Warning - Beware Of Multiple Visa's!

[PaulPerth]

Early 2005, my wife (then girlfriend) applied for a Tourist Visa to visit me in April 2005 during the Thai school long break, she was going to bring her 9 year old son with her for the first time.

She had visited me in October 2004 and at that time she applied for the visa directly at the embassy and it was issued immediately after a short interview.

In 2005 they introduced the visa application agency. Wife (gf) applied at the agency for the TV to visit me in April. It took her eight hours waiting to submit the application! The visa was issued about five days later where upon she had to return to BKK to retrieve her passport - her journey to BKK is 4.5 hours each way!

About February (2005) she was informed by the Thai Education Authority that they were sending her to Sydney for a month and she would travel on an official passport and a special visa obtained for her.

This was great! Off she went to Sydney for the month of March. Investigating the possibility of her staying over and coming to Perth, we were told she had to return to Thailand on her "special" visa and then travel back. This wasn't a big issue as she had to collect her son anyway.

She returned to BKK from Sydney end of March 2005 collected her son and returned to the airport three days later (on Sunday morning April 3) to fly to Perth. At the check-in desk and to her horror, she was informed that her tourist visa had been cancelled! She asked to speak to an immigration official and a guy from Oz immigration came to see her. He informed her that the private tourist visa had automaticlly been cancelled when they issued the special visa for her official visit. A person can not be issued two similar visa's at the same time!

Firstly, we didnt realise the two visa's were "similar".

Secondly, why doesn't thier system flag this and inform the "client".

I don't need to describe the state she was in when she called me to tell me "I can not come". I was furious to say the least!

So, she travelled the 4.5 hour journey back to her home town, both of them in a deep state of depression. The next morning she got up at 3am and got the bus back to BKK to apply for another tourist visa thinking it would take us another week to get it.

This is the better part of the story! Luckily she spoke to a guy in the agency who showed great empathy and took it upon himself to rectify the situation. He personally travelled to the embassy that day, returning to the agency office with a new visa for her in the afternoon. She didn't even have to pay the fee again.

She rebooked her flight and arrived in Perth the next day (Tuesday night).

This just goes to show, that if you get the right person, things CAN be done!

Anyway guys, if you find yourself in a simiar situation, keep in mind that if your gf/wife is issued any type of "special" visa for her job, it will cancel any other pending or issued visa's!

Paul

[Old Croc]

This is an anomaly with the Australian visa system.

The computor does not allow travellers to have two valid visas. Issuing a second visa automatically cancels the first visa even if it is more advantageous.

The special visa in her official passport was for a very specific reason and could not be utilised for tourism purposes.

The Liaison Officer at BKK airport possibly could have issued a new visa to assist travel, but at least the embassy officer did the right thing as the circumstances were obviously not the travellers fault .

Edited March 27, 2006 by Old Croc

[PaulPerth]

Just been pinned by my wife! She DID have to pay the fee for the second visa!

Paul

[gburns57au]

Just been pinned by my wife! She DID have to pay the fee for the second visa!

Paul

Yes she would have to pay again....one application/one visa payment. If the first visa is cancelled or rejected before activation then the fee is payable again.

However the official still did the right thing in giving her the second visa so quick which is the best he could in the circumstances. Would have been nice to get it free, but rules is rules.