60 day TV not marked or stamped but instead given 1 month at land crossing-why?

[55bulldog]

The Nong Khai officer did not write "used" and stamp a date on my brand new 60 day visa. Instead, he stamped in one month on one of my pages and on the departure card leaving the tourist visa untouched. I can only think of 2 reasons.

1) I suppose it's a result of the newly granted 30 day land crossings to UK, USA, Canada, France, Germany, Italy..etc paired with the fact that my passport is filled with stamps and visas and he didn't care to look for it and I should have kept an eye on him to stamp the visa.

or

2) I had a one year work permit. I took the job in May and they processed me for the WP in June with a Non B, then in the middle of September I actually received the WP and they stamped "Nov 4th" on a small piece of paper that was stapled in my passport. This small piece of paper was just a little smaller than a passport page and in the right corner "NOTICE: was printed. Underneath it read TO NOTIFY STAYING LONGER THAN 90 DAYS.....(basically, seemed to state that you have to report to the office every 90 days and that you have to notify your residence the first time you report which I did)

I left my job in good standing and gave them proper notice that I would not return to teach the 2nd term. I got along well with my boss and he appreciated that I quit properly (2 teachers quit without notice) and gave him over 2 months to find a replacement for me. I had a frank conversation about him and the technicalities of my visa status and the Nov 4th date stamped in my passport. The last day of school for teachers was October 11th and that according to law that meant I had until the 18th (7 days after the work agreement had been terminated) to acquire a new visa or leave. He told me that it was quite pointless for the both of us to go to immigration and file that I was finished because it would take a week or two to process and by that time it would already be November 4th and that he would just not file for me. I promised him not to get in any trouble and that I would leave for Laos and get my own 60 day visa before Nov 4th.

My question is...did I not get my visa stamped because something needed to be cleared up and marked in my passport? Did I foolishly assume I could start a new 60 day cycle as long as I was out of the country by Nov 4th and back with my own 60 day visa. I was told that in many cases schools/agencies do not bother reporting when a teacher leaves because many times the teacher ends up with a new WP from their new employer and it is a hassle to file and it takes awhile to process it with immigration since the WP and immigration are separate parties.

Also, since I have only one month now can I simply do a land crossing in one month and then they will stamp and activate my 60 day at the land crossing?

Any help would be greatly suggested. As luck would have it this one month report date comes 10 days before the end of my CELTA course in a very unforgiving Phuket )-: Hopefully, the school can provide me some help with an extension but that will only be good for 7days from what I've been told.....

[ubonjoe]

Did you write your visa number on the arrival card? That could be the reason or he just used the wrong stamp.

You could go to immigration and get stamp corrected.

Or just wait and use the visa for a new entry.

[lopburi3]

He may not want to have his passport checked as it appears he was on an extension of stay that ended October 11 but he did not leave or cancel as required (there is no extra 7 days anymore so overstay would be from the 11th). I would be thinking of getting a new passport if current is such a mess and starting over by using that current tourist visa 30 days from now.

[55bulldog]

Yes, when I filled out the arrival card I wrote the visa number that was on the 60 day tourist visa. I do not think it was an overstay because I was not asked to pay money for overstaying what would have been 3 weeks. I think he just saw the piece of paper with the November 4th date (still in passport) and inked the new 30 day stamp beside it without looking for the 60 day TV. From what I understand the WP and immigration check-in are two separate entities.

Sure, you need to do 90 day check-ins to maintain your status but there is no way for them to know when my last day of school was if it was never reported that I left the job and more specifically the date I left my job (like I stated earlier I was not asked to pay for overstay and he just simply stamped a new date next to the stapled in piece of paper with the Nov 4th date). As far as immigration is concerned they only want to make sure I am out by the dates stamped in my pass port pages or visas. It was never reported that I left my job.

Instead of reporting to local Thai immigration for my 90 day check-in, I simply left the country and got a 60 day tourist. Again, nothing was said and unfortunately I did not notice until the train was moving on. So I am wondering if he simply stamped the first thing he saw or if I was not stamped because I did not have a stamp from the local immigration that I did my 90 day check-in. I just assumed a clean break and that if I left the country and came back with my own 60 day TV that I could simply start a new 60/30 cycle or obtain a new job with in 60 days and go back to a WP.

(btw lady would not give me a multiple 60 day just a single entry-in Vientiane)

[ubonjoe]

It has nothing to with 90 day reports. Most people take the receipt out before leaving.

I think he just picked up the wrong stamp it happens all the time.

If there was going to be a problem with not cancelling the extension it would of happened on the way out of the country.

Up to you how you handle it. Immigration to fix stamp or a border run.

[lopburi3]

If seen on exit it could have been an issue but he appears to have been on overstay if doing 90 day reports and on an extension for a job that ended October 11 and that may be found in a closer check. As visa was not marked used (or 1 entry if multi) do not believe it was the case of a wrong stamp but that visa entry was not noticed. Still believe safer path is to use visa later.

[55bulldog]

Just went to immigration in Phuket town. They retro activated it. Just had to make the usual copies and filled out a document. Cost nothing and they were very helpful