Visa And Work Permit

[ilyushin]

Searched the threads without success. So here I go. Currently have an extention of non-immigrant B visa with a work permit valid until March 2013. I will be changing my job on 1 June 2012 and would like to know the options that I can get the visa changed and cancel the work permit. New employer will provide the visa and wp. I'm married to a Thai and considered to change to Thai Wife visa, but uncertain if that is possible. My current employer doesn't have any idea of the cancellation process and will probably leave that entirely up to me.

[Mario2008]

Have your employer write a letter to the labour office and one to immigration, clearly stating that your employment will end on June 1 and take these letters to the labour office and immigration.

When you go to immigration, they will cancel your permsion to stay. At that time you can apply for an extension of stay based on your marriage and must have all paperwork ready and your wife must accompany you. If that is short time, you can get a 60 day extension of stay based on your wife and at the end apply for the 1 year extension based on marriage or based on your new job.

[digitalchromakey]

Have your employer write a letter to the labour office and one to immigration, clearly stating that your employment will end on June 1 and take these letters to the labour office and immigration.

When you go to immigration, they will cancel your permsion to stay. At that time you can apply for an extension of stay based on your marriage and must have all paperwork ready and your wife must accompany you. If that is short time, you can get a 60 day extension of stay based on your wife and at the end apply for the 1 year extension based on marriage or based on your new job.

Please be carefull if you go down the 60 Day Visting Wife Extension as in my area (Phuket), for example, Labour will not isue a new/replacement WP against this particular class of extension; then you would have to go outside of Thailand to get a new Non Immigrant B Visa towards the end of the 60 day period.

Better you go down the National Police Order 777/2551 Section 2.18 one year Thai Spouse extension - this would be fine for the issue of a new Work Permit.

If you cancel your WP/Extension first, there is a 'Catch 22' though in that without a new WP Immigration will not grant a 2.18 Extension based on Thai Income, you must instead show 400,000 THB in the bank for two months prior.

Please remember tha the day your old WP is cancelled your 2.1 Extension is also cancelled and you have to exit Thailand that day or have a new extension in place, else you are on overstay.

Should you be able to get your new employer to process al the documents for your new WP and Labour to issue it on the day your old one is cancelled (or within 7 days if you get a temporary extension to sort out papers), then it may be possible to get Immigration to move you to a new 2.1 or a 2.18 extension.

If you can then it's much better that you convert your extension to 2.18 , then change jobs - this way your new WP will be easy and next time you change jobs there should be no issues with Immigration.

[ilyushin]

Thanks for the advice Mario2008 and digitalchromakey. I will look at the options. Thai wife visa if I can get all the docs in place looks like the way to go. National Police Order 777/2551 Section 2.18 one year Thai Spouse extension - this would be fine for the issue of a new Work Permit. Smile!