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

[roath]

How about the Thai elite card, I am sure you can afford half a mil for a one year stay??

It's actually 500k and you get 5 year visa multi entry with diplomatic lane privilege.

I don't have one but I might do soon as I know someone who just renewed and got another 5 years.

There you go NKM it's only 100k per year and you are legal, but why do I think you will

have another excuse ready as to why you cannot do things the legal way????

this presumes that you get the full 5 years "value". if you are, for example, 48 you only get 2 years worth before you would be otherwise eligibile for extension based on retirement so that would make it 250k a year which is quite a different proposition. if you were under 45 though this would be a serious option..

[Kaymcdonnell]

I think a big point that many people fail to grasp about the original post is that the change (last rule made on previous Friday and enforced on Monday) was done too rationally for people to get the correct paperwork. So lets assume that 50% of the people in Penang were as some of you quote (working the system) there were also genuine school teachers there from genuine jobs, possibly doing a very good job educating students of all nationalities. these people were already in transit with all the correct and legal paperwork.

The whole point is lack of communication and forward thinking.

Surely all you negative responders can have some sympathy for them??? Or maybe you are too negative of anyone or everything that is not as perfect as you?? Or you are getting commission on sales of the ELITE CARD.

[Mosha]

Someone has been on an education visa for 30 years?

Slow learners?

[hansgruber]

I think a big point that many people fail to grasp about the original post is that the change (last rule made on previous Friday and enforced on Monday) was done too rationally for people to get the correct paperwork. So lets assume that 50% of the people in Penang were as some of you quote (working the system) there were also genuine school teachers there from genuine jobs, possibly doing a very good job educating students of all nationalities. these people were already in transit with all the correct and legal paperwork.

The whole point is lack of communication and forward thinking.

Surely all you negative responders can have some sympathy for them??? Or maybe you are too negative of anyone or everything that is not as perfect as you?? Or you are getting commission on sales of the ELITE CARD.

Why would teachers need a education visa? Surely they have work permits, right?

Sent from my LG-D858

[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.

Kay - you are providing a service for which a few people should be grateful. The only thing you are guilty of is a little naivety in not knowing that at least half of the posters on these forums are knuckle-draggers and mouth-breathers.

Actually i knew what to expect as i have posted many things. Most of the people that send out negative comments are not even brave enough to use thre own name and hid behind the forum. I don't ever take it personally, i have leaned to have a broad back living here so long. There are some nasty ******** out here along with the good ones. They know who they are.

[Kaymcdonnell]

I think a big point that many people fail to grasp about the original post is that the change (last rule made on previous Friday and enforced on Monday) was done too rationally for people to get the correct paperwork. So lets assume that 50% of the people in Penang were as some of you quote (working the system) there were also genuine school teachers there from genuine jobs, possibly doing a very good job educating students of all nationalities. these people were already in transit with all the correct and legal paperwork.

The whole point is lack of communication and forward thinking.

Surely all you negative responders can have some sympathy for them??? Or maybe you are too negative of anyone or everything that is not as perfect as you?? Or you are getting commission on sales of the ELITE CARD.

Why would teachers need a education visa? Surely they have work permits, right?

Sent from my LG-D858

Well i might be wrong, but i understood they had to get a ED visa to get a work permit?

[phuketrichard]

my $.05 worth

if u have money the elite program is good

and than once u hit 50 u go to the retirement exteniosn route

BUT i must admit that there are some that can not drop $15,000 out of their savings for a visa, with no assurance it wont be cancelled or the requirements change, yet they do have $15,000/year to spend

as to the ed visa i think having them show they have 20,000 baht is very reasonable how else can they stay UNLESS there working an 20,000 is nothing. YOU could, ONLY, barley live on that one month

Edited October 21, 2014 by phuketrichard

[AnotherOneAmerican]

I think a big point that many people fail to grasp about the original post is that the change (last rule made on previous Friday and enforced on Monday) was done too rationally for people to get the correct paperwork. So lets assume that 50% of the people in Penang were as some of you quote (working the system) there were also genuine school teachers there from genuine jobs, possibly doing a very good job educating students of all nationalities. these people were already in transit with all the correct and legal paperwork.

The whole point is lack of communication and forward thinking.

Surely all you negative responders can have some sympathy for them??? Or maybe you are too negative of anyone or everything that is not as perfect as you?? Or you are getting commission on sales of the ELITE CARD.

People on Ed Visas aren't allowed to work, not as schoolteachers either.

I have no sympathy for people working illegally in Thailand.

No matter what illegal work they are doing.

Hefty jail time would discourage them.

[istinspring]

Returned from Penang 10 days ago. Go by myself, with pack of documents from school, Firefly from Samui to Penang. The documents was messed a bit (agency told me that it depends on luck but if Embassy reject they'll immediately apply to TR visa , i used agency instead of visit Royal Embassy directly, in additional they made documents ready on the same day), but luckily i got ED visa. Flight back to Koh Samui no one asks anything about money, officer even smile to me. Actually you should have bankbook statement with 30k baht when school send documents to the Ministry of Education.

TLDR: I and my friend got his ED and TR visa in Penang 10 days ago without any problems. Both Russian Empire passport holders.

Too bad for people really terrible situation, if something like that happened with me i had a plan to stay in Malaysia for a while and after that move to Cambodia. But hmm, i have a lot of stuff in Thailand already....

I have no sympathy for people working illegally in Thailand.

+1 people really how about to respect the laws? or 3rd world country laws don't apply to 1st class citizens?

Edited October 21, 2014 by istinspring

[LivinginKata]

A number of posts making personal insults to members have been removed. A bit of civility please.

[mrtoad]

I think a big point that many people fail to grasp about the original post is that the change (last rule made on previous Friday and enforced on Monday) was done too rationally for people to get the correct paperwork. So lets assume that 50% of the people in Penang were as some of you quote (working the system) there were also genuine school teachers there from genuine jobs, possibly doing a very good job educating students of all nationalities. these people were already in transit with all the correct and legal paperwork.

The whole point is lack of communication and forward thinking.

Surely all you negative responders can have some sympathy for them??? Or maybe you are too negative of anyone or everything that is not as perfect as you?? Or you are getting commission on sales of the ELITE CARD.

Why would teachers need a education visa? Surely they have work permits, right?

Sent from my LG-D858

Well i might be wrong, but i understood they had to get a ED visa to get a work permit?

No, they get an Ed visa so they can work illegally , or set up a Grind House, or other work; without a work permit and paying tax. There are a number if regular posters on the forum who are quite vocal that there is nothing wrong with this and that they are a benefit to society. I am guessing that immigration and the embassies in the area are getting wise to how these types if visas are being abused.

[mrtoad]

I think a big point that many people fail to grasp about the original post is that the change (last rule made on previous Friday and enforced on Monday) was done too rationally for people to get the correct paperwork. So lets assume that 50% of the people in Penang were as some of you quote (working the system) there were also genuine school teachers there from genuine jobs, possibly doing a very good job educating students of all nationalities. these people were already in transit with all the correct and legal paperwork.

The whole point is lack of communication and forward thinking.

Surely all you negative responders can have some sympathy for them??? Or maybe you are too negative of anyone or everything that is not as perfect as you?? Or you are getting commission on sales of the ELITE CARD.

Penang has been a difficult place for a while now, however if you have all the documents, especially if you as you Are suggesting that people had genuine jobs then it should not be too difficult, there is a clear published checklist of what is required for e issuance of a non B Visa, some consulates and embassies ask for the complete lot of documents, some don't. My experience is that the ones in the region generally want all of the documents, so it's not wise to go without making sure it's all in place.

[hansgruber]

I even saw people getting education visas to study Muay Thai/MMA.

That's really laughable.

Sent from my LG-D858

[recom273]

Why do TV members shout 'teacher' every time ?

I think at 25-30K a month salary, the logistics of spending money on a language school and a visa run .. coupled with the reality of attending classes ( when ? or if at all ) then the Ed visa is no good for teachers.

More likely to be beach bums, sweatshop call centre workers and dive teachers who are likely candidates for an ed-visa.

[istinspring]

I even saw people getting education visas to study Muay Thai/MMA.

That's really laughable.

Sent from my LG-D858

Why not? Actually Muay Thai is national sport they can proud for. Why not spread it around? How you can be in Thailand legally for studying Muay Thai especially if you're native English speaker? Cheating system with your fake ED visa?

[Kaymcdonnell]

I think a big point that many people fail to grasp about the original post is that the change (last rule made on previous Friday and enforced on Monday) was done too rationally for people to get the correct paperwork. So lets assume that 50% of the people in Penang were as some of you quote (working the system) there were also genuine school teachers there from genuine jobs, possibly doing a very good job educating students of all nationalities. these people were already in transit with all the correct and legal paperwork.

The whole point is lack of communication and forward thinking.

Surely all you negative responders can have some sympathy for them??? Or maybe you are too negative of anyone or everything that is not as perfect as you?? Or you are getting commission on sales of the ELITE CARD.

Well the point is they came from legitimate schools and maybe once the legit ones learn the language or course required, they could become excellent teachers so the kids. They are not all bad........

[MobileContent]

You all who have never lived in another Asian country may want to contemplate why Thailand's neighbors do not have all these silly "visa" problems. Why is there a website called ThaiVisa ? Why is Thailand so special ? It was. It just isn't anymore.

When these "visa" rules became laughable in a week I was gone. The party is over. It is time to go.

If you have family there and cannot leave, you have my sympathies.

If anyone has family here they can always get an O visa or go for an extension of stay. I am almost 50 years but I don't want to go to the hassle of having 400k parked for two months in the bank account and go through the same hassle every year. For me the Elite Card is the only option .

[Tony125]

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.

Its not like most farangs blend in . Give them thier visa and if worried about farangs working illegaly send out officers to check establisments and see if they have work permit or own company.

[Tony125]

I even saw people getting education visas to study Muay Thai/MMA.

That's really laughable.

Sent from my LG-D858

Why not? Actually Muay Thai is national sport they can proud for. Why not spread it around? How you can be in Thailand legally for studying Muay Thai especially if you're native English speaker? Cheating system with your fake ED visa?

Why not a visa for studying Muay thai, its not a fake ED visa. A couple of well known MMA fighters men and women came over here to refine their skills by learning Muay Thai. There is also a guy on YouTube who makes movies and teaches TaeKwondo and Martial arts. He came over for a year to learn Muay Thai and documented it on YouTube so no fake ed visa they were here to train. Can look him up on YT under KwonKicker

Edited October 21, 2014 by Tony125

[hansgruber]

I even saw people getting education visas to study Muay Thai/MMA.

That's really laughable.

Sent from my LG-D858

Why not? Actually Muay Thai is national sport they can proud for. Why not spread it around? How you can be in Thailand legally for studying Muay Thai especially if you're native English speaker? Cheating system with your fake ED visa?

Why not a visa for studying Muay thai, its not a fake ED visa. A couple of well known MMA fighters men and women came over here to refine their skills by learning Muay Thai. There is also a guy on YouTube who makes movies and teaches TaeKwondo and Martial arts. He came over for a year to learn Muay Thai and documented it on YouTube so no fake ed visa they were here to train. Can look him up on YT under KwonKicker

My point is that it's a hole for exploitation.

These schools have no affiliation with immigration nor is the attendance checked.

Do they make the applicant come in and show off some techniques like elbows or roundhouse kicks to the officer?

Just curious.

Sent from my LG-D858

[Siriam]

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

do you have further details about it?

[PoorSucker]

Well i might be wrong, but i understood they had to get a ED visa to get a work permit?

You need a non-B or a non-O (based on family or volunteering) to get a work permit.

You can not get a work permit on an ED-visa.

[hansgruber]

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

do you have further details about it?

If she had been here for 30 years then odds would suggest she is over 50 and eligible for a retirement visa but...

She might not have the funds to maintain one so they teeter on the edge until things like this happen and they get exposed.

Sent from my LG-D858

[istinspring]

I even saw people getting education visas to study Muay Thai/MMA.

That's really laughable.

Sent from my LG-D858

Why not? Actually Muay Thai is national sport they can proud for. Why not spread it around? How you can be in Thailand legally for studying Muay Thai especially if you're native English speaker? Cheating system with your fake ED visa?

Why not a visa for studying Muay thai, its not a fake ED visa. A couple of well known MMA fighters men and women came over here to refine their skills by learning Muay Thai. There is also a guy on YouTube who makes movies and teaches TaeKwondo and Martial arts. He came over for a year to learn Muay Thai and documented it on YouTube so no fake ed visa they were here to train. Can look him up on YT under KwonKicker

My point is that it's a hole for exploitation.

These schools have no affiliation with immigration nor is the attendance checked.

Do they make the applicant come in and show off some techniques like elbows or roundhouse kicks to the officer?

Just curious.

Sent from my LG-D858

I don't know how in Martial arts but in our school, staff take photos of class every time, for the Ministry of Education.

[recom273]

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.

Its not like most farangs blend in . Give them thier visa and if worried about farangs working illegaly send out officers to check establisments and see if they have work permit or own company.

So you always apply visa dodging with white-western faces ?

There is a bigger picture here, just take a look at the rest of Thailand. Just yesterday, the sofa upholsterer who came to for a quote .. was Chinese, his Thai was unconvicing and broken, and he spoke good English. People here employ illegal Burmese at a drop of a hat, because its value for money.

In a certain GH in Penang i have seen shopping bags full of Chinese passports being collected behind closed doors. In my local immigration office, i see stacks of Burmese and Cambodian passports being presented for 90 day reports ( where are the owners ? working in the rubber factory, no time to report ).

All of which generates some nice sized brown envelopes.

[PoorSucker]

In my local immigration office, i see stacks of Burmese and Cambodian passports being presented for 90 day reports ( where are the owners ? working in the rubber factory, no time to report ).

You do not have to do 90 day reporting in person.

[stevenl]

My friend went to Phuket Town immigration today to apply for a retirement visa. He was there for three and a half hours.

He says he was told this: First get a month's extension, then a three month visa/extension and then he would be legible to apply for the retirement visa. I probably haven't got this exactly right but, for sure, it's one month – come back, three months – come back, and then at the end of the three months, apply for a retirement.

He says the American lady who works there as a farang helper told him that she had never heard of this before. She was very surprised, apparently.

Maybe there are new rules from Friday.

Well, he can not apply for a retirement visa on Phuket.

Easiest way: get a O-visa from abroad, and extend that based on retirement.

[ColdSingha]

You all who have never lived in another Asian country may want to contemplate why Thailand's neighbors do not have all these silly "visa" problems. Why is there a website called ThaiVisa ? Why is Thailand so special ? It was. It just isn't anymore.

When these "visa" rules became laughable in a week I was gone. The party is over. It is time to go.

If you have family there and cannot leave, you have my sympathies.

If anyone has family here they can always get an O visa or go for an extension of stay. I am almost 50 years but I don't want to go to the hassle of having 400k parked for two months in the bank account and go through the same hassle every year. For me the Elite Card is the only option .

you would rather spend 500K than leave 400K in a bank account?!

[EnglishJohn]

Some of the comments, as usual, make me want to throw up. For some reason many posters seem delighted that people got in a tough situation thanks to a very stupid decision by the Penang consulate. I should not be surprised, after all it is said and repeated that Thailand attracts the worst type of expats.

The thing is, schools would have no problem whatsoever to get the proper documentation. They just needed to be warned in advance so that they could send docs to be approved by the ministry. Apparently that was too much to ask to the thai consul.

I wouldn't worry, they'll dump the retirees next.

Foreigners are no longer welcome in Thailand for more than a two week holiday, once a year.

lol, right up until the point where they finally realise the country is slipping deeper and deeper into the third world and the rules will change yet again. Most things I've seen here which are lifting the country in areas like science, technology and engineering have a farang or farang company guiding it somewhere at the top (and I don't mean 'academics' who do nothing for the real world). Leave it to Thais and 90% of the budget gets skimmed away.

[John1thru10]

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

Whereas, Thailand was created for YOU, right?

Edited October 21, 2014 by John1thru10