Japanese Passport Holder With Non-immigrant B Visa (urgent, Please Help!)

[panapana]

Hi all

My boss is going to be seconded from Hong Kong to Thailand. He holds a Japanese passport and he has just been granted a single entry non-immigrant B visa with an expiry date of 16 Jun 2010.

He is now going to visit Thailand on 30 Mar for meetings before he permanently departs from Hong Kong on 17 Apr. He just wonders if the single entry visa "will be used" once he enters Thailand on 30 Mar (although visa is not required for Japanese passport holder to enter Thailand for a temporary stay). If the single entry visa is used, that means he has to re-apply again for the non-immigrant visa B before he leaves Hong Kong on 17 Apr.

I read the forum and found that it may be possible for him to apply for a re-entry permit before he leaves Thailand after the meetings in order to save the remaining days of the non-immigrant visa, is that a possible solution? If so, if he really gets a re-entry permit which allows him to come back to Thailand on 17 Apr, does this re-entry permit affect his application for a work permit?

Please advise. Thank you so much!!

[rfukata]

your boss should check with his (Human resource department) and or where he obtained his Business visa for Thailand to

confirm your inquiry, or check with your local HR company representative.

[TerryLH]

"If so, if he really gets a re-entry permit which allows him to come back to Thailand on 17 Apr, does this re-entry permit affect his application for a work permit?"

No, it won't.

A single re-entry permit will cost 1000 baht at an immigration office here. A multiple re-entry permit is 3800 baht.

Using a re-entry permit does not add time to his original permission to stay date. It just preserves it.

Another possibility might be to ask the immigration officer not to use the visa when he enters on the 30th. Tell the officer he wants to wait until his return in April to use it. It may or may not be allowed.

Worst case, it's not allowed and he has to get the re-entry permit.

[astral]

Yes I agree.

A re-entry permit will keep his initail visa alive until he re-enters and can get the visa extended

for a full year based on his work permit

[thequaife]

Yes, a visa will be used automatically. it applies to any country in the world.

You cant argue or request to the immigration officer that you want to use your visa the next time you enter the country.

[NHJ]

hi you can ask the immigration officer not to use your visa, simply don't put any visa number on the arrival card and specify to the officer the visa will be kept for next time.

he'll be on visa exemption and will be given 30 days.

[thaiphoon]

hi you can ask the immigration officer not to use your visa, simply don't put any visa number on the arrival card and specify to the officer the visa will be kept for next time.

he'll be on visa exemption and will be given 30 days.

That will be at the discretion of the immigration officer. You cannot reserve a visa for future use. You can just ask nicely not to use the visa.

[lopburi3]

As said you can ask immigration to allow the 30 day visa exempt, but as of late they have seemed to be under instructions not to allow that. So the fallback would be a re-entry permit and on return 17 April he can use that for entry and continue the same 90 day stay he started this month. He wants a single entry re-entry permit from the Immigration office. ((remove BOI suggestion as not a BOI issued permission to stay so unlikely to be approved)) use the main immigration office on Soi 7, Chiang Watanna Road. Taxi is the best transport method.

[panapana]

Thanks all of you for your prompt reply. I think my boss probably won't apply for re-entry permit as it seems to add some extra work on him. So, I probably try to ask the Embassy in Hong Kong if the single entry can be changed to multiple entry one (with fee) or I will arrange to apply for a new single entry visa for him after his return from his meetings.

I'm sure that my boss won't feel comfortable if he has to ask for a favour from Immigration Officer not to use his visa at his first visit....thanks all.