My job ends here on June 30. My 1 year mult entry B Visa ends in Dec 2005. My compnay says that they want me to surrender my work permit on June 30 and that I will have 7 days to leave the country and that I can return to Thailand with a 30 tourist visa only. Is this true? Why and how can they cancel my 1 year B Visa??? I assumed my 1 year visa would still be valid until Dec. I want to stay in THailand until then. Please help!

Yes it's true... your 1 year mult entry B Visa and Work Permit are linked, so if your job ends, then you must surrender your WP and you have 7 days to leave the country. If you wish to return you can apply for a 30 day tourist visa at a Thai embassy outside Thailand.

Did you do that visa run on the 8th May like you posted you were going to?

Yes, it is true. You have that Visa courtesy of your employer. They in effect 'own' it. You dont work for them anymore, so the visa is revoked.

If you go to Malasia, you can get a 60 day tourist visa extendable for a further 30 days for the princley sum of 1000 baht, the 30 day extension will cost a further 1,900 baht at any local immigration office within Thailand. This will give you 90 days which should be breathing space enough to decide whats next.

Edited May 25, 200521 yr by Boatabike

Can anyone point me to the regulations that state one needs to leave Thailand within 7 days if your work permit is cancelled? People are always saying this is true, but I'd be interested in seeing some back up.

Edited May 25, 200521 yr by Bobcat

Are you all sure about that.

Immigration have just told my friend "no problem" you can stay until your visa expires. I was with him, I heard it.

On another thread someone posted that a one year extension would be cancelled but not a one year B.

I am confused.

Once again, incorrect use of terminology is causing unnecessary heartache in this thread.

Immortal - you VISA is totally unaffected by anything that happens inside Thailand. If you hvae a mutiple-entry VISA good until December 2005, then it remains good until December 2005. Termination of a work permit has no effect whatsoever on a visa.

A VISA is not an ENTRY PERMIT. A visa is a stamp or decal placed into your passport at a Thai diplomatic post. A visa cannot be extended - period. It can only be cancelled upon your specific request, or by obtaining a fresh visa - which automatically invalidates the earlier visa.

Next, we have the ENTRY PERMIT. This is a stamp placed into your passport by a Thai Immigration officer at an entry point into Thailand. In all cases involving non-immigrant entry permits EXCEPT a retirement O-A entry permit, all initial entry permits are for 90 days. This 90 day period will not be cut short as long as you remain in Thailand - no matter what happens - excepting maybe commission of a crime, or fradulent entry. Termination of a work permit has no impact on a 90 day entry permit.

Finally, we have a beast known as an EXTENDED ENTRY PERMIT. An initial 90 day entry permit can be extended for a number of reasons. The only time termination of a work permit affects an extended entry permit is if that extension is based on qualifying employment for a qualifying employer. An extension based on support of a Thai spouse is not immediately affected by a loss of a work permit.

So - Immortal - if you had a long-term extension of an initial entry permit based on employment, then and only then are you on a short remaining tenure - and if your underlying visa is still valid, all you need to do is make a border crossing, to get another 90 day stay in Thailand.

It sure would be nice if everyone would stop using the word "visa" when referring to an entry permit.

Good luck.

Cheers!

Steve Sykes

Managing Director

Indo-Siam Group

Bangkok

[email protected]

www.thaistartup.com

steve, i've been reading these posts for two years now and this is the first time that someone really listed the definitions in a very clear manner (probably other threads but dont recall and didnt search).... why dont u just post it up above as 'terminology'

btw, we have the same problems w/thai workers here, their work permit is tied in to a single employer, when the employment finishes, they become illegal even if they have a visa (they mix this up all the time, hence the large amount of thai workers in jail for illegal over stays, etc)... but they can get a temp. extension until an other employer or manpower company picks them up (usually from those that are available and in jail, so jail is a good way to get new employement)...

the key word here is JAIL ; there is no overstay fines, etc... thailand seems to be very very lenient for the most part in comparison

Steve,

Thanks for that it should be pinned for all to see.

Getting everyone to say entry permit will I think be a lost cause.

We are stuck with this confusion

THANKS STEVE!

I understand it all now. I feel better! I'll do the run to get my stamp!

Steve,

So the commonly held belief that you need to leave the Kingdom within 7 days if your work permit is cancelled is not true. Is that your understanding?

Did you do that visa run on the 8th May like you posted you were going to?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yup! I did the Jack Golf Trip - it went smooth and they were great - although for a little more I'll do Singapore next time! ;-)

OOPS!

Looking inside the passport now and reading the actual STAMP it says :

Non-Imm

Immigration Thailand

RE-Entry Permit

Number of Entries

Multiple

NOWHERE does it say "Visa" or "Entry Permit" Etc... is this the Entry Permit that you refer to?

ALSO: ALL the Immigration entry stamps I have this year all say "Admitted Until: Dec 16 2005"

Hopefully that is more specific. Even looking at my passport and reading your posts I am still confused. I really appreciate your help!

OOPS!

Looking inside the passport now and reading the actual STAMP it says :

Non-Imm

Immigration Thailand

RE-Entry Permit

Number of Entries

Multiple

NOWHERE does it say "Visa" or "Entry Permit" Etc... is this the Entry Permit that you refer to?

ALSO: ALL the Immigration entry stamps I have this year all say "Admitted Until: Dec 16 2005"

Hopefully that is more specific. Even looking at my passport and reading your posts I am still confused. I really appreciate your help!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You now seem to be on an extension of stay based on your work permit and that will end when the work permit ends so believe your employer told you right; although believe it is a week to notify immigration and then another week to pack out but could be wrong.

btw, we have the same problems w/thai workers here, their work permit is tied in to a single employer, when the employment finishes, they become illegal even if they have a visa (they mix this up all the time, hence the large amount of thai workers in jail for illegal over stays, etc)... but they can get a temp. extension until an other employer or manpower company picks them up (usually from those that are available and in jail, so jail is a good way to get new employement)...

the key word here is JAIL ; there is no overstay fines, etc... thailand seems to be very very lenient for the most part in comparison

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bina

Where is "HERE"?

You do not tell us where you are !

I am interested to know where Thai workers are having such problems

Thanks

Bill

Edited May 26, 200521 yr by WilliamIV

have lots of posts about same... i'm in israel....thought everyone knew by now, i'm the token rep from the holyland

also known as 'little thailand'.... just joking but still ....

go to the 'kav l'oved' website they have something in english too although their articles arent usually translated

i'm not really sure even how our guys' visa/permits work... they get a Visa permitting them to work, but belong to a specific employer... whta happens for instance to a filipina 'old people's care' worker when her 'old person' croaks, is, that she is left w/o a work permit within the week if the employer does not go w/her/him to immig. and get a temporary permit of stay until next employment.... most employers are a....h...s and dont help their workers, so they get picked up and tanked at nazereth or in a holding hotel.... this goes for all foreign workers btw, but if u are chinese, filipin, thai , russian women, romanian men or women, then u are in the barrel sites much more than if u are a gap year swede picking apples on a kibbutz. oh, i forgot to say, most workers dont have passports on them cause employer or manpower comp. locks the passports up... our group have a paper copy for daily use but most places dont really accept the photocopy so causes lots of hassles... fortunately i always always accompany the guy working with me so i can 'sweettalk' out of stupid situations w/dumb security people/cops/etc...and israeli beurocratic system is not any better than the thai one its seems; protexia is the key word (who u know, can u get him tickets to your park/meal at your restauraunt....)

whats your interest???

mods are gonna get pissed at me for highjacking the thread.... bye bye

A question for Steve, if he could be so kind..?

My Non-Imm B visa, work permit and 1 year job contract expire on September 30.

IF I were to leave Thailand on say September 26, and re-enter on, say, September 29, would I be given a 90 day entry permit as I would still be in possession of a valid Multiple entry visa?

Or, would I just get a 30 day tourist visa ...?

Thanks in advance

Hi -

If you go in and out at Don Muang, you should receive a 90 day non-immigrant entry permit upon arrival.

I have heard anecdotaly that some overland crossing points handle this situation less favorably - but I don't have any details.

Cheers!

Steve

Indo-Siam

Hi Steve, thanks for the advice.

That'll give me 3 more months to find employment if I'm still looking without the visa hassles.

Hopefully I'll be sorted before October!

If you go to Malasia, you can get a 60 day tourist visa extendable for a further 30 days for the princley sum of 1000 baht, the 30 day extension will cost a further 1,900 baht at any local immigration office within Thailand. This will give you 90 days which should be breathing space enough to decide whats next.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

At Penang consulate he could even get a 3 entries tourist visa, so 3 x 90 days (if he pays 30 days extension every 60 days using his visa)

OOPS!

Looking inside the passport now and reading the actual STAMP it says :

Non-Imm

Immigration Thailand

RE-Entry Permit

Number of Entries

Multiple

NOWHERE does it say "Visa" or "Entry Permit" Etc... is this the Entry Permit that you refer to?

ALSO: ALL the Immigration entry stamps I have this year all say "Admitted Until: Dec 16 2005"

Hopefully that is more specific. Even looking at my passport and reading your posts I am still confused. I really appreciate your help!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You now seem to be on an extension of stay based on your work permit and that will end when the work permit ends so believe your employer told you right; although believe it is a week to notify immigration and then another week to pack out but could be wrong.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree Lop. He thought that he was simply on an unextended multi entry