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Caught Teaching On Retirement Visa


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A group of teachers at a private Thai school in Bangkok have been summonsed to immigration for not having work permits. They are on their way to Suan Phlu now. Does anyone know what is likely to happen. Should they bail out of the car!!! At least one is on a retirement visa, others are on marriage visas.

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A group of teachers at a private Thai school in Bangkok have been summonsed to immigration for not having work permits. They are on their way to Suan Phlu now. Does anyone know what is likely to happen. Should they bail out of the car!!! At least one is on a retirement visa, others are on marriage visas.

They could be arrested and fined then deported,

Please keep us posted

best of luck ,colino

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Does anyone have personal experience of this? I'll update their status but have been asked to give them urgent advice

Officers raided my place years ago and found my signature on a receipt pad. This was construed as work and after negotiating with a dodgy lawyer/travel agent (as go-between) I paid a hefty 40K fine and went home 2 hours later. The max one can be fined at the time was 10K, so I found out after. The immigration guy typed up a brief report which apparently admitted my guilt and was to be sent to Bangkok. This was in corruptsville Koh Samui by the way where fines are very quickly negotiated as 'get out of jail card'.

Anyway that was my experience. I wasn't a teacher but I imagine they will treat any occupation the same.

best of luck to the group of teachers, hopefully they can pay a fine alot less than I did.

Regards Bojo

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Thanks Bojo and Colino for swift answers. The problem though that the difference between a standalone fine and jail time at the immigration detention centre and subsequent deportation is quite extreme for those married to Thais and retired here.

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Does anyone have personal experience of this? I'll update their status but have been asked to give them urgent advice

Officers raided my place years ago and found my signature on a receipt pad. This was construed as work and after negotiating with a dodgy lawyer/travel agent (as go-between) I paid a hefty 40K fine and went home 2 hours later. The max one can be fined at the time was 10K, so I found out after. The immigration guy typed up a brief report which apparently admitted my guilt and was to be sent to Bangkok. This was in corruptsville Koh Samui by the way where fines are very quickly negotiated as 'get out of jail card'.

Anyway that was my experience. I wasn't a teacher but I imagine they will treat any occupation the same.

best of luck to the group of teachers, hopefully they can pay a fine alot less than I did.

Regards Bojo

Mods...could this thread be moved to Visas and work permits, as this is very good general information for people

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Thanks Bojo and Colino for swift answers. The problem though that the difference between a standalone fine and jail time at the immigration detention centre and subsequent deportation is quite extreme for those married to Thais and retired here.

I would be very surprised that anyone married or retired here would be deported, I'm not sure exactly but I think that is in extreme or maybe repeat offender cases.

The fact that I had a form to sign admitting my guilt for that offence with some Thai small print stating that the max fine was 10K, indicates to me that the authorities are waiting to fine people.

Regards Bojo

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Working without a WP is a serious offensive. It carries a jail term of up to 5 years under the new labour law. The regulations are how ever so that paying a fine is encouraged with subsequent deportation. Being on a retirement visa or being married to a Thai national is of no consideration.

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Working without a WP is a serious offensive. It carries a jail term of up to 5 years under the new labour law. The regulations are how ever so that paying a fine is encouraged with subsequent deportation. Being on a retirement visa or being marreid to a Thai antional is of no consideration.

This is why I gave up a good job when they did not give me my WP I am married with two kids a house plus a new pick up,,, to much to lose just for 40,000 baht a month.

I was told the same as mario . Being married to a Thai makes no difference the law is the law, and working without the right Visa and WP is breaking the law.

colino

Edited by colino
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One advice that I have been given by a Colonel at crime suppression is: Never ever sign anything. As long as there is no signed paperwork it can be made to disappear. Sign anything and helping you became a lot more difficult and expensive.

Waerth

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Working without a WP is a serious offensive. It carries a jail term of up to 5 years under the new labour law. The regulations are how ever so that paying a fine is encouraged with subsequent deportation. Being on a retirement visa or being marreid to a Thai antional is of no consideration.

This is why I gave up a good job when they did not give me my WP I am married with two kids a house plus a new pick up,,, to much to lose just for 40,000 baht a month.

I was told the same as mario . Being married to a Thai makes no difference the law is the law, and working without the right Visa and WP is breaking the law.

colino

I hope they get by with just the 10k fine. But surprising they would take the chance unless they were desperate for the income, which has just ended.

Edited by Lopburi99
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No update yet, I still can't reach them by phone. I do hope they're not spending the night at IDC.That place is truly awful.

I don't know about IDC but all Thai jails usually have visiting hours all day. You could have gone there and looked them up buying food and drinks for them.

Waerth

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No update yet, I still can't reach them by phone. I do hope they're not spending the night at IDC.That place is truly awful.

I don't know about IDC but all Thai jails usually have visiting hours all day. You could have gone there and looked them up buying food and drinks for them.

Waerth

Visiting hours are not all day and I have no idea where they are at the moment. If they were in the jail I think they would have found a way to contact me by now.

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No update yet, I still can't reach them by phone. I do hope they're not spending the night at IDC.That place is truly awful.

They probably are and either will apper in court to be fined and expelled or will be released on bail, if they can afford that. Is the school doing nothing for them?

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No update yet, I still can't reach them by phone. I do hope they're not spending the night at IDC.That place is truly awful.

They probably are and either will apper in court to be fined and expelled or will be released on bail, if they can afford that. Is the school doing nothing for them?

I don't know if the school are doing anything. A representative was certainly going with them to Suan Phlu. I only know one of the teachers and his phone's been off since about an hour after I first posted. I don't even know whether they tried to put off going until tomorrow.

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Well, this is what the working alien act.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/post-a58931-.html

Section 51. Any alien engaging in the

work without permission shall be subject

to an imprisonment of not exceeding 5

years or a fine from 2,000 baht to 100,000

baht, or both.

In the case the alien accused committing

an offense under paragraph 1 agrees to

return their country within the period of

the investigation but not exceeding 30

days, the inquiry official may impose a

fine and proceed with the return of such

alien.

But the immigration has also something to say here.

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That is true and under the rules it is possible to be let of with a fine. It will depend on the influance of the school. But deportation is a real possibility.

The new law since last year is stricter then the old law. But do note that a lot of these rules are written with illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries in mind.

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this has maybe nothing to do with False degrees Colino.

How did the Immigration find out that these people had no work permits and also were they working full time or part time at the school?

Many language institutions in Bangkok have teachers on their payrolls working at schools, most of these do not have work permits and have tourist visas, is there going to be another crack down?

If so, many language institutes will be closing down after receiving hefty fines.

Edited by beano2274
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this has maybe nothing to do with False degrees Colino.

How did the Immigration find out that these people had no work permits and also were they working full time or part time at the school?

Many language institutions in Bangkok have teachers on their payrolls working at schools, most of these do not have work permits and have tourist visas, is there going to be another crack down?

If so, many language institutes will be closing down after receiving hefty fines.

Sorry I know its not about fake degrees but just thought that it could be an insight to fines or charges.

At a Goverment school I worked at they caught a guy on the payroll with no work permit because the schools finance books showed payments to him and no tax payed, its normaly Agents that take on teachers with tourist visas.

The other story goes that every now and then the Immigration bods pay a visit to Kao San road and pick up a few names from the touts selling the fakes.

I have taught with stacks of teachers with tourist visas and 1 even had 3 year overstay

sheer madness,,,,colino

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I have taught with stacks of teachers with tourist visas and 1 even had 3 year overstay

sheer madness,,,,colino

I know many teachers on overstay now, also I know one with an expired passport from 2007 who is still

living and working here for an Agent.

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Well it seems to have been resolved by the school administrators without any punishments to the teachers. They're not sure how, they just know they've been allowed to go home. The fact that they are 'part-time' was mentioned as a reason. It probably also helped that none were on overstays I would imagine.

The school believes it was due to a local with a grudge, it certainly wasn't the result of a random check.

It also looks likely that they'll have to find new jobs.

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PERHAPS, next time Dimitri, they might like to get work permits and do it the correct way, that way they won't run the risk of losing everything again. Honestly, is it worth it? :)

I agree. I'm not a teacher so don't know much about the general procedures but I'm not sure what these people are supposed to do if they gain employment at a school but the school then doesn't organise their work permits. Leave? The teacher in the group that I know is genuinely attached to his class and didn't want to change jobs and start all over again at another school. Looks like he'll have to now though.

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Working as a school teacher on a non-o visa or a tourist visa whilst waiting for the school to sort out the appropiate visa and work permit is one thing. Working at a school teaching on a retirement visa, whilst presumably receiving a pension has to be taking the piss, doesn't it?

Edited by Geekfreaklover
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