Crackdown On Back-to-back Tourist Visa Applications

[maxtingtong]

No problem Iko Glad to see you again

You will get it easy because of asking here in italy. Should have been a problem to ask the same in thais neighbors countries lately..

Anyone get a tourist visa after the breakdown dudes? If so.. where?

ciao

max

[PoorSucker]

Apply for a 1 year non-o, based on visiting friends instead.

[cmiuc]

One thing i think everyone here is looking for is Utopia... IT DOESN"T Exist!

As long as you LIVE IN A FOREIGN country, you will never be secure... Heck... can't even be secured in your own country(maybe 75%)... here maybe 25%.

So there IS NOTHING ANYONE-not even locals can do.

Until you are given voting, have your say rights... your stuck. Enjoy it while it lasts, and go home when it doesn't. It will be the eventuality OF ALL here in a Foreign country. Remember you are a foreign substance to this country... you have no value. end of story.

[loong]

One thing i think everyone here is looking for is Utopia... IT DOESN"T Exist!

As long as you LIVE IN A FOREIGN country, you will never be secure... Heck... can't even be secured in your own country(maybe 75%)... here maybe 25%.

So there IS NOTHING ANYONE-not even locals can do.

Until you are given voting, have your say rights... your stuck. Enjoy it while it lasts, and go home when it doesn't. It will be the eventuality OF ALL here in a Foreign country. Remember you are a foreign substance to this country... you have no value. end of story.

I halfway agree with you, I would not say that as foreigners, we have no value, but certainly we are not valued by the Thai Elite.

The fact is that many of us are supporting families and giving them much better lives than they could ever have imagined by just relying on their selfish governments.

The sad thing is that these families have no value in the eyes of the Bangkok elite. They are just there to provide cheap labour in the shops, factories and paddy fields. Thailand should be ashamed of itself for doing nothing to ensure that everyone gets a decent living wage (if they are prepared to work).

[dastott]

Sorry, I didn't read all 25 pages here but can someone answer this question:

How many Tourist Visas can one have in a year from regional consulates/embassies? 2 back to back? 3 in 12 months etc.

Cheers.

[mussen]

Sorry, I didn't read all 25 pages here but can someone answer this question:

How many Tourist Visas can one have in a year from regional consulates/embassies? 2 back to back? 3 in 12 months etc.

Cheers.

Hmm....how long is a piece of string?

[loong]

Sorry, I didn't read all 25 pages here but can someone answer this question:

How many Tourist Visas can one have in a year from regional consulates/embassies? 2 back to back? 3 in 12 months etc.

Cheers.

The way that the rules, or rather enforcement/interpretation of the rules are varying on an almost constant basis, this question is impossible to answer. Also take into account that consulates in different countries have different "rules".

Remember, something that is true, legal and allowed today, can be changed tomorrow by immigration.

There have been a couple of reports that there have been no restrictions implemented at the Laos consulate - so far.

[Mario2008]

Sorry, I didn't read all 25 pages here but can someone answer this question:

How many Tourist Visas can one have in a year from regional consulates/embassies? 2 back to back? 3 in 12 months etc.

Cheers.

Unknown, so far only Penang is difficult to get back to back tourist visas. From Vientianne no problems have been reported so far.

[kosh]

Apply for a 1 year non-o, based on visiting friends instead.

1 year but border run every 90 days?

[Mario2008]

Apply for a 1 year non-o, based on visiting friends instead.

1 year but border run every 90 days?

The 1 year non-O is a multiple non-O and would inded require you to make a border run every 90 days. By leaving and returning just before the visa expires you get a new 90 day permission to stay and so can get almost 15 months out of it.

[mmcsusnret]

Today the school I am working at suffered the results of people not having proper visas and work permits. Despite my numerous and mostly ignored complaints to the company that provides teachers to a school in Phuket's English Program, 2 of these misfits did not show up today and have left their students hanging. The two classes are supposed to be taking semester finals next week may not have anyone to prepare them. These two classes have had the misfortune of having multiple, unreliable, unqualified individuals assigned as their "teacher" in the past 4 months. I know that the problem is not with the students, as I have taught every one of them in the years past, as well as filled in for missing bodies on numerous occasions this semester. The problem is that the providing company continues to stick any one that says they will show up into the classroom. The next to the last indiviual in the teachers spot only lasted two weeks and took more sick days (5) in those two weeks than I have taken in 4 years (0).

I for one (of two) teachers (of 7) that have proper visas and work permits, find this continued disregard of the students education appalling by the company that provides the teachers, the school that allows them to put the unqualified people in classroom, but most of all for the wannabees that don't give a flip about destroying these kids education. Both classes are about 1/3 behind the other 5 classes in the program and nobody seems to care.

Today I told both classes to tell their parents that they did not have a foreign teacher for their classes and for the parents to call the Mayor, the Governor, the principal and the owner of the company who provides these uncaring individuals. I also gave them all of the phone numbers. I stayed late at school today and about 30 minutes after the kids went home, the phone calls started and many parents came to the school to confront the principal. Some of them were not following the ususal Thai characteristic of being non-confrontational. I was pleased that not too many of the kids passed on where they got the information, as I told them it had to be kept a secret. I know that some of the parents knew it was me, but did not tell the principal. Several of them thanked me for letting them know their was a problem. I think tommorow the brown stuff may hit the fan. I may get canned but, I am already a planned loss at the next semester break.

I hope that this is fixed for the student's sake and that somebody who will do or say anything will think before they illegaly take a job that they are not interested in or qualified for, just to be able to stay in LOS to be able to purchase some regular attention from the ladies.

The authorities do need to crackdown on these people and even more so to the many school companies that have the same practice and school administrators that turn a blind eye to the practice and allow it to continue. This problem needs to be fixed, at all levels, because these kids are the future of Thailand and a good education can give them the tools that are needed to make change in the future.

I hate changing rules, but I fully support the crackdown on back-to-back tourist visa people who are illegally working. For the b2b visa folks who are not working illegally, I regret the inconvenience that you must be going through and hope that when most of the illegals are weeded out that things will go back to as before.

Venting complete. Thanks.

[Thanh-BKK]

Yeah yeah.

Been there, still am in fact. Not teaching though, nobody has to suffer. if it was not so stupidly difficult to actually get a work permit i bet more of the teachers would have them. However the company (school) must fill certain criteria which specifically smaller ones are unable to do (four Thai employees per work permit, alternatively 2 Million Baht registered capital per work permit - the higher the registered capital, the more taxes to pay!) and the individual must fill certain criteria as well (not too sure about teachers - degrees, police records, whatnot?) and obviously individuals that fulfill the requirements are probably not willing to work for the salary those smaller companies/schools are willing/able to pay.

My company is currently going through this very process and i see first-hand how difficult it is, and more importantly how much it all costs. Everyone that says "just get a work permit" has very obviously no idea. If a company is small but needs to rely on several foreigners to simply exist and function (you can hardly find Thai people able to speak and read/write fluently German, French or Italian and at the same time have specific skills which do not show up in degrees but which are at times required, such as drawing/painting, architecture or photography). Now there are two possibilities - "go legal" and go bankrupt at the same time because the costs for the work permits (or rather to form the company in such a way that work permits can be obtained) exceed a year's income or stay grey - enabling several individuals to continue caring for their Thai families.

Over and out.

Thanh

[iko]

Just to say that in the Milan consulòate is business as usual. No crackdowns on anything. And I stayed the last year just on tourist visa in thailand.

so, good news from Italy (milan).

as for me, this will be the last tourist visa i applied for; the next will be a 1 year visa with work permit. Staying for long periods on a touristic visa looks

too 'risky' lately, despite the fact that no crackdow is currently enforced.

IKO

[tropo]

Sorry, I didn't read all 25 pages here but can someone answer this question:

How many Tourist Visas can one have in a year from regional consulates/embassies? 2 back to back? 3 in 12 months etc.

Cheers.

Unknown, so far only Penang is difficult to get back to back tourist visas. From Vientianne no problems have been reported so far.

Just saw a report that Vientiane has brought out the dreaded warning stamp (http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Vientiane-La...47#entry3028847). It's game over in regional consulates for back-to-back tourist visas.

The only questions remaining are: How many can one get before being turned away and how long between tourist visas is acceptable?

[Hawkman]

Today the school I am working at suffered the results of people not having proper visas and work permits. Despite my numerous and mostly ignored complaints to the company that provides teachers to a school in Phuket's English Program, 2 of these misfits did not show up today and have left their students hanging. The two classes are supposed to be taking semester finals next week may not have anyone to prepare them. These two classes have had the misfortune of having multiple, unreliable, unqualified individuals assigned as their "teacher" in the past 4 months. I know that the problem is not with the students, as I have taught every one of them in the years past, as well as filled in for missing bodies on numerous occasions this semester. The problem is that the providing company continues to stick any one that says they will show up into the classroom. The next to the last indiviual in the teachers spot only lasted two weeks and took more sick days (5) in those two weeks than I have taken in 4 years (0).

I for one (of two) teachers (of 7) that have proper visas and work permits, find this continued disregard of the students education appalling by the company that provides the teachers, the school that allows them to put the unqualified people in classroom, but most of all for the wannabees that don't give a flip about destroying these kids education. Both classes are about 1/3 behind the other 5 classes in the program and nobody seems to care.

Today I told both classes to tell their parents that they did not have a foreign teacher for their classes and for the parents to call the Mayor, the Governor, the principal and the owner of the company who provides these uncaring individuals. I also gave them all of the phone numbers. I stayed late at school today and about 30 minutes after the kids went home, the phone calls started and many parents came to the school to confront the principal. Some of them were not following the ususal Thai characteristic of being non-confrontational. I was pleased that not too many of the kids passed on where they got the information, as I told them it had to be kept a secret. I know that some of the parents knew it was me, but did not tell the principal. Several of them thanked me for letting them know their was a problem. I think tommorow the brown stuff may hit the fan. I may get canned but, I am already a planned loss at the next semester break.

I hope that this is fixed for the student's sake and that somebody who will do or say anything will think before they illegaly take a job that they are not interested in or qualified for, just to be able to stay in LOS to be able to purchase some regular attention from the ladies.

The authorities do need to crackdown on these people and even more so to the many school companies that have the same practice and school administrators that turn a blind eye to the practice and allow it to continue. This problem needs to be fixed, at all levels, because these kids are the future of Thailand and a good education can give them the tools that are needed to make change in the future.

I hate changing rules, but I fully support the crackdown on back-to-back tourist visa people who are illegally working. For the b2b visa folks who are not working illegally, I regret the inconvenience that you must be going through and hope that when most of the illegals are weeded out that things will go back to as before.

Venting complete. Thanks.

I can see how annoying this must be, but it is important to not label all the illegal teachers under one brush. You will get the dossers who don't give a dam_n and will let down the classes like the teachers you mentioned, but you will also get teachers (good teachers) who don't meet the requirements (a degree) so take the illegal route and want to do well in the job. I think you have a picture in your mind at how all illegal teachers look and act. Take a look at some expats down the bars and clubs on proper visas, trust me, they are not all pleasant creatures good for Thai society.

It might be easy for some to say that without a degree, "then don't work here go home," but if that happenned will that improve the Thai education system? Let's look at this realistically - where will all these extra degree qualified teachers suddenly spring from? I know many people who don't hold degrees, have a CELTA or a TEFL and are excellent teachers; if these people suddenly had to go home, the students WILL suffer as they will be without teachers.

I believe the whole scenario will be solved if they remove the degree requirement then teachers can get the proper VISA; it will stop people abusing the tourist visas, teachers will have a piece of mind and schools can be more choosy on who they employ. This way everybody's happy!!!!

[tmark]

Yawwwwnnnnnnn, time to unsubscribe 'methinks. This thread has become a waste paper basket for all the tired old complaints from every TESOL related thread on the net. Someone wake me up when the facts are in. No hurry.

[tim73]

I post here too, I went to a visa run company asking about the red stamp warning issued. They said "four (visa runs) times a-ok but then may not give new visa, but rules change all the time.". The good news seems that they put that red stamp first and not outright deny issuing next visa.

[clockworkorange]

The only questions remaining are: How many can one get before being turned away and how long between tourist visas is acceptable?

All this is not surprising really - it was only a matter of time before the authorities wised up to all these people using tourist visas to live in Thailand, bypassing all the usual hoops that people have to jump through to live in Thailand or anywhere else. Maybe the guys down at immo are reading this and other forums and getting ideas for their next crackdown, delighting in the howls of protest that they read here... could we be tipping them off, entertaining them even?

One thing is for sure - they certainly don't want people to feel secure staying in Thailand on back-to-back tourist visas.

[tropo]

I post here too, I went to a visa run company asking about the red stamp warning issued. They said "four (visa runs) times a-ok but then may not give new visa, but rules change all the time.". The good news seems that they put that red stamp first and not outright deny issuing next visa.

You believe if you go to Vientiane with a red warning stamp already in passport you're still ok for another tourist visa?

What the visa run companies say doesn't hold much water. They don't mind sending guinea pigs to the consulates to try.

[thaiphoon]

I post here too, I went to a visa run company asking about the red stamp warning issued. They said "four (visa runs) times a-ok but then may not give new visa, but rules change all the time.". The good news seems that they put that red stamp first and not outright deny issuing next visa.

You believe if you go to Vientiane with a red warning stamp already in passport you're still ok for another tourist visa?

What the visa run companies say doesn't hold much water. They don't mind sending guinea pigs to the consulates to try.

... or taking their fee

[MacWalen]

What is a possible scenario for someone who goes to Vientiane for yet another tourist visa and is rejected? How do they get back into the country? Will they be given at least one month tourist visa? In my opinion till someone receives the red stamp they are safe to go to Vientiane to apply but after the red stamp changing a consulate would be a better idea but suppose they take their chances and go and apply again and are refused then compassionate visa would be a kind thing to offer but would they be so kind?

In my opinion combination of changing the location of the immigration office in Bangkok and making it more difficult to live for years in Thailand on tourist visas will discourage quite a few and they will make a move. There is only one problem, there is no place like Thailand!

[thaiphoon]

What is a possible scenario for someone who goes to Vientiane for yet another tourist visa and is rejected? How do they get back into the country? Will they be given at least one month tourist visa? In my opinion till someone receives the red stamp they are safe to go to Vientiane to apply but after the red stamp changing a consulate would be a better idea but suppose they take their chances and go and apply again and are refused then compassionate visa would be a kind thing to offer but would they be so kind?

In my opinion combination of changing the location of the immigration office in Bangkok and making it more difficult to live for years in Thailand on tourist visas will discourage quite a few and they will make a move. There is only one problem, there is no place like Thailand!

I would not guarantee that having the red stamp is going to get you another tourist visa in the region. So maybe time to get a new passport. If you did try and were rejected, I guess you could still come back into the country on visa exempt entry (if you are from a qualifying country) as I do not believe that visa rejections are marked in the passport.

[QED]

Interesting point, the red stamp given to the guy in the other thread did not mention a consulate/ embassy. I am sure in the past that when these stamps were given out, especially in Penang, they said something like 'do not apply at this consulate again'. This one seems much broader, and going to another consulate may not be the answer.

[loong]

What is a possible scenario for someone who goes to Vientiane for yet another tourist visa and is rejected? How do they get back into the country? Will they be given at least one month tourist visa? In my opinion till someone receives the red stamp they are safe to go to Vientiane to apply but after the red stamp changing a consulate would be a better idea but suppose they take their chances and go and apply again and are refused then compassionate visa would be a kind thing to offer but would they be so kind?

In my opinion combination of changing the location of the immigration office in Bangkok and making it more difficult to live for years in Thailand on tourist visas will discourage quite a few and they will make a move. There is only one problem, there is no place like Thailand!

I would not guarantee that having the red stamp is going to get you another tourist visa in the region. So maybe time to get a new passport. If you did try and were rejected, I guess you could still come back into the country on visa exempt entry (if you are from a qualifying country) as I do not believe that visa rejections are marked in the passport.

If you get a new passport in Thailand, you will have to go to immigration to have your visa/permission to stay transferred to your new passport. There's a danger that they may also transfer the red stamp.

[MacWalen]

Changing a passport may not be the answer, there must be some computers in those embassies, I do not believe it is all manual system. Red stamp also looks bad if you try to apply for other types of visas (in my opinion), safest is not to get to the stage of getting the red stamp. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that anything over a year of tourist visas is already in the suspicious case category!

Edited September 25, 2009 by macwalen

[thaiphoon]

What is a possible scenario for someone who goes to Vientiane for yet another tourist visa and is rejected? How do they get back into the country? Will they be given at least one month tourist visa? In my opinion till someone receives the red stamp they are safe to go to Vientiane to apply but after the red stamp changing a consulate would be a better idea but suppose they take their chances and go and apply again and are refused then compassionate visa would be a kind thing to offer but would they be so kind?

In my opinion combination of changing the location of the immigration office in Bangkok and making it more difficult to live for years in Thailand on tourist visas will discourage quite a few and they will make a move. There is only one problem, there is no place like Thailand!

I would not guarantee that having the red stamp is going to get you another tourist visa in the region. So maybe time to get a new passport. If you did try and were rejected, I guess you could still come back into the country on visa exempt entry (if you are from a qualifying country) as I do not believe that visa rejections are marked in the passport.

If you get a new passport in Thailand, you will have to go to immigration to have your visa/permission to stay transferred to your new passport. There's a danger that they may also transfer the red stamp.

I did not suggest obtaining in Thailand. That obviously may bring further problems. Would be best to obtain from home country.

[thaiphoon]

Changing a passport may not be the answer, there must be some computers in those embassies, I do not believe it is all manual system. Red stamp also looks bad if you try to apply for other types of visas (in my opinion), safest is not to get to the stage of getting the red stamp. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that anything over a year of tourist visas is already in the suspicious case category!

My understanding is that immigration works only on PP number. So different passport maybe the answer, unless all passport numbers issued to a person are linked. I do not think that is the case, as people can validly have more than one passport, otherwise people with different PP's could not, for instance visit Israel/Palestine. Anyone know?

[MacWalen]

If the Thai immigration has an integrated database they will be able to find visa history of every applicant at any consulate. As long as the names stay the same. It is possible to change both passport and names but how many would do that?

But maybe they do not have it implemented and it is as you say and obtaining a visa from a home country is not a problem, anything is possible. In any case after having 90 days or 180 days break being outside of Thailand applying for a new tourist visa should not be a problem. So there is always a solution.

[thaiphoon]

If the Thai immigration has an integrated database they will be able to find visa history of every applicant at any consulate. As long as the names stay the same. It is possible to change both passport and names but how many would do that?

But maybe they do not have it implemented and it is as you say and obtaining a visa from a home country is not a problem, anything is possible. In any case after having 90 days or 180 days break being outside of Thailand applying for a new tourist visa should not be a problem. So there is always a solution.

In the "Red Warning stamp" thread the OP informed us he has 9 entries using his current passport, and adds the number would be more if previous passport entries were included. That kind of suggests to me that the immigration system is hooked to looking at single passport number only. So, obtaining a new passport may circumvent the system ... for now.

[pigeonjake]

hi to all,,ive just got a job in bkk, i got all the paperwork send by post to my house in the uk, i live with my wife in lampaimat,they posted all my papers to me so i could get the 1 year multi entry visa B, ive just got to get my work permit sorted when i get back on the 16th, take care all,,, jake