Non-Immigrant Visa Extension Dilemma

[minimouse]

We are an American family who entered Thailand in Sept. with a single entry 3 month Non-immigrant O Visa. We are in the process of of extending this visa via a work permit with a new foundation. We have the work permit now, but the foundation hit a glitch with the authorities and Immigration in Chiang Mai would not give us a visa extension at this time. Our 90 days was up. The lawyer involved with the foundation told us to take our extension papers to the Mae Sai border and they would give us a 15 day tourist visa. Then we were planning to fly the whole family to KL before New Year's to get another visa.

Today we went to the border and showed the officer our extension paperwork. He gave us a non-O 90 day stamp, treating our visa like it was multiple entry. This was great news for us, but then he handed the paperwork back to us and said to take it to an Immigration office in the next 30 days.

Our questions are:

Can this original visa still be extended?

Could we be "in trouble" with Chiang Mai Immigration if they know we got another 90 days at the border?

Should we lay low and leave the country in 90 days and get another O visa, and then work on an extension?

Is it harder to get an extension with visas from neighboring countries versus your passport country? I have seen some visas stamped "no-extension allowed" or "employment prohibited."

I also really don't understand the relationship between the work permit and the visa extension...

Thanks for any advice you can give.

[Lite Beer]

As I see it you should have received a 15 day Visa Exempt entry at the border.

I don't understand why they gave you 90 days. Maybe I am missing something but I would return to CM Immigration before 15 days and see what they say as you may be on overstay after that.

Hopefully others may have some ideas.

[lopburi3]

1. Did you cross the border and return?

2. Was there any charge made at Immigration?

3. Was anything else entered in your passport?

4. Did you fill out any forms? What?

[phuketrichard]

sounds like someone screwed up and u will pay for it,

'go to imigration before the 15 days.

In KL u will then apply for a non immigrant visa and on ur return extend that

[minimouse]

1. Did you cross the border and return?

yes, we walked across at Tachilek.

2. Was there any charge made at Immigration?

no. Someone else in our company who was also trying to extend under this new foundation opted to pay 2000 bht to get a 7-day extension on the spot at immigration, but we decided to go to the border so we didn't have to travel over Christmas.

3. Was anything else entered in your passport?

At the Mae Sai border our passports were stamped with the usual 90 day stamp (visaclass Non-O, admitted 19 Dec 2010, until 16 March 2011).

4. Did you fill out any forms? What?

We filled out the usual arrival and departure cards. We showed him our other paperwork that indicated we had been applying for an extension at immigration but it was handed back to us.

[lopburi3]

In that case the officer did appear to think your original visa was not used or multi entry and allowed its use. As you plan to extend your stay this will likely be found to be an error. The question becomes if they will try to ignore it as an error or put it on you. If you can get everything done in the normal 15 day allowance expect it can be ignored but if longer there may be issues.