ED visa - new rules apply as to-day!

[paz]

This is one change among many such as the need for ID at all times reinforced again as well as notifying change of residence, and I sense there is more to come such as testing at immigration, speaking reading and writing, and who knows what else they are going to come up with. But, things are changing rapidly, you have to look at the bigger picture and see all of these changes that are taking place and why. Even people with retirement visas and non B have to report every 90 days and now non B have to leave every 90 days...

Non B have to leave every 90 days?????

No. Do not listen to the non informed. Nothing has changed. Anybody always had to report every 90 days. People with multi entry non-imm B always had to leave every 90 days, or get an yearly extension of stay because of being employed.

[mataleo]

All new ED applicants just follow what is a standard application and approval.

Students going from year 1 to year 2 or year 2 to year 3 apply in the same way but instead of just getting a visa extension at immigration they must now leave the country to obtain a new visa from a Thai Consulate or Embassy,

Can no longer give 15 months in the first year it will be 13 months only

If you enter Thailand on a 30 day tourist visa then apply for a student visa this 30 day or 60 day will be deducted from your 12 month student visa

Learning via skype like some schools offer does not get you a student visa,

all students currently on student visa's having done more than 12 months must re-apply for there student visa's after the 29th of August.

where classroom time (not confirmed yet will go from 4 hours per week to 8 hours per week) this will effect all the smaller schools who only have 1 or 2 classrooms)

after everyone gets a new student visa, schools are to be inspected on a regular basis, non attendance at schools will result in visa's being cancelled 70% attendance is required.

all visa shops law firms and visa booths in bars are also to be inspected and forced to give the names of the schools who are supplying the paper work for them.

Most schools are investigated as they simply have more customers than can sit down in the classrooms even if they open 24 hours per day, these schools are in big trouble and we where informed that 1 school has already been closed resulting in peoples visa's being cancelled.

[ubonjoe]

Here is what the new police order that goes into effect on the 29th of this month says.

2.9 In the case of enrollment in a private educational institution:

(1) In case of general education institution, each permission shall be granted for a period certified by the educational institution, which shall not exceed one year.

(2) In case of non-formal school, each permission shall be granted for a period certified by the educational institution, for no more than 90 days, total length of stay shall not exceed one year from the date of entering the Kingdom.

Types of non-formal school are such as religion, arts and sports, vocational, tutoring and skill development school as specified by the Private Education Commission ***

(1) Must have been granted a non-immigrant visa (NON-IM).

(2) The particular educational institution receives permission to establish said educational institution issued by the relevant government agency

(3) Must have been confirmed and requested by the particular educational institution.

(4) Must have been confirmed by the relevant government agency (except in case of enrollment in international school and in higher education)

Announcement from the Private Education Commission,

Subject: Types and nature of schools, teaching management and curriculum of non-formal school dated on 12 February 2009

Religious school: a school established by sole purpose of teaching religion

Art and Sports school: a school established to provide education of music, art and sports

Vocational school: a school established to provide vocational skills to be applied to further carrier or as an additional skill for learners

Tutoring school: a school established to provide additional knowledge parrarel to the general education curriculum

Skill Development school: established to develop talents, ideas and other skills of learners

[ColdSingha]

All new ED applicants just follow what is a standard application and approval.

Students going from year 1 to year 2 or year 2 to year 3 apply in the same way but instead of just getting a visa extension at immigration they must now leave the country to obtain a new visa from a Thai Consulate or Embassy,

Can no longer give 15 months in the first year it will be 13 months only

If you enter Thailand on a 30 day tourist visa then apply for a student visa this 30 day or 60 day will be deducted from your 12 month student visa

Learning via skype like some schools offer does not get you a student visa,

all students currently on student visa's having done more than 12 months must re-apply for there student visa's after the 29th of August.

where classroom time (not confirmed yet will go from 4 hours per week to 8 hours per week) this will effect all the smaller schools who only have 1 or 2 classrooms)

after everyone gets a new student visa, schools are to be inspected on a regular basis, non attendance at schools will result in visa's being cancelled 70% attendance is required.

all visa shops law firms and visa booths in bars are also to be inspected and forced to give the names of the schools who are supplying the paper work for them.

Most schools are investigated as they simply have more customers than can sit down in the classrooms even if they open 24 hours per day, these schools are in big trouble and we where informed that 1 school has already been closed resulting in peoples visa's being cancelled.

what's the source please for this?

[Maestro]

Removed a troll post and the reply to it.

[leggo]

Well finally the epilogue to this posting is that I went to Mataphut immigration yesterday where they are a lot more user friendly than Jomtien and they carefully explained to me that I could not extend my stay based on dependancy , based on retirement etc. They even tested my Thai and when I told them I was doing 4 hrs only a week they said that the new rules would be much stricter because there were too many people out there NOT learning Thai (so watch out all you scammers!) Anyway they advised me to get a Non O which would give me 90 days and then I could get an extension based on my wifes teaching visa. So all hunky dory for me as I am going to Hanoi anyway next week and shall apply at the embassy there. BUT it was abundandly clear to me that after 1 year on and ED visa you will have to do a visa run and if you want to continue learning Thai they will be testing you and you won't get away with just a few hours a week.They told me this was conform to the new August guidelines.

[baco]

My school told me that after the first year of your ED visa you have to leave the country to apply for a new one. In your second year you can't get extensions anymore so you have to apply every 90 days for a new ED visa outside of thailand

Edited October 2, 2014 by baco

[ubonjoe]

My school told me that after the first year of your ED visa you have to leave the country to apply for a new one. In your second year you can't get extensions anymore so you have to apply every 90 days for a new ED visa outside of thailand

That is not correct. You just need to go out for a new visa once and then get the 90 extensions up to a total of one year. Then you have to go out again for another ED visa to start another year.

[Mario2008]

My school told me that after the first year of your ED visa you have to leave the country to apply for a new one. In your second year you can't get extensions anymore so you have to apply every 90 days for a new ED visa outside of thailand

That is not what the new rules say.

After one year you have to leave the country, but when you return you get again extensions for 90 days at a time till you are in country for 1 year and then you have to leave again for a new ED-visa.

[baco]

Maybe it is made rule by immigration office of Samui

[MacWalen]

Yes. Samui immigration is doing something very strange for second year students. We are working on it.

[leggo]

Got a non O at Hanoi - friendliest, easiest embassy of all time -ten people in the queue on a Monday morning and no one at all on Tuesday pm pick up! Case closed.

[MacWalen]

Now all is back to normal in Samui

[Hjernestimulanz]

I can confirm what the OP said.

The situation is actually kind of crazy.

One of my friends was supposed to receive his final extension on his second ED visa on August 14th. (By final extension, I mean the one from the 12th to the 15th month since, according to the previous rules, an ED visa could allow you to stay up to 15 months in Thailand).

Anyway, today, he got a call from his school saying that:

a) They had a meeting at Jomtien Immigration yesterday and that, from today onwards, 1 ED visa = 12 months.

b ) Since my friend's visa now expires on August 14th and since the Queen's birthday is next week, there is no way the MOE can process the paperwork for a new visa in time.

So, basically, my friend is screwed and he will have to exit the country, apply for a tourist visa, hope he will not get in any trouble at the border, come back into Thailand, apply for a new ED visa, re-exit Thailand and re-enter under the new ED visa.

The fact that there is no grace period is quite ridiculous.

can you wait with getting a ED visa until you are in thailand or do you need to do anything in your home country?

[ubonjoe]

I can confirm what the OP said.

The situation is actually kind of crazy.

One of my friends was supposed to receive his final extension on his second ED visa on August 14th. (By final extension, I mean the one from the 12th to the 15th month since, according to the previous rules, an ED visa could allow you to stay up to 15 months in Thailand).

Anyway, today, he got a call from his school saying that:

a) They had a meeting at Jomtien Immigration yesterday and that, from today onwards, 1 ED visa = 12 months.

b ) Since my friend's visa now expires on August 14th and since the Queen's birthday is next week, there is no way the MOE can process the paperwork for a new visa in time.

So, basically, my friend is screwed and he will have to exit the country, apply for a tourist visa, hope he will not get in any trouble at the border, come back into Thailand, apply for a new ED visa, re-exit Thailand and re-enter under the new ED visa.

The fact that there is no grace period is quite ridiculous.

can you wait with getting a ED visa until you are in thailand or do you need to do anything in your home country?

A lot has changed since this topic was started.

You will not get a ED visa within Thailand you will have to go to a embassy or consulate in a nearby country to get it. If you are from a country that can only get visas in your home country you would have to enroll in a school prior to traveling and get a non-ed visa at the embassy or consulate there.