B To Ed

[lennya12threh]

In Bangkok, Immigration cannot change my Non Im B visa to an ED visa required to attend Mahidol university. Mahidol supplied all the required documents. I was told after that I need to leave the country and apply at a Thai Embassy in another country, and there I can cancel my Non B and get the Non ED.

I was thinking of going to vietnam.... Hows this sound....

Why can I not cancel the non B here and get an ED, and why can I do it if I leave the country. It all sounds a little unsure and originally Mahidol said I could change my visa at immigration. Makes me think they dont know what they are talking about.

[Tod Daniels]

I know for sure private thai language schools only get the documentation from the Ministry of Education which says you can get a visa OUTSIDE the country at any thai embassy/consulate.

I had the impression (obviously false) that 'real' thai colleges i.e.: Thammasat, Chula, Mahidol, and perhaps even Ramkhamhaeng would give a full time student the documentation from the Ministry of Education that allows a change INSIDE the country. I believe there is also a letter from the Ministry of Education which is addressed specifically to Suan Plu and allows for a change of visa status to an ED visa. As your letter is most likely in thai, have someone translate it and see if it is addressed to Suan Plu or any thai embassy.

You could easily go to Vientiane Lao PDR with the documentation you have and get a single entry 90 day ED visa. They might give you a one year multi entry, but it is totally up to their discretion. If you got the 90 day single entry, you'd have to go to Thai Immigrations every 90 days, pay 1900baht and get another 90 day extension. Certainly Mahidol knows the routine for foreigners attending, as they are quite high up the food chain as far colleges in thailand.

When you said Immigrations wouldn't change it, did you go up to the 3rd floor room 303 or something that specifically is the room to go for change of visas, or did you just ask the people downstairs at the queue ticket/information counter? Not that those people don't know what they're talking about. Often times they do, but just as often they take the easy answer to questions (which would be the all encompassing english phrase “Cannot”) usually because they busy and/or don't want to put in the time to find the correct answer.

Please don’t get me wrong, the people at that queue/information counter are some of the most overworked and yet consistently polite people I’ve ever come across and I deal with them many times a month. I know I couldn’t deal with the mindless stupidity I see most foreigners exhibit there for even a single hour, let alone as my 'real' job. It’s just sometimes they don’t give the correct answers.

[lennya12threh]

I know for sure private thai language schools only get the documentation from the Ministry of Education which says you can get a visa OUTSIDE the country at any thai embassy/consulate.

I had the impression (obviously false) that 'real' thai colleges i.e.: Thammasat, Chula, Mahidol, and perhaps even Ramkhamhaeng would give a full time student the documentation from the Ministry of Education that allows a change INSIDE the country. I believe there is also a letter from the Ministry of Education which is addressed specifically to Suan Plu and allows for a change of visa status to an ED visa. As your letter is most likely in thai, have someone translate it and see if it is addressed to Suan Plu or any thai embassy.

You could easily go to Vientiane Lao PDR with the documentation you have and get a single entry 90 day ED visa. They might give you a one year multi entry, but it is totally up to their discretion. If you got the 90 day single entry, you'd have to go to Thai Immigrations every 90 days, pay 1900baht and get another 90 day extension. Certainly Mahidol knows the routine for foreigners attending, as they are quite high up the food chain as far colleges in thailand.

When you said Immigrations wouldn't change it, did you go up to the 3rd floor room 303 or something that specifically is the room to go for change of visas, or did you just ask the people downstairs at the queue ticket/information counter? Not that those people don't know what they're talking about. Often times they do, but just as often they take the easy answer to questions (which would be the all encompassing english phrase "Cannot") usually because they busy and/or don't want to put in the time to find the correct answer.

Please don't get me wrong, the people at that queue/information counter are some of the most overworked and yet consistently polite people I've ever come across and I deal with them many times a month. I know I couldn't deal with the mindless stupidity I see most foreigners exhibit there for even a single hour, let alone as my 'real' job. It's just sometimes they don't give the correct answers.

Well Mahidol gave me like 20 pages of documents and I went down up to 3rd floor or whatever in some special room and waited an hour to be told that a B cannot be changed to an ED and, but that only Tourist visa or ones of lesser signifigance could be. I dont know why.

They gave me a bunch of documents and a form for application to change visa to ED, but I cannot see anywhere mention of chaning from what visa. Mahidol said that they never get students come apply with a Non B already and that they just apply for the Ed and never have any problems. They dont seem to know much...

The lady upstairs seemed very helpful and not in a rush. There was too many people in the room. She seemed to know what she was talking about...

[lopburi3]

If you had a tourist visa, or even a 30 day visa exempt stamp it could be done by Immigration but you already have a non immigrant visa of a different type. These are not changed - only reasons for extensions of stay are changed. You will need to obtain a non immigrant ED at a Consulate - or at least a tourist visa (but then more paperwork and will still cost you 2,000 baht to change at Immigration. Best to obtain at a Consulate.

[lennya12threh]

If you had a tourist visa, or even a 30 day visa exempt stamp it could be done by Immigration but you already have a non immigrant visa of a different type. These are not changed - only reasons for extensions of stay are changed. You will need to obtain a non immigrant ED at a Consulate - or at least a tourist visa (but then more paperwork and will still cost you 2,000 baht to change at Immigration. Best to obtain at a Consulate.

So should I be able to get a non ED at an embassy outside of Thailand? Remeber, right now I still have a Non B valid until december and it needs to be cancelled or changed or overlooked to get the Non ED. This is normal to be done at an embassy outside of the country?

Thanks.

[lopburi3]

It is very normal to be done outside of Thailand - only a handful of schools can obtain the high level signatures required to do at Immigration. The Embassy/Consulate can take care of it.

[lennya12threh]

It is very normal to be done outside of Thailand - only a handful of schools can obtain the high level signatures required to do at Immigration. The Embassy/Consulate can take care of it.

Thank you so much for your assurance. I will going to Hanoi in a week and stay 10 days. Have some fun too!

-Lenny