I'm in the 2nd stage of my O Visa with a problem

[tfa1957]

Hi Folks,

I'm one of these people who seek out information before leaping, but, I didn't do as good as I should have perhaps. Here is my scenario....I am in the process of applying for my Non O Visa (Retirement), and I have gone now, from the extended Visitor Visa to the Non O but have to report in 3 months to officially apply for the Non O....sounds very confusing....but, the important thing is, I need to stay here for this 3 month period, and then when I apply and am granted my offical Non O Visa with retirement...the terminology of this isn't what is important....but, anyway, I stay until I apply and receive my Non O.....now, I'm an American, an my wife and children are from the Philippines with Philippine passports. My wife needs to leave for a conference for 15 August, and she is presently under the last month of her 3 month Visitor Visa. We were told at the office in Chiang Rai that we need to go to Bangkok Immigration because of her and the children's passports. If we do this, and she gets a similar Visa, then she is not be able to attend her conference in Manila, Philippines. So, my question is, does my wife and children take a trip to say, Laos, to the Philippine Embassy and get another Visitor Visa so that they will be able to leave for the conference in August, or is there something we are over looking? Actually, are they even able to get a new Visitor Visa anymore if they fly out to the Laos capital and return? Any suggestions on how to proceed so that she can attend her conference, with the children in Manila, in August, and then apply for a Non O visa under me when she returns, any ideas that are applicable to our situation would be greatly appreciated.

Tom

[ubonjoe]

They are giving you incorrect info about your wife and children going to Bangkok to do a change of visa status to a non immigrant visa. Bangkok will not do them for dependent extensions. They will have to go to an embassy for consulate to get non immigrant O visa in order to do their extensions but they will not be able to get them until your extension is done.

You do not have to wait the full 90 days to apply for your extension. You can do it in the last 30 days of your the 90 day entry you have.

You wrote 3 month visitor visa I assume you mean a tourist visa that gives 60 day entry that can be extended 30 days.

If your children are under the age of 15 they do not pay overstay fines.

When does you wife's entry or extension end. She could make a trip to Mae Sai and get a 15 day entry if she needs more time. And then try to get her non-o in Manila while she is there.

[tfa1957]

My wife and children's extension runs out on the 21st of July, this month. The issue is, I have a U.S. passport, and am in the process of converting to a Non O, and with my wife, and children, who have Philippine passports, I need them under mine because of the income issue with Non O Visa. The Chiang Rai office states it can only be accomplished in the Bangkok Immigration office. Are you saying the office is giving incorrect information, or is it possibly me who has stated this all incorrectly? The reason I say that is because the folks at our Immigration Office seem very good at their jobs and very helpful with explaining as best they can under the circumstances (i.e., language barrier, but not terribly so). After they understood (Immigration in Chiang Rai) that my wife and I have a valid marriage certificate is when they said Bangkok is the correct thing to do. I think the issue of her leaving is no longer an issue because we read that, as long as we notify Immigration that she is leaving the country and returning a week later, that, the process does not have to start all over for her, to get the proper Visa, under my retirement income. If she tries for her Non O in Manila or any consulate, say Laos or Cambodia, I think I would have to go with her and the kids because the retirement income is under my name. Correct? So, Bangkok may seem right for this, but, I just wanted feedback to be sure. As for me going to Manila or anywhere right now, I have no desire for that as I'm needed at our home for other reasons. I have my step 2 extension that lasts the 3 months, and you are correct in that I can go in and apply within the last 30 days, but, I have no need to really do that. I appreciate that information though because each country is different in this respect and I'm glad to have your input on this.

what it sounds like your saying, that worries me is that, if you are correct, in that they can't get an extension under me, then I will have to go with them to a consulate out of the country, which is a shame. I have not been to Mae Sai Immigration, but, would you reccommend that we go talk with them to get better clarification? Miscommunication can be easy here, and might be the case with our office here, meaning, I might not have been clear enough with the immigration officials as to what we need for my family, and doesn't reflect on them in any way, so I'll take responsibility if that is the case, but with Mae Sai only being a short drive away, it seems it might be better for us, what do you think? Or would we have the same communication issues?

[ubonjoe]

I assure you that a trip to Bangkok would be a wasted trip. It is not the first time an immigration office has made the same mistake.

It has nothing to do with their passports. Immigration does not do a change from a tourist visa like you were able to do for a dependent extension.

You do not have to be with your wife and children when they apply for non-o visas. They just need copies of your passport photo page and extension stamp when you get it. And your marriage certificate and children s birth certificates.

[lopburi3]

Am I right that you are still on a tourist visa entry? And you want to change to non immigrant entry for 90 day stay for reason of retirement? And this can not be done at your local immigration office? So you can take proof of financials and obtain the entry visa change at Bangkok but that will not help wife/child as you must have an extension of stay before they can obtain a matching extension of stay. As said this is normally required to be obtained from a Consulate showing your marriage and your passport extension of stay so not likely to be obtained for them so they should obtain tourist visa or visa exempt entry and again for return - but if she "must" leave for a conference it might appear she must be working here and there is currently a very strong push to not allow tourist visa entry for such travelers.

[ubonjoe]

Am I right that you are still on a tourist visa entry? And you want to change to non immigrant entry for 90 day stay for reason of retirement? And this can not be done at your local immigration office? So you can take proof of financials and obtain the entry visa change at Bangkok but that will not help wife/child as you must have an extension of stay before they can obtain a matching extension of stay. As said this is normally required to be obtained from a Consulate showing your marriage and your passport extension of stay so not likely to be obtained for them so they should obtain tourist visa or visa exempt entry and again for return - but if she "must" leave for a conference it might appear she must be working here and there is currently a very strong push to not allow tourist visa entry for such travelers.

He has already done the change to a non immigrant visa entry.

Chiang Rai immigration is stating that his wife and children can go to immigration in Bangkok to do the change to non immigrant visa for their dependent extensions. But of course are the are wrong because it cannot be done.

[tfa1957]

Thank you very much Joe, and I understand now. I appreciate the experience your sharing, and the help plus the time you have saved us. So, we will just have them go to the Laos capitol or Cambodian one, whichever is less expensive and safest for travel from where we are up north.

lopburi3, I did get my Non O 90 stay, and no, I did not go to Bangkok for it. I was able to apply at my immigration office, here in Chiang Rai, and they (immigration in Chiang Rai) then forwarded my papers to Mae Sai. A couple of weeks was all it took to complete this. I called it a second stage Visa, meaning I still have the 3rd stage of the process to complete, which is the Non O for the year. I did this for retirement also, as I meet the conditions of the monthly income. So, as I mentioned to Joe, my wife and children will take a trip to their consulate (Philippine) in either Laos or Cambodia with the paperwork. I really do think it was just a miscommunication at immigraion as to what my wife and children needed, which is basically why I asked for input here.

Thank you guys very much for your help

Tom

[lopburi3]

Perhaps it is his terminology but he said

The issue is, I have a U.S. passport, and am in the process of converting to a Non O

in his last post making it appear he does not have it yet. But guess that is what he is calling the extension of stay. The right terms do help here.

[lopburi3]

They must obtain visas from the Thai Consulate but not sure non immigrant O will be issued prior to your extension of stay stamp.

[tfa1957]

I'm sorry for the confusion, but yes, I have the 90 day Non O, and as I stated, earlier, and thought I made it clear, I said the part 2 because basically there are 3 parts to getting a Non O year Visa.....sorry for any confusion, but I think Joe understood what I had meant. Unless, I am misunderstanding and this extension for 90 days is not called a 90 day Non O Visa?? See, this is why I came here, for clarification. I pretty much used the immigration officers verbal terms of this being a 3 part process....First an extension of my tourist Visa, and apply for Non O, and then get the 90 day extension (90 Day Non O??), and then go back anytime after 60 or so days to apply for a year visa Non o-Retirement....right??

My wife's tourist Visa extension is up on the 21st of July, this month....and I think the idea of having her get a 15 day extension in Mae Sai will work for her as then, it will be close enough to her conference date in Manila and she just has to leave a little earlier than planned is all. So, she should be able to get her Non O dependent Visa matching my dates from the Thai Embassy in Manila. It seems a bit odd as to how they require things here, but I'm sure it could be much worse, and probably, in some countries it is much worse. So, we will just go through these steps as best we can, and continue to appreciate this help that you folks have and are given.

Tom

Edited July 3, 2014 by tfa1957

[lopburi3]

There was no need to extend tourist visa unless it was below 15 days remaining when you visited immigration.

You converted your stay to a 90 day non immigrant visa entry using proof of financials for retirement - cost 2,000 baht.

Next you want to extend that 90 day stay for one year using TM.7 and cost of 1,900 baht - this is called an extension of stay.

Can you extend your stay now? Financials in place? That would provide wife more of a chance at obtaining a non immigrant O visa I believe - Thai Manila Embassy is not considered a fun experience by most reports. In any case they will require copy of marriage proof and copy of your passport and stamps.

If a problem a tourist visa could be used until you get your extension and then the non immigrant O obtained for wife/child in Laos later.

[TerryLH]

"....the terminology of this isn't what is important...."

Actually, as you can see from reading the posts here, the correct terminology is important.

Unfortunately, I think we're going to be reading more about this in a couple of weeks.

" I think the issue of her leaving is no longer an issue because we read that, as long as we notify Immigration that she is leaving the country and returning a week later, that, the process does not have to start all over for her, to get the proper Visa, under my retirement income."

OP, what you're talking about here is her getting a re-entry permit, not just notifying them that she is leaving and will be returning. There is a form at the top of the forum for this. The cost is 1000 baht for a single re-entry , plus photos and some copies of her passport.

When UbonJoe mentioned Mae Sai I believe he was talking about your wife exiting the country, and returning with a new entry good for 15 days, not going there to talk to someone else.

When you do get around to doing the 1 year extension, if you're using income from abroad, you'll need a new letter from your embassy.

There is a lot of good info in the pinned topics at the top of the forum. Well worth a read.

I wish you the best of luck with this.

[boike]

@ ubonjoe, aren't there special privileges for Phillipines passport holder that th OP can use?

Send from my Galaxy S4 4G LTE

[ubonjoe]

@ ubonjoe, aren't there special privileges for Phillipines passport holder that th OP can use?

Send from my Galaxy S4 4G LTE

There are no special privileges for those from the Philippines other than getting free tourist visas..

[lopburi3]

Indeed having such a passport may work against obtaining even a normal visa exempt entry currently as many holders are working here and the target of crackdown to require proper visas.