CMU Fails To Provide Visa Support Documents

[CMX]

For students searching for alternatives with regard only to visas as well as learning the Thai language itself, I think that the differences are far more glaring between the two institutions mentioned above. Without reference to the quality of teaching, those most interested the more intense educational experience might attend Payap. As I understand it, its courses are offered each day, five days a week for two hours, in units that can include a visa while attending "full time." By the end of the year, one will have advanced very far in oral and written Thai, but paid more for more instruction (visa along with).

Walen (and again, this is without reference to quality of teaching in either place), only requires the visa earner to attend regularly for 4 hours a week. (More options are available.) Thus, one may wish to factor in one's own priorities as to speed of learning versus the length of stay desired.

This, at least, was what I concluded when I looked around six months ago.

If I'm wrong, I attend with all eyes to be corrected in the kindest manner.

Edited September 30, 2010 by CMX

[Austeyr]

I don't have a copy of the letter but it was handed out to students today by Rien. It states clearly courses will continue to run for those who already have visa's or those who would like to continue their studies. It does state at the bottom of the page that it will not extend expiring visa's. From my understanding the CEP program was run by a different director and was not under the control of Dr Kay. If i can get hold of a letter i will post it.

[RogerL]

Could we pull this back onto topic, pls? I think there are some questions posted by people in need that aren't being answered:

Some are related to visa questions, which is the point of this forum, isn't it?

People in the language program are receiving a letter which seems to suggest that the language program will continue, if students agree to disclose their current local address and attend 75% of the classes (not an unreasonable request). But what about the people in the CEP who simply want to donate their time to the Thai people? What happens to their visas, their volunteer work and the money they've already paid?

Other remaining questions: has anyone had contact with the American Consulate or any media outlets in the past few days?

Does anyone have a suggestion for the poor chap who needs a letter from CMU to show the Canadian gov't he was here for a volunteer program so they'll pay his medical bill?

Has anyone actually received a refund in the past few days? Hubby got a letter from Matt telling him that it may take up to 6 months to get a refund!

Perhaps some of the posters involved in the "which language school is best" brawl could open up a new thread on the Chiang Mai forum.

Oh, I just realized Hubby was logged onto TV on our laptop and his name will appear as the author. Actually I'm NancyL, not RogerL.

CMULetterSept30.pdf

[RKO10]

Anyways...back to the issue at hand. For people who have seen this new offer from CMU, what do you think the chances are CMU will follow through on this and not leave us high and dry? What about visas that are expiring before Oct 31? Will they provide support to extend those? Will the new course be free to old students who were knocked out of the course? How many hours a week will the new course be? If anyone is able to talk to Rien about this, I would appreciate if they would post the answers here.

[rob101]

People!!! don't get sucked in by Rien again!!!! Suddenly, he is going to run classes again - but the conditions are so stringent that you could get thrown out with nothing AND what he is going to run these classes with some people on tourist vissas, etc - which is BTW illegal - and what about those people on visas BUT will need renewals during the next few months - tell Rien that if he is going to run these courses - THEN HE MUST ALSO SUPPLY VISAS - THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON HE CAN'T!!!!! CM immigration told me they are more than happy to issue visas to LICMU 1 Year Thai students BUT THEY NEED A SIGNED LETTER FROM RIEN!!!!! So ask yourself WHY is he suddenly running these classes that HE TRIED SO HARD TO STOP!! IS IT BECAUSE HE COULDN'T GET THE STUDENT LIST AND NOW HE WILL LURE EVERYONE BACK WITH THE PROMISE OF STARTING CLASSES WHICH HE WAS INSTRUCTED BY THE PRZ TO STOP!! TELL HIM: Yes we will go to classes BUT WE WANT OUR VISA - it is illegal for us to study otherwise!!!!!!!

[Mario2008]

There should be a stamp in your passport extension of stay and a date. If you are travelling you would have had to obtain a re-entry permit to return using an extension of stay. What is the permitted to stay until date in your passport? Not the visa expiration date but the stamp immigration placed into your passport on arrival.

If you are using a visa each entry would get permitted to stay 90 days later.

Look at original ED visa and see that that says (single or multi entry) and the expiration date (use before).

The stamp immigration placed in my passport on the 21st September when I returned from my home country says 'Admitted until 15 March 2011.' Which is the same date my Education visa runs out. I can not find any stamp in my passport that has the words 'Extention of stay'

So yeh, I'm quite confused

Admitted till 15 March is more than 90 days which you would get on an entry with a visa. It means you are on an extension of stay.

[Mario2008]

TELL HIM: Yes we will go to classes BUT WE WANT OUR VISA - it is illegal for us to study otherwise!!!!!!!

No, you need a permisison to stay to be in Thailand, but to study you don't need a special kind of visa. You can study on a tourist visa without a problem, you just won't get extensions of stay based on your study.

[Loaded]

People!!! don't get sucked in by Rien again!!!! Suddenly, he is going to run classes again - but the conditions are so stringent that you could get thrown out with nothing AND what he is going to run these classes with some people on tourist vissas, etc - which is BTW illegal - and what about those people on visas BUT will need renewals during the next few months - tell Rien that if he is going to run these courses - THEN HE MUST ALSO SUPPLY VISAS - THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON HE CAN'T!!!!! CM immigration told me they are more than happy to issue visas to LICMU 1 Year Thai students BUT THEY NEED A SIGNED LETTER FROM RIEN!!!!! So ask yourself WHY is he suddenly running these classes that HE TRIED SO HARD TO STOP!! IS IT BECAUSE HE COULDN'T GET THE STUDENT LIST AND NOW HE WILL LURE EVERYONE BACK WITH THE PROMISE OF STARTING CLASSES WHICH HE WAS INSTRUCTED BY THE PRZ TO STOP!! TELL HIM: Yes we will go to classes BUT WE WANT OUR VISA - it is illegal for us to study otherwise!!!!!!!

Why would you be so upset when CMU offers a compromise?

[anselpixel]

I just read the letter, and would like to say it's a major breakthrough.

At the moment, I'm not prepared to do so.

If you had a visa extension problem caused by the ongoing drama as of this morning, you still do.

If you had a visa with a date beyond November 1, and got stampeded into giving that up, you're out of luck.

If you've already booked your flight and are leaving, or have already left, you're off the table.

It's quite possible this letter is an effort, well-intentioned or not, to mollify those who already had a right to remain in the country, and who might be expected to mount serious claims of financial loss due to the actions of the University. You will note that the letter makes no promises as to starting dates, course content, hours of presentation or teachers employed. What it does do is ask those students legally remaining to accept a University-imposed timetable for either reinvesting in another program and another visa, or effectively turning themselves in to Immigration.

I'm happy to entertain anyone else's reading.

[CMX]

Everything I think is Western, and leaves out everything Thai - so it is biased. So saying -

The letter leaves many more questions than it answers. In fact, the absence of most information suggests either a lack of good faith or a hasty reversal <certainly this, given that it is released the day many students had been required to leave the country.

My reading is that it is the result of positioning against legal ramifications. In western jurisdictions, such a defense, given the timing and absence of information about financing and the announcement's intentional vagueness about resumption would invalidate itself.

The suggestion that it represents anything like a compromise is one-sided. Even as a beginning to compromise, it is obviously much to little and much too late. The demands for academic rigor, of course, are legitimate, but should have been introduced without canceling anything. As remediation, it falls very short even in its stated intent of making dislocated students whole.

These observations are not meant to suggest that students who contrive to be in CM with visas should not explore further. Given time, obviously, more will be known as the U. clarifies and reveals its own thinking.

Sadly, regarding that thinking, cultural exchange students seem to be entirely excluded.

Edited September 30, 2010 by CMX

[bluesnake]

exactly !!!

This is such a joke, we are being bullied !!

The bottom line is that we paid for 1 year course + 1 year visa.

We have received none, and no refund or compensation is even mentioned in this official letter.

Many students already had their visa expired and had to leave the country, and pay the overstay fine because they promised us that the visa would come. They even kept my passport while I was 9 days overstay.

They stole our money and now they bully us with such nonsense.

Who in his right mind would join the course they now propose after such a dishonest behavior !!!

[femi fan]

Why would you be so upset when CMU offers a compromise?

Why would you be interested in asking this? Presumably you call it a compromise, but that does not mean it actually is a compromise. You keep cropping up on this thread with an agenda that you won't or can't reveal. Why do you consistently come to this thread in defence of CMU's actions, and in trying to paint matthew kay in a poor light? What are your reasons for involving yourself and doing your best to wreck somebody's life?

[tuffrod]

This is 30-day notice to remove all the problems. He has recognized he needed some notice to terminate classes.

[anselpixel]

This is 30-day notice to remove all the problems. He has recognized he needed some notice to terminate classes.

Good insight.

[RKO10]

Everything I think is Western, and leaves out everything Thai - so it is biased. So saying -

The letter leaves many more questions than it answers. In fact, the absence of most information suggests either a lack of good faith or a hasty reversal <certainly this, given that it is released the day many students had been required to leave the country.

My reading is that it is the result of positioning against legal ramifications. In western jurisdictions, such a defense, given the timing and absence of information about financing and the announcement's intentional vagueness about resumption would invalidate itself.

The suggestion that it represents anything like a compromise is one-sided. Even as a beginning to compromise, it is obviously much to little and much too late. The demands for academic rigor, of course, are legitimate, but should have been introduced without canceling anything. As remediation, it falls very short even in its stated intent of making dislocated students whole.

These observations are not meant to suggest that students who contrive to be in CM with visas should not explore further. Given time, obviously, more will be known as the U. clarifies and reveals its own thinking.

Sadly, regarding that thinking, cultural exchange students seem to be entirely excluded.

Very intelligent analysis, CMX.

[NoBSBoy]

Fellow Students:

Please do not be taken in by this letter. The letterhead should read CMA-CYA. This is 100% self-serving. He will never need a waiter at a restaurant again. He is looking for people like me, who have no trust in him or CMU, to refuse to come back and find other means to learn Thai and obtain legal visas. When we have done that, and many already have - gone to other schools, etc - he can legally claim that he DOES NOT OWE A REFUND as we failed to go to class and made our own choice to do so.

Please be patient. There are things taking place behind the scenes that most are unaware of that should correct this situation in the favor of all students without the need to be duped by this man into his ploys.

This is a scam. This man can not be trusted and he is attempting to manipulate everyone to show up and either cancel, or re-register. LOOK - no mention of fees paid is made either way. Zero. How obviously missing is 30,000 baht x 300?

Ignore this letter and wait but one week to see what is about to take place internationally. Foolishly, he has allowed us all three weeks. Please be patient.

On another note: XXX sent me an email. The following (underlined) is part of his email: so now they are trying to pin a criminal libel charge - which they can do even if what I said about Rein is true - that he said the pres wanted all foreigners out lang institute - they are saying that if I don't retract they charge me and lock me up tonight!! I'll keep you posted - XXX

I'm sure you all know who XXX is and why I don't use the actual name. Dirty tricks and extortion, guys. Please be calm and patient. You have nothing to lose at this point by waiting one more week. Do not even aknowledge having seen this letter - there is no way to prove you have otherwise!

[thaiboy999]

CMULI's (Rien's) position seems to be that as far as refund of your hard-earned cash is concerned, go ask IUS (Matt), don't harbor any fantasy that CMU will refund you anything. As for the new Thai classes that CMULI says it will provide, we may not want to just assume that the same teachers we've had before would continue to teach us "under new management" - this is based on a conversation I have had with one of our teachers today. It does not seem likely that CMULI will provide education (ED) visa support letters when the student's current NI visa is due to expire. CMULI expects you to leave (the building at least) when your current ED visa expires. Not sure if you could just get a tourist visa and come back and remain in the CMU class with other students whose visas have not (yet) expired.

The tone of the public notice sounds extremely authoritarian and dictatorial. Especially offensive is the "These requirements may be amended from time to time as the Director (Dictator?) deems necessary..." paragraph. Essentially it's giving the Director absolute power in deciding who to admit and expel on grounds that may or may not be considered legitimate. If I didn't know, just by reading this notice I would have thought CMULI is the only school on this planet and there's a long line of prospective students dying to come in to get an education.

Personally I'm not on anybody's side. I have a feeling that neither Matt nor Rien is telling the whole truth (ie: hiding something) - though Matt tends to speak more eloquently than Rien. It doesn't matter. My respect in Matt may return once I have actually received the refund that he has promised. In Thailand, I've learned not to believe it until I actually see it - the cold hard cash - in my hands. Seeing how CMULI has handled her farang students in the past few weeks, I have serious reservations about continuing my studies there. Except for the sake of staying in CM to wait for the refund from Matt, I'm still trying to come up with one good reason to continue studies in this abhorrent institute run by individuals with serious attitude problems and highly questionable management skills.

[wynzlo]

FYI, a copy of the letter from post #309 has appeared on the Language Institute home page. I really like the flaming folder icon they chose.

[LIDE]

FYI, a copy of the letter from post #309 has appeared on the Language Institute home page. I really like the flaming folder icon they chose.

I am not sure if this has a meaning but somewhat strange it is at least.

For a couple of days now I have been trying to reach the websites from CMU (www.cmu.ac.th/) and CMULI (www.li.chiangmai.ac.th/) from abroad – without success. I tried many times at different times and with servers from different countries (UK, Canada, Germany). About one week ago and before I never had any problems to reach these websites. Other University websites in Thailand (Payap, FarEastern, Mahidol etc.) are no problem at all. From the post above I assume that from Thailand these websites can be opened without problems. CMU websites with international cutoff ?

[heybruce]

The Language Institute has just released a new letter stating it will continue running the Thai courses so people can keep their Visa's and continue their Thai studies. It does say how ever that it will not extend visa's that are expiring. Good news for people who like to study , no real help for those who need visa extensions.

Unfortunately the letter doesn't state when classes will resume, but it implies there will be at least a one month break in classes. So either students are cheated out of one or more months of classes, or the one year Thai Language course will now take at least 13 months.

Three obvious questions--When will classes be resumed? Will students still get twelve months of classes? If we get the full twelve months, will we be able to get an extension on our Ed visa?

I'll add a fourth question--Will students trust CMU after this fiasco?

[Bubbalicious]

That letter means that persons who are on an extension of stay based on their study will have to leave Thailand on Sept. 30th. One can get an extension of stay of 7 days for 1,900 baht. (don't forget to bring a pass photo)

Persons with an Ed-visa who are still on their initial 90 day entry they got at the border are not affected by this. Their permission to stay remains valid.

Hi Mario,

I'm one of the lucky ones that just enrolled in the course that started this month. I will be on my initial 90 ED-visa until November 31st. Are you sure my visa will still be valid? I don't want to do another visa run, but I really don't want to pay 15,000 baht for a month overstay. Thanks.

Brycat

My understanding of your visa status, as a 6 year CM resident, is a bit different from Mario's message (although, in practice I think you can probably get away with it, if you leave the country before your 90 days is up, especially since other posters are claiming that CMULI doesn't have a list of student particulars, meaning immigration doesn't know your deal either...).

The big caution I would call to your attention is that if you attempt to CHANGE your visa sponsor within Thailand, immigration will want to know WHEN your student status ENDED (which usually requires a letter from the school). I know of several cases where people on the ED visa changed to a work visa (or changed from one job to another job) and had to pay overstay on the number of days between the ending of their prior status (end of school, finish of last job). The simple way to avoid these overstays is to leave the country and come back on a Tourist visa (which you can then get changed in BKK to either an ED or work visa, etc...but you've got to do the change soon after you come in on that Tourist visa - note, I'm not talking about the 2 week stamp, but a Tourist Visa).

Edit: I'm pretty sure you'll be overstaying when changing from ED to ED in this case as well, if your prior school (CMULI) is not 'cooperative' with the dates....

Edited September 30, 2010 by Bubbalicious

[Bubbalicious]

Just to add to this, for those who want to know the process for Changing from one Ed visa to another, (not sure if it's been posted yet, just made it thru page 10...)

For those who need/want to CHANGE their current student status WITHIN THAILAND to a) being a student at another school; a work visa; c) whatever else.... You'll run into trouble changing WITHIN Thailand (and be 'overstayed') for everyday after CMU says you 'finished' there (ie. the date of Sept 30, that they put on the letter they are handing out.)

For those unclear about Visa Expiry and Authorized stay, here is what the BKK Immigration site says:

The Expiration Date for the visa should not be confused with the authorized length of your stay in Thailand, given to you by the immigration officer at port-of-entry. The visa expiration date has nothing to do with the authorized length of your stay in Thailand for any given visit.

What does the Visa Expiration Date Mean?

The link to which Mario has posted before and can be found here:

http://bangkok.immig....th/en/base.php

So, unless CMU issues a new letter for your 'end' of student status, you'll be paying overstay fees to CHANGE the visa WITHIN Thailand. Now, of course, to avoid overstay fees you just go out and come back on a tourist visa (and no need to rush as others have noted, CM Immigration wont hunt you down - just dont get arrested for something else....)

If you want to change over to another school you can come back in on that Tourist Visa and Change that visa in BKK. Here are the requirements, as posted on that BKK Imm. site linked above:

DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED IN SUPPORT OF THE APPLICATION FOR VISA OR VISA STATUS ALTERATION (NON-: FOR STUDYING IN THAILAND

The application must be submit at least 15 days before visa expiration and, in case of overstaying in Thailand, application could not be submitted.

Application for Visa Status Alteration. (TM.86 for Tourist and Transit Visa) or

Application for visa. (TM.87 for Without Visa 15 days, 30 days, 90 days)

Copy of passport (Ex. Page of Photo, entries stamp, visa sticker and extension stamp (if any), TM6 card)

4 X 6 cm. Photograph.

Application fee of 2,000 baht.

To study at a government university or lower levels.

5.1 A letter from the university, requesting a visa or visa status alteration. (Attention to : Immigration Commission)

5.2 A letter from the director of the department concerned under the Ministry of Education or, in the case of lower academic levels in education, a letter from the governor, requesting a visa or visa status alteration. (Attention to : Immigration Commission)

5.3 Diploma and resume of the applicant.

In a private school or university

6.1 A letter from the rector of university, requesting a visa or visa status alteration. (Attention to : Immigration Commission)

6.2 A letter from the department concerned under the Ministry of Education or, in the case of lower academic levels in education, a letter from the governor, requesting a visa or visa status alteration. (Attention to : Immigration Commission)

6.3 A letter from the principal or the manager of the International school. (Attention to : Immigration Commission)

6.4 A Certifying copy of the registration paper of the educational institution.

6.5 A Certifying copy of the license of the school or university administrator.

6.6 Diploma and resume of the applicant.

Remarks

The Applicant must sign on every page of the application.

Documents of the University or school, Certifying by the proper authority.

The visa Applicant must arrange the documents in proper order and must prepare the originals as proof.

Call 0 2141 9902-3 for more details.

To get to the info I just posted above, go to that BKK IMM site, look at the top of the page under "Documents Required", then click "Change Visa" and then "For Study in Thailand"

Note that it says you have to have at least 15 days left on your Visa/stamp to do a change (somehow I recall it being 18 or 21 days a few years back....but maybe it's changed). So, again it's best not to rush out if you haven't lined up your new school. You'll also have to allow the school a few days to prepare all that laundry list of documents you'll need to make the change.

Hope this helps.

Cheers!

Edit: For those in a PR / letter writing mood. Ever hear of facebook? CMU does have a page. My guess is whoever monitors it, doesn't monitor much or understand much English, but they do have 14,000+ fans. And if someone starts their own protest group, I'm sure it'll go viral quickly. (be sure to post the name here....) Also, for legal advice there is a good book "Thai Law for Foreigners," could even be available in the CMU library.....or perhaps at Payap.

Edited September 30, 2010 by Bubbalicious

[Bubbalicious]

Could we pull this back onto topic, pls?  I think there are some questions posted by people in need that aren't being answered:

Some are related to visa questions, which is the point of this forum, isn't it?

People in the language program are receiving a letter which seems to suggest that the language program will continue, if students agree to disclose their current local address and attend 75% of the classes (not an unreasonable request).  But what about the people in the CEP who simply want to donate their time to the Thai people?  What happens to their visas, their volunteer work and the money they've already paid?

....

Sorry for yet another post (can only edit posts once it appears). Well, this thread is like a 3 act play. I missed seeing the letter on page 13 (post 309). So, for those who didn't rush down to cancel their visas, CMU apparently will now issue 'end of study' letters with at date of Oct. 31st (if you don't want to continue at CMU). So, for those thinking they would wake up today illegal, are now still legal. 

For those who want to change study locations, what that means is if you line up a new school, and get them moving on the paperwork you can go down the last week of October (avoiding Friday is probably best though) with your paperwork for the new visa (along with your CMU letter saying you're study is ending the 31st). You should be able to do that w/o leaving the country, but I'd check with the new school to see if they KNOW how to do it. From my experience, some schools know how to do visa stuff, and some (like a certain uni whom I won't mention...) don't.  Oh, and contrary to what a previous poster said, it's perfectly legal to study on a tourist visa, but you just can't extend that visa based on your studies.

As for my reading of the Sept. 30 letter:

They have definitely lawyered up (so be careful about what claims you make in your own name about certain individuals). Thailand has criminal liable laws - as a previous post noted. And it would be no fun learning Thai up in the prison on the MaeRim road. Civil and Criminal Libel seems to be what they are threatening ISU with in that letter. They could also possibly assert loss of property, intellectual property, etc. (but then that would seem to open them up to claims from students for lost tuition, etc.)

However, they don't mention anything about money being reimbursed. Whether that is due to the bureaucratic inertia that it takes to get an approval to disperse such funds, who knows?

I have no idea what this means for the people in the volunteer program or whether they are affected or not. I wish everyone the best!

Happy Friday!

[kawtot]

This (alleged) new offer from CMU strikes me as unusual.

If CMU no longer provides ED visa support for ex-IUS students, in a short time none of their students will be in Thailand on ED visas, right?

So why would a student on a tourist, retirement, or other non-ED visa need to satisfiy ED-visa immigration requirements? (They wouldn't need to)

And if the student failed to, say, attend 75% of classes, would Immigration cancel their tourist, retirement, or other non-ED visa? (Unlikely)

And another thing: the last time several students with ED-visas entered a CMU office to express their intentions to continue studies, they were given three days notice to leave Thailand.

Seems to me that the most important things for LICMU right now are to (1) untie ED visas from the language program and (2) gather your current contact details.

Think about it...

Edited October 1, 2010 by kawtot

[Bubbalicious]

This (alleged) new offer from CMU strikes me as unusual.

If CMU no longer provides ED visa support for ex-IUS students, in a short time none of their students will be in Thailand on ED visas, right?

So why would a student on a tourist, retirement, or other non-ED visa need to satisfiy ED-visa immigration requirements?

And if the student failed to, say, attend 75% of classes, would Immigration cancel their tourist, retirement, or other non-ED visa?

Seems to me that the most important thing for CMU right now is to gather your current contact details.

And another thing: the last time several students with ED-visas entered a CMU office to express their intentions to continue studies, they were given three days notice to leave Thailand.

Think about it...

I think this is supposed to contravene their previous notice of canceling all visas. Presumably, if you continue to study there they will re-new visas that are to expire (and issue new ones to new students). Though they make no representations as to whether they will continue the program indefinitely. Based upon their performance the past month, I would not wager too much in the short/medium term on the profitability of these programs.

Only student visas are affected by attendance requirements. 

[kawtot]

This (alleged) new offer from CMU strikes me as unusual.

If CMU no longer provides ED visa support for ex-IUS students, in a short time none of their students will be in Thailand on ED visas, right?

So why would a student on a tourist, retirement, or other non-ED visa need to satisfiy ED-visa immigration requirements?

And if the student failed to, say, attend 75% of classes, would Immigration cancel their tourist, retirement, or other non-ED visa?

Seems to me that the most important thing for CMU right now is to gather your current contact details.

And another thing: the last time several students with ED-visas entered a CMU office to express their intentions to continue studies, they were given three days notice to leave Thailand.

Think about it...

I think this is supposed to contravene their previous notice of canceling all visas. Presumably, if you continue to study there they will re-new visas that are to expire (and issue new ones to new students). Though they make no representations as to whether they will continue the program indefinitely. Based upon their performance the past month, I would not wager too much in the short/medium term on the profitability of these programs.

Only student visas are affected by attendance requirements.

"

Important: Nothing in the above statement will in any way extend your existing visa expiry date as specified in your passport. If your visa has already expired or is due to expire shortly then you will need to go through the normal immigration procedures in order to extend your stay in Thailand.

"

ttbomk, the vast majority of ED-visa students are on 90-day cycles. Given visa support stopped in early August, by mid November those will all have been up for renewal. I can't see a statement anywhere in this new notice that offers to extend those ED visas.

[NoBSBoy]

Just to add to this, for those who want to know the process for Changing from one Ed visa to another, (not sure if it's been posted yet, just made it thru page 10...)

For those who need/want to CHANGE their current student status WITHIN THAILAND to a) being a student at another school; a work visa; c) whatever else.... You'll run into trouble changing WITHIN Thailand (and be 'overstayed') for everyday after CMU says you 'finished' there (ie. the date of Sept 30, that they put on the letter they are handing out.)

Hey- it would be nice if everyone would stop shooting themselves and others in the foot by saying that LICMU handed out letters with a class closing down date. LICMU NEVER attempted to give notice to any student about the school closing. They have not followed any legal procedure to give proper notice of school clasing and the classes ending, therefore Immigration can not fine for overstays as the visas are still valid.So we are all within our rights and the law by claiming we never received any formal notification from LICMU or CMU. Hence the visas are still good. Eveyone is going off in a thousand directions of legal advice based on ONE ASSUMPTION. Sorry, Bubba - this is not directed at you, but rather all who have been doing this for the past 5 days.

Edited October 1, 2010 by NoBSBoy

[kapasao]

Could we pull this back onto topic, pls? I think there are some questions posted by people in need that aren't being answered

Other remaining questions: has anyone had contact with the American Consulate or any media outlets in the past few days?

It seems that some industrious individuals have contacted a dozen influential English language newspapers

in the region and around the world regarding this matter. As to what said publications may choose to do...

who knows?

[NoBSBoy]

To clarify: I am seeing everyone on this forum making the classic mistake when involved in a legal problem without an attorney to represent them: admission of knowledge that can be used against them. There has never been a formal cancellation of classes from LICMU or CMU. Think of it like a registered letter or being formally served legal papers - without that, the claim by the server fails. Putting it on their website don't count, guys. Getting it from another student don't count, guys. I'm still going to school, just no one's there and I have not been able to find anyone to tell me why? But Wednesday morning, much to the Director's delight, dozens of students ran down to Immigration waving this addmission of knowledge (the informal unsigned "notice" from LICMU). Forums have often got wonderful advice to help each other. This is hurting many. Lawyer up and let your lawyer do the talking. Personally, I have never seen any notice from LICMU.

[NoBSBoy]

Could we pull this back onto topic, pls? I think there are some questions posted by people in need that aren't being answered

Other remaining questions: has anyone had contact with the American Consulate or any media outlets in the past few days?

It seems that some industrious individuals have contacted a dozen influential English language newspapers

in the region and around the world regarding this matter. As to what said publications may choose to do...

who knows?

Yes, as opposed to running down to Immigration like chickens with our heads cut off on Wednesday morning, some of us were crafting carefully worded letters to : CNN; Bangkok Post; The Nation; American Embassy in BKK; Consulates in CM; State Dept in DC. amongst others... probably one reason why Mr. "R" has been doing some damage control, albeit a poor job of it. Enjoy the weekend and relax a bit....give it a rest.