Confused with this one.....

[LWHalket]

...so basically I was here on a tourist visa which expired on the 1st of December 2013. I had applied to study Thai at a school and that course would give me a 15 month non-immigrant ED visa. I payed for the course and I received the necessary documents from the school a few weeks later. I had already planned a trip to Kuala Lumpur so it made sense to go to the embassy in KL rather than go to Laos like most. When at the embassy in KL they said that they only recognise "international" schools now so they could not accept my ED visa application with those documents and she said that my application was bad timing. I tried to get more information from the girl at the embassy as the way she said it was like something had just changed recently (maybe between my application to the school and my trip to KL), seemingly this is not the case though.

I've ended up having to get another tourist visa to be able to come back to Thailand. I spoke to the school and they emailed the embassy regarding their credentials etc but I still came back with a tourist visa. So now it looks like I will have to take ANOTHER trip to get my ED visa.

Does anyone know if there is anyway around it? I only ask as I had spoken to a friend of a friend who works at a big corporation in administration who deals with getting the staff their visas all the time and she said that if I had 20 days on my current visa I should be able to just get the visa changed over in Bangkok. i've never heard of this before hence why I am asking for some information. I really don't want to have to go to Laos, it's a bit of a trek.

Thanks in advance.

[ubonjoe]

The change at KL was reported a couple of months ago.
They are talking about a change of visa status to get a non immigrant visa entry. These are not normally done for those attending a language school.
You will need to go out later to get the ED visa. You can study on your tourist visa and even get a 30 day extension at immigration if you want to.

[LWHalket]

Ah I see. Perfect. I will probably be leaving the country again for a holiday before my visa is up so I may leave it till then, I will just have to make sure where I go will be able to give me an ED visa.

Thanks

[frimu]

Same happened to me. Your school does not seem to be up to date.

My school, Pro Language, is already telling students not to go to KL anymore.

Unfortunately I was just going days after they changed their policy at the KL embassy.

Recently I god my ED visa in Savannakhet Laos with no issues.

[MantisMan]

Ah I see. Perfect. I will probably be leaving the country again for a holiday before my visa is up so I may leave it till then, I will just have to make sure where I go will be able to give me an ED visa.

Thanks

That consulate in KL is giving people a lot of problems.

If you want to save yourself from further trouble, be sure to have ANOTHER copy of your bank statement.

They will ask for it.

To be clear, you needed one for the school, right? They shipped that off to the Education Ministry.

Now, you also need another copy for the KL consulate (immmigration). I don't know why........................

[ubonjoe]

KL will not do a ED visa for a language school no matter what documents you have. They will only do them for university studies.

[LWHalket]

I never had to give a bank statement to the school (PLC). Just my condo lease agreement, my passport so they can make copies and fill in a form or what I can remember along with photos and the money.

Ye was annoying going to KL to be told that I'd have to go back to Thailand and travel AGAIN to get the ED visa......not a total waste of 30000 on the trip as I had a little holiday out of it but I really don't want to sit on a bus to Laos. Can I fly from BKK to Vientiane?

[ubonjoe]

You can fly to Vientiane but will find costly.

You can fly to Udon Thani and take a van to the bridge in Nong Kai (less than an hour). Nok Air has fly/ride service to Vientiane via Udon.

[LWHalket]

That sounds like a better option, thanks for that. I just can't stand the idea of sitting on a bus or such for 10 hours or whatever it is...........and same on the way back again.