Change Retirement Visa To Work Visa

[jbeck]

I have a non-immigrant O-A retirement visa but recently found a very good job opening, work that cannot be done without the proper visa.

Has anyone changed FROM a retirement visa to a work visa?

How and where is it done and how long did it take?

thanks.

[Lite Beer]

Not really my strong point but as far as I know you need to take the required paperwork from the company and apply for a Work Permit at the Labour Office.

With the receipt they give you go to a Thai Consulate outside Thailand and apply for a Non Imm B Visa. When you have the Visa go back and collect your Work Permit.

I am sure others will chip in and help with replies.

[bokeh]

I did, or tried to, that is. It can be done but you are required to initiate the process not less than 21 (I think) days before the expiry of the visa. I was on a retirement extension, after having worked here quite a few years, but the organization I now work for started the visa change process too close to the expiry date (about 14 days or so, as I recall) and immigration wouldn't touch it. Part of this saga is in a thread on this site- the dates are May-June 2009. As a result I had to go to Vientiane to get a new Non-imm visa and start from square 1.

All is fine now, just be sure your organization contacts Immigration well in advance so they will know just what paperwork is needed, and when.

[bokeh]

Not really my strong point but as far as I know you need to take the required paperwork from the company and apply for a Work Permit at the Labour Office.

With the receipt they give you go to a Thai Consulate outside Thailand and apply for a Non Imm B Visa. When you have the Visa go back and collect your Work Permit.

I am sure others will chip in and help with replies.

[/quote

In my case, since "retirement" was stamped in my passport together with the visa (retirement extension), the Labor Office absolutely refused to accept an application for a work permit. But when I came back from Vientiane with a brand new Non-imm visa, all was fine- no problems.

[jbeck]

OP, rephrasing the question:

Simply put- has anyone on this forum Successfully Changed without leaving THAILAND or making wrong assumptions/mistakes, from an O-A retirement visa (extension) to a work permit (or whatever it's called).

How'd you do it, exactly?

Or does someone know for sure how to do it properly?

you can PM me if you'd like.

Thanks for all the other interesting info as well. . .

Edited October 19, 2010 by jbeck

[Mario2008]

At immigration you can try to change your permisison to stay from retirement to a permission to stay for reason of work. It is not sure if immigration will do it, and an important factor might be if you are on an entry of your O-A visa or have an extension of stay from immigration. Suspect you need to go abroad and apply for a non-B visa in a neigboouring country, but how big the company is might also be a factor.

In either case you are advise to first apply for the work permit at the labour office. Labour will not issue the work permit, as you are here for retirement, but will give you a WP3 form. This form indicates to immigration (or a consulate abroad) that you will get a work permit once you have the right visa/permisison to stay. You will need it.

[jbeck]

At immigration you can try to change your permisison to stay from retirement to a permission to stay for reason of work. It is not sure if immigration will do it, and an important factor might be if you are on an entry of your O-A visa or have an extension of stay from immigration. Suspect you need to go abroad and apply for a non-B visa in a neigboouring country, but how big the company is might also be a factor.

In either case you are advise to first apply for the work permit at the labour office. Labour will not issue the work permit, as you are here for retirement, but will give you a WP3 form. This form indicates to immigration (or a consulate abroad) that you will get a work permit once you have the right visa/permisison to stay. You will need it.

SO you haven't done this?

as stated i am an on an extension of stay with 2.5 months before my (second) renewal.

i don't understand why you advise me to FIRST apply for a work permit that WONT be issued.?

can you explain it ? Have you done it?

thanks

[Mario2008]

No, I haven't done this. The best thing you can do is to try and hope for the best, but prepare for a refusel and the need to apply abroad.

Immigration and consulates in neigbouring countries want you to have documents that show that you will get a work permit if you get an extension of stay based on work from immigration or a non-b visa from a consulate. (beside a lot of other documents from the company)

The WP3 form is that document. It shows that you have applied for a work permit and will get a work permit once your immigration status is OK. Otherwise immigration wouldn't give you a permisison to stay based on work because you don't have a WP and labour wouldn't issue a WP becasue you don't have the right permisison to stay.

[Tod Daniels]

Sorry this is long(ish);

First (and NOT to be pedantic but. .. …) I think your nomenclature needs some minor adjustments.

Do you have a Non-Immigrant Type O-A visa? One which you secured in your home country prior to coming here which is good for a stay of a year at a time? This is sometimes called a “long-stay” visa but it cannot be gotten inside thailand.

OR

(a far more likely scenario given you used the word ‘extension’ in reference to your status here and in your previous posts) did you have some other type of visa which you then used to get a yearly extension of stay based on retirement from inside thailand at thai immigrations?

IF you have a yearly extension of stay, it is my experience you will not even be able to apply for and get the receipt from the Labor Office which lets you go outside thailand and get a new Single Entry 90 Day Non-Immigrant Type-O or Type-B visa (both which allow working when coupled with a work permit). And YES like "Mario" said normally you APPLY for a work permit FIRST, get the receipt from the Labor Office showing you applied and use that to get the correct visa. Then with the correct visa in your passport they issue you the work permit.

You could certainly try it, as recently another poster related his story of getting a work permit whilst holding a Non-Immigrant Type-ED (education) visa. He still hasta go to a neighboring country's thai embassy to secure a new Non-Immigrant Type-B or Type-O visa as they wouldn’t change his visa status inside the country, but he DID get a work permit from the Labor Office on an ED visa, something which many thought was not allowed.

In fact, as I have an ‘acquaintance’ in a similar situation; I just made a quick call to Sunbelt Asia (a forum sponsor) and asked their visa division about your question.

They reiterated what I said earlier; that you’re unlikely to even be able to apply at the Labor Office holding a yearly extension of stay based on retirement, especially with the stamp in your passport which says; "retirement" (and quite possibly like the stamp in my passport directly under it which says; "employment prohibited"). They also said they didn’t think an ‘in-country’ change of visa status would work, as you currently are only on an extension of stay and in essence ‘visa-less’ even though your extension was originally tied to a valid visa.

BUT with that being said,

They went on to say you’d have abso-tively posi-lutely NO problem going to a neighboring country’s thai embassy and securing a 90 Day Single Entry No-Immigrant Type-B, or Type-O visa with the letter of intent for employment from your future employer, and THEN you could go to the Labor Office and apply for the work permit. After you get the work permit you’d go to thai immigrations and secure an extension of stay which was tied to the validity of the work permit.

It’s just back-assed-wards or outta sequence to how they normally see it done. The linchpin according to Sunbelt Asia is that you’re currently on a retirement extension of stay.

Again, sorry this was long; hope there was at least information of marginal value in it for you. ..

Good luck, and do let us know how it pans out for you.

[Colabamumbai]

Yes Todd they actually gave me the Work Permit not just the receipt for it, and I need to take all of the same paperwork that was required for the WP to a Thai Embassy outside of Thailand to have the visa changed from ED, to B..

Edited October 20, 2010 by lopburi3
needless quote of above post removed