Hi all

I'm posting on behalf of a British friend. She entered Thailand on an Education visa when studying for her TEFL. She has since had an offer of employment but the wait for her work permit has been very long. She has subsequently had two tourist visas from Penang but we've been informed that they will not issue another and will make her leave after a very short period. Her paperwork for her non-B application will not be ready on time for her next visa run.

Does anyone know if Singapore is a viable option for her? Would she be able to get a 60 day tourist visa if she flew there?

What other points of exit/entry would be recommended? She lives in Phuket, so it needs to be relatively convenient too.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Is your friend absolutely sure she will get the paperwork, a lot of places promise teachers these things but never deliver.

Remember she can apply for a tourist visa, then upon returning she goes to the Work Permit place to apply for a work permit, then with the paperwork she leaves Thailand, including the receipt from the WP office and goes to get her Non Immigrant B Visa.

You post that the wait for the WP has been very long, but if she has applied then she can go with the receipt and a few other letters from the school and get the visa, is this school a big one, if so they must know the procedure/

Edited August 22, 201213 yr by beano2274

Has the work permit application already been made and does she have a receipt for it, the form WP3? If this is the case, I don't see what should take her employer so long to get the paperwork together for the non-B visa application.

As teachers do not even require a work permit receipt for a non immigrant B visa to be issued this sounds very suspect.

2.4 Non-Immigrant Visa Category “B” (Teaching) Foreigners who intend to take up employment as school teachers at the levels below university level in Thailand must submit the following required documents:

- Passport or travel document with validity of not less than 6 months

- Completed visa application form

- Recent passport-sized photograph (4 x 6 cm) of the applicant taken within the past 6 months.

- Letter of acceptance from employing institute or school in Thailand.

- Letter of approval from government agencies such as the Office of the Private Education Commission, the Office of the Basic Education Commission.

- Evidence of educational qualification such as diplomas or teaching certificates.

- School license or business registration, list of shareholders and school profile.

- Applicant’s resume.

- Police certificate verifying that applicant has no criminal record or equivalents or letter issued by authorised agencies in applicant’s country. (The requirement of the submission of such police certificate is optional. The applicant must submit it if consular officer requests he/she to do so. This requirement is effective as from May 2007)