Canceled Work Visa

[keesie]

As a Dutch citizen I got a non-imgr B visa at the Thai Consulate in A'dam, from 2008 to 2009.

Have worked at a school in Ch Rai for a year.

When the visa was expired (05-06-2009), the school got a year visa in Mae Sai ( valid untill 31-Mar.-2010, the same as the validity of the teaching contract). And I got a single re-entry.

Now, halfway the school year I've resigned.

The work permit was canceled and at the Imgr-office in Mae Sai they put a stamp telling that work stopped at 10 Oct and to give permission to cross the border on the same date. I was told I would probably get 15 days when re- enter. Nothing was changed on the year visa.

At the border, after coming back from Tachilek, they stamped the Re- Entry as 'used' and in both the passport and on the departure card they stamped: visa class; non-B

admitted untill 31-Mar-2010 (which is the date given on the year visa.)

Off course I hope this procedure is correct but I do have doubts whether this will get me in trouble or not. Also I don't know whether I'll have to show up every 3 month for there administration.

If anyone is familiar with this topic, please let me know. Thanks.

[PoorSucker]

Your extension of stay expired when you stopped working.

The immigrations officer made a mistake.

Go to immigrations and get it fixed or you'll be on overstay after 15 days.

[Mario2008]

Agree. Immigration made a mistake, you should have gotten a visa exemt entry of 15 days. Rectify this at immigration. You are already in overstay if you stopped working on Oct. 15.

Overstay is 500 baht a day, with a maximum of 20,000 baht.

[monty]

The poster stopped working on 10 October, and did a border run.

According to immigration law he should have gotten a stamp allowing him to stay until 24 October!

Which means today he would be on a 19 day overstay!

Not entirely sure ho to proceed, as there is an error involved from an immigration officer they might be lenient at immigration, in which case they might charge you for your overstay (currently at 8000 Baht), and either ask you to leave the same day, or issue you with a 7 day extension at 1900 Baht extra.

Going to a border you might get lucky and they leave you out without fine based on your admitted until stamp, but even in that case there is a fair chance you getting into problems if ever applying for a work permit again.

I think best choice is to go to immigration, pay up and see what they give you there and act accordingly (i.e. border run)

[keesie]

I went to the im-office to clear thinks.

At the office they did acknowledge the entry stamp, showing the date up till the 31 of March 2010, was wrong. The officer at the border had made a mistake.

They called the officer to discuss the matter.

In the mean time the manager of the office and some of her co-workers made a calculation on how many days of overstay.

At first they came to 3 days then came to 5 days. They counted from the 30th of october (including the 30th as well) as that was the day I had come to there office telling them of the resignation.

Accordingly I was allowed to stay untill the 13th of Nov. on a 15 days entry. I went to clear things on the 18th, so that makes 5 days overstay. That's a 2500 Baht fine.

Going into a discussion about why I had to pay this fine as it was not my mistake ended up in nothing.

Went to the border accompanied by the officer who had made the mistake. At the border they changed the date on the stamp of the 31-March-2010 (just using a pen, no official stamping there) into 13-Nov-2009. They put a stamp telling I'd overstayed 5 days plus what the fine is. I paid the fine there and they gave a receipt.

After I had crossed the border and everything was done (got 15 days, until the 2nd of Dec.) I had this one worry less about what the risk would have been if nothing was mentioned at all.

On the other hand I'm having this inkling feeling it could have well be, leaving Thailand at one point, no one would really

bother because at the border they were kind of surprised by the whole affair.

Thanks anyway for taking your time thinking about this issue. Kees.

[thaiphoon]

Glad to hear matters are resolved. If you had just stayed then you would have been looking at a maximum overstay fine of 20k and, if stopped by the police, time in the international detention centre (as on overstay) ahead of deportation.