Bringing The Family To Thailand To Stay

[Thaipwriter]

A colleague is being joined in Thailand in by his farang wife and 2 kids aged 10 and 6

They are from Belgium.

His salary is sufficient to qualify for extension of stay based on work,he currenly has a work permit

Can anybody please advise what are the options for his family regarding long term stay?

What visa is best for them? will visa runs be required for his wife and kids?? etc etc

Thanks In Advance

[vinny]

Probably Non-Immigrant, Category "O"

- other activities (Category "O") as follows:

to stay with the family, to perfrom duties for the state enterprise or social welfare organizations, to stay after retirement for the elderly, to receive medical treatment, to be a sport coach as required by Thai Government, to be a contestant or witness for the judicial process.

[thaigene2]

Assume he knows how much the schools will cost. Around 10,000 USD per kid. There is really no other choice for his older kid..the younger one might be able to go into a Thai-English bilingual private school. That's about half the price. I've seen some guys who thought they could manage the costs involving schools, or who thought they'd find alternatives, but eventually they had to pack it in..it was just too expensive and their employers weren't going to pay school subsidies..

Also many Western women find it hard to adjust to the 'female competition' around them..I'm serious .. and not being snide..it's a real issue for some families that causes mistrust, paranoia, etc..

[Thaipwriter]

Assume he knows how much the schools will cost. Around 10,000 USD per kid. There is really no other choice for his older kid..the younger one might be able to go into a Thai-English bilingual private school. That's about half the price. I've seen some guys who thought they could manage the costs involving schools, or who thought they'd find alternatives, but eventually they had to pack it in..it was just too expensive and their employers weren't going to pay school subsidies..

Also many Western women find it hard to adjust to the 'female competition' around them..I'm serious .. and not being snide..it's a real issue for some families that causes mistrust, paranoia, etc..

Schools are sorted, already registered in best Bi lingual in school in town with private tutor already hired as back up.

What about the visa's?

[Thaipwriter]

Probably Non-Immigrant, Category "O"

- other activities (Category "O") as follows:

to stay with the family, to perfrom duties for the state enterprise or social welfare organizations, to stay after retirement for the elderly, to receive medical treatment, to be a sport coach as required by Thai Government, to be a contestant or witness for the judicial process.

Thats what i suspected, can their visa's be extended via TM7?

[dr_Pat_Pong]

He needs a Non-Immigrant B, and to extend it for a year once he gets a work permit. The wife ( must be the lawfully wed wife ) and the kids need Non-Imm O visa'a and they can all attach their visa's to his and extend in line with his continuing extensions.

[Misty]

Also many Western women find it hard to adjust to the 'female competition' around them..I'm serious .. and not being snide..it's a real issue for some families that causes mistrust, paranoia, etc..

That quote got me thinking....and counting. In the 12 or so years I've lived here, I've known 29 couples that were farangs married to farangs...and 2 of these ended in divorce. That's really not that bad, is it? You might even say Thailand is good for marriage.

I've known 16 couples that were farangs married to Thais...and 2 of these ended in divorce. Not that bad either.

None of my Thai friends married to Thais have gotten divorced.

For those couples not married (farangs or Thai-farang couples), some have split up.

Still, those numbers don't really bear out that old stereotype about Western women finding it hard to adjust, do they?

[Thaipwriter]

He needs a Non-Immigrant B, and to extend it for a year once he gets a work permit. The wife ( must be the lawfully wed wife ) and the kids need Non-Imm O visa'a and they can all attach their visa's to his and extend in line with his continuing extensions.

So, thinking about saving some cash, is it possible to apply for single entry type O visas for wife and kids? that would give 3 months for them to extend.

He's already on extension based on work and has WP already

[Thaipwriter]

I'm serious .. and not being snide..it's a real issue for some families that causes mistrust, paranoia, etc..

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

[lopburi3]

Dr. Pat did not say multi entry that I see. Yes, single entry O visa is what you need.

From my experience with married folks thaigene2 post does contain some truth. I have seen a lot of divorce cases during and after assignments to Thailand. But these are temporary expats - those that make it a choice to live here permanently will probably have a much better record.

[samran]

From my experience with married folks thaigene2 post does contain some truth. I have seen a lot of divorce cases during and after assignments to Thailand. But these are temporary expats - those that make it a choice to live here permanently will probably have a much better record.

I also know of many farang couples meeting here. Most are married now with kiddies. There is a large community here too. I met my kiwi wife here too.

[thaigene2]

Also many Western women find it hard to adjust to the 'female competition' around them..I'm serious .. and not being snide..it's a real issue for some families that causes mistrust, paranoia, etc..

That quote got me thinking....and counting. In the 12 or so years I've lived here, I've known 29 couples that were farangs married to farangs...and 2 of these ended in divorce. That's really not that bad, is it? You might even say Thailand is good for marriage.

I've known 16 couples that were farangs married to Thais...and 2 of these ended in divorce. Not that bad either.

None of my Thai friends married to Thais have gotten divorced.

For those couples not married (farangs or Thai-farang couples), some have split up.

Still, those numbers don't really bear out that old stereotype about Western women finding it hard to adjust, do they?

Misty,

I didn't say anything about ending in divorce, I just said it's a real issue for some people, that's all. It can cause resentment.

So back to the schools issue Thaipwriter..Does your friend know the ratio of English to Thai (assume this a Thai-English bilingual school)? Frankly the visa issue is minor compared to choosing the right schools for his kids.

In the bi-lingual school that one of our kids attends, the ratio is only 1/3 English and 2/3 Thai. And it's a hi-so bilingual school. A bit of an uphill struggle for your friend's 10-year-old (but certainly not impossible to overcome). THis was okay for us since our kids were born here. I'd be interested to know if the raio is much different at this other school..and where it is, etc.

The bi-lingual schools promote the farang teachers a lot in parent interviews and 'class viewings' (they sort of trot them around) but in reality most of the teaching is done in Thai. He should bear in mind the bi-lingual schools are required to follow the Thai Ministry of Education curriculum. I believe (but could be wrong) the international schools have no such requirement.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Dr. Pat did not say multi entry that I see. Yes, single entry O visa is what you need.

From my experience with married folks thaigene2 post does contain some truth. I have seen a lot of divorce cases during and after assignments to Thailand. But these are temporary expats - those that make it a choice to live here permanently will probably have a much better record.

Careless reading I'm afraid Lop. Single entries are all that are required.