the length of the work permit? I'm not sure how that works?

Cheers, J

You should get a 1 year work permit because work permits are not tied to permit to stays any more. Or it could even be a 2 year.

[2008bangkok]

Thanks Guys,

What about the dates? My extension expires in April 2010 - will this have any impact on the length of the work permit? I'm not sure how that works?

Cheers, J

You should get a 1 year work permit because work permits are not tied to permit to stays any more. Or it could even be a 2 year.

When did this happen..i had my extension stopped in january because the company phoned up.. you can only work on a NOn-O if you are married..when you get a extension based on marrige they give you a NON-O..

I would reccomend that the OP gets a NON-B as he is still in UK and then once he has been in the job 1 year then get a extension of stay....

[ubonjoe]

Thanks Guys,

What about the dates? My extension expires in April 2010 - will this have any impact on the length of the work permit? I'm not sure how that works?

Cheers, J

You should get a 1 year work permit because work permits are not tied to permit to stays any more. Or it could even be a 2 year.

When did this happen..i had my extension stopped in january because the company phoned up.. you can only work on a NOn-O if you are married..when you get a extension based on marrige they give you a NON-O..

I would reccomend that the OP gets a NON-B as he is still in UK and then once he has been in the job 1 year then get a extension of stay....

We are not talking about extensions of stay. Yours ended because you lost your job. They don't give any visa when you get an extension of stay.

Visa entries do not matter as long as it is a non immigrant visa entry, There is no difference between an O and a B in that respect.

Marriage is just a reason for the visa being issued and is not written in the visa stamp. You can even get an extension based upon marriage or retirement with a B visa entry.

He does not have to wait a year to get an extension if the company has been in business long enough and can meet the requirements.

[2008bangkok]

Thanks Guys,

What about the dates? My extension expires in April 2010 - will this have any impact on the length of the work permit? I'm not sure how that works?

Cheers, J

You should get a 1 year work permit because work permits are not tied to permit to stays any more. Or it could even be a 2 year.

When did this happen..i had my extension stopped in january because the company phoned up.. you can only work on a NOn-O if you are married..when you get a extension based on marrige they give you a NON-O..

I would reccomend that the OP gets a NON-B as he is still in UK and then once he has been in the job 1 year then get a extension of stay....

We are not talking about extensions of stay. Yours ended because you lost your job. They don't give any visa when you get an extension of stay.

Visa entries do not matter as long as it is a non immigrant visa entry, There is no difference between an O and a B in that respect.

Marriage is just a reason for the visa being issued and is not written in the visa stamp. You can even get an extension based upon marriage or retirement with a B visa entry.

He does not have to wait a year to get an extension if the company has been in business long enough and can meet the requirements.

Hold on mate you have just written a post saying work permits are not tied to permits to stay anymore and they are if it is based on work. also if you apply for a extension of stay based on being married then they give you a big whooping NON-O stamp in your passport which then is written 'thai wife' simiraly if you get a extension of stay based on work then they give you a bog whooping NON-B stamp in your passport with the name of your company that you work for in their..

Lets put it this way if the OP gets a visa in the UK before he leaves then that visa is his he can come over and apply for his work permit the day he lands...if he arrives on a NON-O then he cannot work straight away as only people that are married can work and apply for a work permit on a NON-O..there fore he will have to go through all the hassle of getting an extension which they may or may not give him and then apply for a work permit..on top of that if he gets an extension based on work and the job doesnt work out for 1 reason or another then the extension will be invalid and he will have 7 days to leave thailand..if he arrives on a NON-B then he will not need to do that as they cannot withdraw a NON-B that has been issued outside of Thailand..

Given all that i would definaltely say that getting a NON-B before he arrives would be far far better..

[ubonjoe]

Before when a work permit was issued it would only be valid for as long as the permit to stay. Now they issue them for 1 or 2 years no matter what the permit to stay is. That is what is meant by not being tied together.

You have it all wrong. I have an extension of stay based upon marriage and can't see anywhere on it that says it is a non-o.

There is absolutely no difference between a B and O visa after you enter the country. Once you are in the country you have permit to stay that is from a non immigrant visa. That is all you need to get a work permit and can start working the date it is issued. Then you can get an extension of stay for 1 year ot that permit to stay if the company you are working for qualifies.

[Lite Beer]

Any Non Immigrant Visa is ok as far as applying for a Work Permit.

[BritRakThai]

Hi guys and thanks again but my company says NO...I have to get Non-im B. Which means I will leave next week without a re-entry on my extension that expires in April 2010 (sob). Then I must get a non-im b from Hull and let the company take it from there.

I really wanted to keep my extension based on marriage for the reasons stated - that if the job goes belly up then I would still be eligible to stay.

Will my present extension be cancelled at the airport or will nothing happen?

Cheers, J

[Lite Beer]

It will expire when you leave.

This company are doing you a huge dis service. You really do not have to do this. It really is a bad option for you.

Lose your job and you have to leave the country on the same day or apply for a 7 day extension.

[ubonjoe]

The company or a person that is advising them is just plain wrong.

It is typical because they do not know the rules or is a lawyer that gets paid more becaue he will be the one that has to do all the extra documentation needed to get the extension based upon employment. If it was me I would contact a lawyer or advisor and get a written opinion from them.

[lopburi3]

Why do you have to go to Hull? Are they only providing a company letter and no company paperwork? You should be able to obtain a B visa anywhere if it is a proper company. Or even cross the border and return on a visa exempt stamp and change at Immigration. If they are forcing the B visa issue at this point do you really expect to be paid? I am getting too many bad vibes on this. Are you sure that a work permit is going to be obtained? Perhaps it is just my age and natural suspicions but requiring a B visa normally means they are trying to control you (you are dependent on your employment for your stay in Thailand) and multi entry from home country usually means a less than transparent company and/or no work permit. Please make sure this is legal and viable employment before you waste a trip to the UK for a visa you do not need.

[ubonjoe]

I agree with Lop that something is not right.

Do they understand that you don't need a visa or extension. All you need is the work permit. It is very clear that the only requirement is that you have a non immigrant visa/extension to get a work permit.

Here is a file with the requirements in Thai and English that is from the DOE.

Work_permit_requirements.pdf

Show them the requirements and/or offer to do it yourself.

[Mario2008]

As has been indicated above, be careful with this employer. Ask them if you can get a non-B from a neighbouring country and ask them to give you the necesarry documents for the application. If they won't do it you better walk away from this job as they don't seem to be interested in providing you with a WP.

[Sisaketmike]

Well I'm in the same boat (I think) - I am living here with my family and have a one year 'extension' because my wife is Thai. It expires April 2010. I have just got a job starting in August and the company asked me to get a Non-Im B which I was going to do as we are going to the UK soon.

I went to immigration today to do a 90 day report and just asked how would I cancel my existing extension and then apply for a Non-Im B. I expected to just have to leave without a re-entry but no.. Immigration told me that I can get my work permit on my existing extension; I also rang Hull who said they cannot cancel any extension of stay issued in Thailand.

So the upshot is - don't need and Non-Im B..... I hope!

Cheers,

Don't lose your Non-O. You can either work on a Non- O or a Non- B. Your Non-O can't be cancelled because it's based on your marriage.....would you change that into a Non-B it would run with your work permit. Leave it how it is, better 4 U. take care. Greetings from buffalo town.....

P.S. They changed the laws about 2 years ago...that you're allowed to work on a Non-O visa.

[QED]

Hi guys,

thanks for all the replies, I eventually decided to go the non-B route with just a letter from my employer. I now have a 12 month multi non-B which is not tied to my employer, and effectively gives me the same rights as I had with my non-O. It cost me another 100 quid but after speaking with their HR dept they didn't seem to have a clue about getting a work permit on a non-O.

When big companies and HR departments don't understand the rules then I guess you know you are in Thailand!!