Help Visa/work Permit Problems

[flojo]

Came over to South East Asia looking for work and found a job in Thailand working for a multinational company who said that they would sort out my work permit and visa for me. I am in my 30's and hold a british passport. The company i work for has a few farangs working for them however all are married to Thais so already hold a non imm O type visa so I am a little different from what that are used to dealing with. My firm employ a consultant who deals with all the visas required in the firm so strictly speaking when I say the firm I mean the consultant though the consultant does work closely with the HR dept.

I was in Thailand when I was offered my present job and left to go to Hong Kong as my visa was about to expire. While in Hong Kong I asked the company if i should obtain a visa they replied saying that it was ok for me to return on another tourist visa on arrival which I recieved on my return. 30 days flew past and due to several cock ups I had to go to cambodia to get another 14 days, I was then told that they could turn my tourist visa in to a non imm type B in Thailand however again this never happened and I had to go to cambodia again for another 14 day extension. I have know recieved my WP3 form and am all booked to go to Penang to sort out a non imm type B visa, however my firm has recently told me that because I was in Thailand when my WP3 was issued they will not give me a non imm type B visa and I will be unable to get a work permit - as you can imagine I am getting very frustrated and dont know exactly where I stand. I would be grateful if someone could answer the following questions for me:

Will I be able to get a non imm type B visa if I was in thailand when my WP3 was issued

Is it possible to turn a tourist visa on arrival in to a non imm type B visa

If I manage to obtain a non imm type B visa will I be able to obtain a work permit considering I was in the country when my WP3 was issued

If I am turned down for a Non imm type B visa what is the best course of action to follow to obtain one

Any help greatly appreicated, please let me know if you need any more info

[ubonjoe]

First it is not a tourist visa on arrival it is a visa exempt entry.

In order to get a change of visa status from a visa exempt entry to a B visa you have to have 21 days remaining on your entry. So yes it is possble but not often done.

If you have a WP3 it does not matter where you were at or what kind of entry you had when it was issued to to get a B visa. Or to have a work permit issued once you have the correct visa entry.

You can get your visa in Penang as long as you have all the documents required.

When you have your B visa entry your work permit will be issued.

[InterestedObserver]

Agree with all of the above. Get yourself along with the WP3 and supporting documents to Penang and get a Non-Immigrant "B" visa. Return to Thailand with the non-immigrant "B" visa and the Labour Department will issue you a work permit. Assuming the work permit is good for at least 1 year, go to immigration and get a 1 year extension of stay. You will also need a bunch of documents from your company to take along to immigration.

[flojo]

Many thanks for your help, glad to report that I am now the proud owner of a type B non imm visa and hopefully will get the work permit sorted out this month!