In Penang now and nobody is getting a Education Visa, even a tourist visa is a big mess.

[Kaymcdonnell]

I am in Penang in a broker agents for visas. He gets something like 100 people a day asking for visas at this time of year. It is utter chaos!!!. The new rules just arrive on Friday and all the paper work the potential education visa hunters are applying for are being rejected!

So next step is a tourist visa as they have belongings in Thailand and need to go back to collect. They need 20,000 bht to show at the border to state that they can stay one month in Thailand. So Western Union is in full swing! Those without WN are asking other people on the bus for a loan until they get over the border. This is utter madness. In 15 years i have never seen anything like this.

WOW people are crying.......

[Kaymcdonnell]

One lady here has been welcome in Thailand for 30 years and now stuck in Malaysia with a big problem.

[stevenl]

What new rules?

[Mario2008]

1 off topic comment removed.

[Old Croc]

Someone has been on an education visa for 30 years?

[Kaymcdonnell]

What new rules

So the statement is like this

Certify Letter from school, study time table, all must have Endorsed by Education Department Starting from 20th October.

I am lucky i do not need this kind of visa, but i must say that the people here were not informed before they left Thailand and some with limited resources. Very sad for some people.

Now it gets worse. There is so much chaos at the embassy that the passports are not coming back. The busses are waiting to take people back the th passports are not coming back. The say the embassy has closed its doors until 4.30???

[mrtoad]

Sounds dramatic, they might need to helicopter in Kate Aidie to a report on this terrible situation

[schlog]

Why not use creditcards?

[Kaymcdonnell]

Someone has been on an education visa for 30 years?

NO dont presume the worst of people. She had her own resort until recently and sold due to no bookings. She has been on Education visa for 1 year. She speaks fluent thai but wants to learn how to read and write.

There are many young people here, Lets keep to the point that they were not for-warned . Thailand allowed this behavior for many years so i think they should be a little more carful about making swift changes. I am also not against what the military are doing, but it is not good to leave so many people stranded like this..

[Kaymcdonnell]

Why not use creditcards?

Where you ever young and excited to travel?

[Kaymcdonnell]

Why not use creditcards?

Where you ever young and excited to travel?

I am sure if thy contacted their parents they could get out of the fix, but they want to do this alone. But really is this the point??

[hansgruber]

It's good to tighten these rules.

It was a free for all and kept the drifters in.

Hopefully some will give up and get out.

Muay Thai training shouldn't be suitable for this visa.

Sent from my LG-D858

[Mario2008]

New immigration rules were announced more than 2 months ago, although not every detail of required documents.

The requirement for Min of Ed paperwork is well known.

[Kaymcdonnell]

It's good to tighten these rules.

It was a free for all and kept the drifters in.

Hopefully some will give up and get out.

Muay Thai training shouldn't be suitable for this visa.

Sent from my LG-D858

I do not really understand the education visa but at the end of day, can they please inform people in advance... anyway i know already this will not happen

[Kaymcdonnell]

There is so much going on here , nobody got their passports back and the immigration did not open this afternoon. Now they just announced that they will change the rules again and you can get your education visa in thailand in future. This must have been very stressful for everyone in the visa office here

[Kaymcdonnell]

There is so much going on here , nobody got their passports back and the immigration did not open this afternoon. Now they just announced that they will change the rules again and you can get your education visa in thailand in future. This must have been very stressful for everyone in the visa office here

they say that there are hundreds of people waiting outside the closed embassy here

[hansgruber]

Exploitations always gets closed.

All these visa holders knew the grey areas of this visa. Accept it and get legal instead of moaning about it.

Many criminals use this visa to stay long term and work illegally. Good job keeping the country a little bit cleaner.

Sent from my LG-D858

[Kaymcdonnell]

Sounds dramatic, they might need to helicopter in Kate Aidie to a report on this terrible situation

Well it is dramatic to some people, happy for you that you do not have to worry

[LivinginKata]

There is so much going on here , nobody got their passports back and the immigration did not open this afternoon. Now they just announced that they will change the rules again and you can get your education visa in thailand in future. This must have been very stressful for everyone in the visa office here

Let's face it, we all know that many folks on 'Education Visa' use this loop hole as an excuse to stay on long term in Thailand, and many rarely if ever attend any classes.

And why would any so-called 'tourist' need to go down to KL for a tourist visa after the 2 + 1 month extension (maybe multiple) is finished.

I know there are many cases where folks are more of less staying in Thailand with there own personal funding, but I also know that there many (many) working here in Thailand. What are the authorities supposed to do to weed out those illegally working ?

Maybe by offering the 5 year visa @ 500,000 baht to prove that applicants do indeed have the private funding.

[NamKangMan]

Penang guest houses, hotels, restaurants and bars must be happy.

[mrtoad]

Sounds dramatic, they might need to helicopter in Kate Aidie to a report on this terrible situation

Well it is dramatic to some people, happy for you that you do not have to worry

It sounds like a job for the UN with all these displaced people.

[NamKangMan]

ALL foreigners should have a "Plan B" as an alternative to living in Thailand.

Many, and possibly myself in the future, may need to resort to their Plan B.

A little sticker in your passport does not give you the right to reside here. It could be canceled at anytime.

[Kaymcdonnell]

Well i think it is good to inform people about what is going on as many people want to know, i am just using this forum to inform. If this is bad and the negative people want to post silly things, then up to them..

Forums are to keep people informed.

[KarenBravo]

Could be wrong, but, with the tourist visa they only ask to see the 20,000 Bt at the land border. Fly to Phuket on Firefly and they don't ask.

[LivinginKata]

Well i think it is good to inform people about what is going on as many people want to know, i am just using this forum to inform. If this is bad and the negative people want to post silly things, then up to them..

Forums are to keep people informed.

The Thaivisa visa,residency, and workpermit forum is packed with useful, accurate, and up-to-date information.

[hansgruber]

Exploitations always gets closed.

All these visa holders knew the grey areas of this visa. Accept it and get legal instead of moaning about it.

Many criminals use this visa to stay long term and work illegally. Good job keeping the country a little bit cleaner.

Sent from my LG-D858

How are these people not legal if they have a ED visa and studying Thai. It would be illegal if they had no Visa.

Its the Thai people who created this illegally Teaching Market not people on Ed visas.

"Good job keeping the country a little bit cleaner." B.S

It was a loophole that many used to stay whilst “studying“.

Maybe a few are legit students but a majority were not.

I never said they were illegal. I said get legal to the new rules.

I'm glad this hole is closing. Too many scum on this island.

Sent from my LG-D858

[hansgruber]

Also, Please show me one person that actually came to Thailand to study.

99.9% would have used it only as a 2nd option to prolong their stay with no intention to study.

Sent from my LG-D858

[N47HAN]

Quite ironic really , for years now I have to get a visa to leave the country (re-entry) if i want to keep everything in order. :-)

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[schlog]

Why not use creditcards?

Where you ever young and excited to travel?

I do not buy this argument. I got my first creditcard when i start to work and this was with the age of 16. Most of them do not care and have no coverage for things like this or accidents.

So they have to pay the price for their actions.

By the way I would give my children a creditcard for emergency when they are abroad.

[Sharp]

For the most part looks like Visa runners nailed!! Simple....