Obtaining Multiple Entry O Visa

[Julestar]

Hi

Im wanting to get a multiple entry O visa next year, do you think its possible. I also live in Australia.

My boyfriend is Thai but has an English passport as he grew up in England. He lives in Thailand at the moment though, he is on an O visa, as he works offshore around Asia. His mum lives in Thailand, she has both her Thai passport and English Passport. My boyfriend and I want to live together but the only option is for me to move to Thailand because that is where he works. I know I can go on an Educational visa to Thailand but I dont want the restrictions of and ED visa. The thing is his mum had massive brain surgery 2 or so years ago and now the left side of her body doesnt work the way it used to. She cant drive and has trouble walking around without the support of someone with her. She needs help with general stuff during the day. Now because her son is away at work anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks at a time, she is often restricted to what she can do. I know that she wants me there with her when her son/my boyfriend is away at work. Do you think it would be possible for me to obtain an O visa if she wrote a letter stating those reasons and if she photocopied her id card?

Your thoughts on this would be very much appreciated.

Julestar

[lopburi3]

As the cost of such help in Thailand would likely be less than 10,000 baht per month am not sure how a Consulate would view such a letter. You might contact the Consulate in Brisbane and ask them.

Language on an ED visa I believe only amounts to 4 hours study a week and if you plan to live in Thailand it would make sense to study the language if not already proficient so to my mind would not be very constrictive.

[Julestar]

Thankyou for your response, the difference is that she considers me family and would rather me there with her than anyone else.

I do plan to study Thai when im there, but we also want to go back to England and visit and maybe do some travelling, being restricted to have to go to regular classes to keep my ED visa valid would make things difficult wouldnt it? Meaning I couldnt go to England for a month if that means I would miss out on classed back in Thailand?

If Brisbane say no, going to Hull may be my other option? Its for the purpose of visiting family and friends?

[lopburi3]

As you are not married it is not family and friends is not normally a valid reason for issue.

Students, if using extension of stay, only have to do so every three months and do not seem to have an issue with travel between those times. If on an ED multi entry visa it would be exactly the same as on O visa and each entry would get a 90 day stay and no school attendance for extension of stay would be required.

[Julestar]

I dont really understand the extension of stay bit, I know I would have to leave Thailand every 90 days and re-enter, is that the extension of stay?

So in saying that I would only have to study for the 1st 90 days?

I will be living in phuket and most of the schools you enroll for the year and pay for the year and attend so many hours per week for most of the year, how would that work if I want to take a month off to travel or even more time off. Would that affect my visa because I wouldnt be studying the required amount of hours? To qualify it says you need to do 200 hours of study, usually 4 hours per week. Thats a total of 50 weeks. How would that work if i wanted to leave the country for 2 or so months to travel?

Sorry if i seem confused.

Edited November 22, 2010 by Julestar

[lopburi3]

Extension of stay is not leaving Thailand every 90 days and those on study stays normally do not leave but just extend there stay at Immigration every 90 days with 1,900 baht and letter from school of meeting study requirements. If you used a multi entry ED visa and departed every 90 days there would be no requirement for such paperwork.

[Julestar]

Patong Language school for instance has a 12 week course that is eligible for the ED visa, so if i applied for a multiple entry visa in australia to do that course, went to thailand and completed the 12 week course, left thailand to do visa run and then returned so I could have another 90 days stay, I wouldnt have to continue studying until the year visa is up and I want to apply for another 1 year ed visa so I just enroll in the 12 week course again to obtain a 2nd year ed visa, obviously doing my 90 days visa runs? I hope this makes sense.

[steve187]

When were you thinking of visiting the UK?.

Could you not obtain a double entry tourist visa in Australia, or failing that in Laos, that would be good for 6 months stay here, with one border run and two visits to the local immigration.

If the UK trip then fitted you could obtain a multi entry non immigrant 'o' visa in Hull, to visit friends, which would cover you for just short of 15 months, with 90 day border runs, if not then you could repeat the double entry tourist visa in Laos, or a combination of ed visa and non immigrant 'o'.

Edited November 22, 2010 by steve187