Possible to get a 1 yr ED visa in Perth?

[dbk2322]

I suppose another Australian city would be OK too, though Perth is most convenient.

A second question would be: Are 1 yr ED visas (for studying Thai) available at all?

When answering, please keep in mind two things:

I am aware of the need to leave every 90 days on a 1 yr visa. That's okay for me.

I am aware of the possibility of getting a 90 day ED visa at a regional consulate and extending periodically without having to leave the country. I'm not looking for info on that.

Thanks.

[LivinLOS]

I am under the impression that the 'rule' is that ED visas for the study of language are only for 90 days and must be extended. To get a non imm ED multi entry for 12 months you need to be on a much higher level course, say a degree etc.

If perth is lax about this rule I do not know.

[ubonjoe]

With documents from a school showing you are enrolled in a course of study for one year you should be able to get a multiple entry non-ed visa.

You should contact the consulate to find out their requirements.

[dundas]

I had an ED visa some years ago. At the time I could have paid more money to apply for the longer visa, but there was absolutely no guarantee that I would get it, and the extra money was not refundable. So I saved my money and opted for the shorter version and took my chances that I could extend it. In retrospect, I think this was a very good decision.

Yes, apply through a consulate if you can, especially one with a reputation for being helpful. I applied through the Embassy in Canberra, and found the service to be slow.

In my case I had to comply with a seemingly never ending barrage of requests for more and more detailed information; one memorable example: I had to supply documentary proof (with photos) that the Director of the school, a person with a very Thai name, was actually a Thai citizen. Later the school told me that they had never had documentary requests of that type from any other Thai mission anywhere else in the world, make of that what you will.

My visa was delayed over and over until the day before my flight when after weeks of silence it suddenly it became available in Canberra, but too late to send by express post or normal courier services. Make of that what you will, too. I ended up paying $180 to a courier company to get the passport back in time.

Once in Thailand, I sometimes timed trips out of the country so that my 3 monthly fronting up to Immigration was done as part of processing on re-entry into the country, but to do that I still needed a multi-entry permit (which I obtained from Immigration once in Thailand).

If I were to do it all over, I would pay the school fees (paying by credit card to a school that provides an ironclad guarantee in writing that the money will be refunded in the event I am not issued with a visa) and I would then approach the consulate and ask them, as suggested in the previous post. Unless they were enthusiastic about applying for the 1 year visa, I would just take my chances on the 90 day one. You can't avoid the bureaucratic requirements whichever way you go.

[dbk2322]

Good to know about Canberra, dundas. I appreciate that.

LL and ubonjoe - thank you as well. I'll try calling Perth on Monday to see if I can wrangle an answer from them.

I emailed a few language schools and they didn't seem to know.