News on ED Study Hours

[jackoholly]

Hi All,

I'm hearing from various people that there is now a measure in place in regards to applying for a Thai Non IM ED. Some people are saying you need to study 4 hours a week, some 8, some 12 & and even 25 to get a year visa. I'm talking about private language schools in Bangkok, not universities.

Does anybody have any up-to-date information about this?

Thanks in advance.

[davejonesbkk]

I have been hearing this too, I first overheard the staff at the school I go to tell a potential new student that it was now 8hrs per week, at the time I was picking up my docs to apply for a new ed visa in the uk and I had paid a month prior based on 4hrs per week and asked if this would affect me too and was told it wouldnt and was coming into affect in 2 months. However since then I have heard from someone else I know who is signed up at another school that they have all been informed its now 8hrs a week and that some people have only been getting 2 month extensions at CW instead of 3 as they arent doing 8hrs per week (or something).

I have just been issued a new 1 year ed visa in the UK though without any issues, apparently its when you do the extension that problems start apparently...

[ubonjoe]

There are a few embassies and consulates that have set the hours so high it would require full time study to get a non-ed visa from them. Singapore is one in the region that has done it so it is now not a location for getting them along with KL.

For extensions it appears to still be 4 hours.

[jackoholly]

I'm guessing Vientiane is still handing them out for 4 hours then.

[ubonjoe]

There have been no changes at Vientiane or Savannakhet.

As far as I know Singapore is the only location in the region that has set a number of hours to get a non-ed visa. Kl has not done them for language schools for about a year now.

[jackoholly]

Thanks Joe

[tingtongtourist]

I did get told that the government give different licencing conditions to different school

in the case of 4 hour per week over 12 months study: a school i contacted previously did do this but new licence and new rule for them mean that student must do minimum of 8 hour per week.

The effect is that new student must reapply after every 6 months and go out of country again.

i am told this school charge same yearly fee even though study hours is doubled and do 8 hours per week for same price

whether the student have to leave country to reapply every 6 or 12 months im still unsure of

[horsewell]

I heard that Phnom Phen requires 25 hours. A group of students that I know of just went there last week.

[ukrules]

I'm amazed that the different embassies appear to be able to choose the criteria used when issuing visas.

25 Hours per week required at Phnom Penh and as usual the Thai embassy in Singapore is causing problems refusing visas to foreigners.

I have to wonder if the people in charge at these embassies are just lazy and want to deter people from coming to get visas by making it harder - this would offload some of the work they would normally have to do onto other Thai consulates / embassies in the region.

Prime minister / retired General Prayuth should put his foot down on these lazy and I believe potentially xenophobic Thai embassies in Singapore and Phnom Penh.

People fly from Thailand to Singapore and Phnom Penh expecting to be issued a visa only to be met with a negative 'thai visa refused' experience.

Is anyone in Thailand like a government minister actually in control of the department which issues visas in the Thai Embassies worldwide or are they all allowed to make up the rules as they see fit ?

[bbi1]

There have been no changes at Vientiane or Savannakhet.

As far as I know Singapore is the only location in the region that has set a number of hours to get a non-ed visa. Kl has not done them for language schools for about a year now.

Anyone heard of issues with Sydney or anywhere in Australia?