Hi,

I am an English teacher in Chiang Mai, and I was just informed that the language school who hired me will be cancelling my work permit as of tomorrow - May 17.

They asked me to "please return my work permit by May 17"

I entered Thailand on a tourist visa, went to Vientiane and got a Non Imm B visa, got a work permit in Chiang Mai, then got a 1 year extension of my visa - making my current visa in my passport stamped valid until January 2014.

My questions are :

1- Do I need to leave the country by tomorrow, May 17th?

2 - Will my year extension visa still be valid, even if my work permit is not?

3 - Do I need to physically hand in my current work permit booklet to either my school or Chiang Mai immigration?

Any help with this is GREATLY appreciated!!

Thank you!

Yes, your permission to stay will be finished, go get another Tourist Visa, you may get 7 days but would have to apply for an extension, 1900 Baht.

Edited May 16, 201313 yr by beechguy

Unnecessary/unhelpful post removed.

If you are on an extension of permission to stay than you do need to go to immigration immediately after the WP is canceled and apply for a 7 day extension to give you time to work out your travel arrangements for a new Visa.

Thank you for the quick responses! I really appreciate the help on this, and will be bussing across the border and back tomorrow to play it safe.

Thank you for the quick responses! I really appreciate the help on this, and will be bussing across the border and back tomorrow to play it safe.

Just to be sure you are aware but if you use a border crossing you will only get a 15 day entry. If by plane, than 30 days.

If they cancel your contract, you might be entitled to severence pay. It won't be much, as you didn't work there long. You cna inquire at the labour office, they will help you getting it if you are entitled. They even will go to court on your behalf, if necesarry.

So don't sign any papers stating you resigned.

Cancel yur WP yourself, with a letter from your employer and then cancel your extension of stay at immigration.

Cancellation of work permit will result in cancellation of your visa. Happened to me and I had to pay overstay because I was not aware of this

why was your contract so suddenly cancelled?

First of all, sorry to hear about your loss of work OP. And especially now all the god damn hassle that will follow.

Indeed, I was fired and I did not go on SAME DAY to immigration, meaning couple of days later when I went, I had to pay fine from the first day I was released from my job. It is fully stupid system but does that surprise anyone. So yes, legally you are supposed on the day your contract ends to go to immigration to apply for 7 day extension OR exit the country on exactly the same day to avoud paying 500 baht a day fine. Jolly nice system.

Now yes as someone said, please do remember that as you have worked more than 1 year you are eligible for 3 month severance pay AND 1 month notification before hand! So if they told you "not to come work tomorrow", legally you get essentially 4 month salary. Again: been there, done that.

Also make sure that your employer notifies the immigration services and other relevant parties so that if you happen to find new job very soon, the new company can hire you!

Edited May 17, 201313 yr by jinasia

You should take the work permit to the labour office yourself just to make sure that they don't do something silly like not return it or something like that.

If they cancel your contract, you might be entitled to severence pay. It won't be much, as you didn't work there long. You cna inquire at the labour office, they will help you getting it if you are entitled. They even will go to court on your behalf, if necesarry.

So don't sign any papers stating you resigned.

There are work that renewable every year.

In the contract between the employer and employee, it states

when the work of the employee starts and ends.

How about if the employer no longer wants the employee

to work because of lets say inefficiency, anyway the contract is finished. Is the employee still entitled for that severance pay?

There are some reasons an employer can fire you: like theft, fighting, being drunk etc. And sometimes they must give a warning first, like when you regularly come late they can just fire you, but must give a warning first and if you still keep coming late they can fire you.

Just talk to your labour office and see if they can do anything.

Thank you all so much for the advice and input - I'm new to this, and it's been a great resource.

I was only working part time for the language school, placed in a Thai school for one semester which ended in March. As I'm heading back to the States for the summer, I was not able to sign up for the current semester again at the Thai school, and they did not have interim part time work for me. So, it's perfectly fair for them to end my contract, and I have no complaints - other than the RIDICULOUSLY short notice.

I was able to go to Myanmar and back yesterday, and will keep up a tourist visa for the next six weeks until I return to the states.

I'll also return the work permit to the labour office, thanks for the advice.

Again, thank you all for input and help, and I hope to be of some help to you and others on the site.

Cheers!

Cancellation of work permit will result in cancellation of your visa. Happened to me and I had to pay overstay because I was not aware of this

No. It would not mean the cancellation of a Visa.

It would mean the cancellation of a Permission to Stay Extension if it was issued based on your employment.

When my work permit was cancelled I stayed in Thailand under the same visa. I did my visa runs every 3 months and never had an issue with immigration.

You had a visa (90 day stays on entry), as said above, but if you have an extension of stay from immigration it ends the day the reason for issue ends.

Be sure to personally return your work permit to the labour office. Failure to do so has nasty consequences. Take a photo copy of it incl inner stamps etc to assist should you wish to work again.

As for severance, this also includes medical coverage; try to keep this by making the monthly payments into the future - good medical coverage for next to nothing. If you do manage this do NOT slip up on monthly payments.

FWIW....

Some schools when they let you go will ask for your WP and then hold off a while before informing the labour office and turning it in

This gives you time to make new arrangements.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Not legally - you are required to cancel extension on the day your paid employment ends regardless of work permit status and that is why immigration often has those getting extensions sign there understanding of this in an extra paper now.

Hi All,

My WP is being cancelled tomorrow, as far as i know i need to leave the country within 24 hours to avoid paying overstay?

im currently looking for a new job, but i need some advice on what the best plan is in the meantime.

do i need to go to immigration tomorrow and pay 1900 baht? Or can i just leave the country and come back on a holiday visa?

Thanks!

Are you here on an extension of stay for work or a 90 day visa entry after being outside of Thailand? If extension then you either need to pay 1,900 baht for extension application that allows 7 days more stay or go out now and obtain a tourist visa that will provide you a 60 day stay and 30 more if needed to search for work. If you feel will only take a few days then extension or 15 day visa exempt entry may be OK but suspect small cost of a one night stay out and getting a tourist visa would be best.

why not just fly off to Laos or Penang and get tourtst visa valid for 60 days, ( only takes 2 nights)

plenty of time to look for new work

Hi All,

My WP is being cancelled tomorrow, as far as i know i need to leave the country within 24 hours to avoid paying overstay?

im currently looking for a new job, but i need some advice on what the best plan is in the meantime.

do i need to go to immigration tomorrow and pay 1900 baht? Or can i just leave the country and come back on a holiday visa?

Thanks!

In reality you do not have 24 hours. You have until midnight of the date your extension is canceled.

You need to go to immigration to cancel your extension showing a letter from company stating the date you will no longer be working. Best to apply for the 7 day extension in my opinion.