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New requirements for ED-Visa extensions in Phuket


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This is crazy, I have been here for 1 year on an ED visa, go to my classes and actually try to learn thai.

I'm under 50, I work online. I make a lot of money and bring a lot of money into Thailand. Recently spent 250,000 baht on hospital bills for my partner, have a car, pay rent on a home, I spend over 100,000 baht a month in Thailand and I love it here. But what I cant put up with is the uncertainty of never knowing if I'm going to have to pack my bags and leave with a months notice, I have dogs, a car etc. I'd be screwed if i was given one week to up and leave.

Have also been told that we must now read and write, and that when I extend my visa in December I will be expected to know the alphabet, apparently my schooll was informed last week! Previously the first year was speaking only, so I have a couple weeks to learn the whole alphabet (good luck) even though when I extended 9 months ago immigration asked the school to bring the curriculum and were fully aware that year 1 was speaking only!!

So what are my options? Pay 100,000+ baht a year in school fees now to cover the extra hours, possibly pay 3800 baht a month for my partner and i if we have to keep extending? (my friend was given one month extensions every time with the "under consideration" stamp on it)

Paying over 200,000 baht a year to stay in Thailand is crazy, I'd rather go elsewhere but I don't know what options I have right now.

Going to research Vietnam and other places, but for work purposes I need a very reliable and fast internet connection, a bit of security would be a bonus. A visa stamp saying 12 months would be nice.

I know technically i'm "abusing" the ED visa since I work, but I do nothing but spend money here and I'm not doing something a Thai could do (it's very niche), and it's money that would not be in the Thai economy if I went home to Europe and worked, and it's another empty house on my Soi.

Having me here adds at least 1.5 million baht to the thai economy every year, but it's getting to the point where considering the cost and uncertainty I'm not sure it's worth the effort of staying here.

Anyone else know a good place in SE Asia where it's a bit more welcoming in regards to working etc?

100,000 baht "a month " God 100,000 baht is my total yearly outgoings " All In" how can you possibly spend so much money in what is mostly a 3rd world country ( almost ) - " amazing "

lol get a wife, you'll soon see your spendings increase.

Not to mention rent is a decent portion of that, we eat out a lot etc etc.

I'm not harming anyone by running my business remotely from Thailand. If I have to suddenly pay 200,000 baht a month + study for 2 hours every day then it won't be worth my time to stay here. I'll move somewhere else to do it and the only loser is the Thai economy (and my nice landlord)

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So you admit you are here on an Ed visa, working illegally, and complain that you actually have to learn the language as well?

Why is this so unjust?

He works online. You think that's illegal and evidently are very frustrated that Thai authorities do not share your same concerns.

All the other parts of the post you've conveniently ignored, as well commenting on the most evident absurdity: 49 yrs old full of money not OK to stay, 50 yrs and little bit of money, OK.

No surprise, normal thinking... "nobody has the right to stay except people like me".

Exactly, after the Chiang Mai palaver a month or two ago the Thai authorities said they had no problem with people working online as long as they weren't doing anything a Thai would be doing or getting paid by Thais.

It's not the working thing that bothers me, it's not knowing whether or not I'll have a visa in a month. All it takes is one grumpy imm officer to decide to rescind my visa and my entire life is turned upside down.

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If I just wanted to "stay in Thailand" there are several ways to do it.

I actually wanted to learn something while I here. not be punished for it.

If they really want to see who's learning then administraterror a test. But that's not what this is about is it?

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Have also been told that we must now read and write, and that when I extend my visa in December I will be expected to know the alphabet, apparently my schooll was informed last week! Previously the first year was speaking only, so I have a couple weeks to learn the whole alphabet (good luck) even though when I extended 9 months ago immigration asked the school to bring the curriculum and were fully aware that year 1 was speaking only!!

Actually after one year in country you will not obtain an extension. You will need to go get a new visa again.

So what are my options? Pay 100,000+ baht a year in school fees now to cover the extra hours, possibly pay 3800 baht a month for my partner and i if we have to keep extending? (my friend was given one month extensions every time with the "under consideration" stamp on it)

More likely around 50,000 Bt a year, all included, to be on ED visa and extensions. The extension is made every 90 days not every month. You do not pay again after the "under consideration" stamp, that it is not even always used by immigration.

You can consider a Thai Elite card, it cost Bt 500,000 and gives you 5 years in country without leaving, plus some perks.

Edited by paz
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So you admit you are here on an Ed visa, working illegally, and complain that you actually have to learn the language as well?

Why is this so unjust?

He works online. You think that's illegal and evidently are very frustrated that Thai authorities do not share your same concerns.

All the other parts of the post you've conveniently ignored, as well commenting on the most evident absurdity: 49 yrs old full of money not OK to stay, 50 yrs and little bit of money, OK.

No surprise, normal thinking... "nobody has the right to stay except people like me".

Check again paz. I quoted the whole text. Unlike you.

My comment was directed at the fact the the poster complained that he has now actually has to learn Thai, that is read, write and speak Thai, not just a few words.

The legalities of his visa, working illegally etc has been well covered in many. many other threads.

I must have missed the part where he said he was 49....please refer me to to that.

Get real the man/woman mentioned spending 30 grand a year in Thailand as though that was a big thing....hardly a substantial amount of money...in fact poverty level in a lot of countries.

Edited by Mudcrab
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So you admit you are here on an Ed visa, working illegally, and complain that you actually have to learn the language as well?

Why is this so unjust?

He works online. You think that's illegal and evidently are very frustrated that Thai authorities do not share your same concerns.

All the other parts of the post you've conveniently ignored, as well commenting on the most evident absurdity: 49 yrs old full of money not OK to stay, 50 yrs and little bit of money, OK.

No surprise, normal thinking... "nobody has the right to stay except people like me".

Check again paz. I quoted the whole text. Unlike you.

My comment was directed at the fact the the poster complained that he has now actually has to learn Thai, that is read, write and speak Thai, not just a few words. The legalities of his visa, working illegally etc has been well covered in many. many other threads.

I said I'm learning thai already, and this is the second time i've clarified that for you. Is your reading comprehension that poor? I was talking about having to do 4x the hours and paying a lot more for it. Plus extending every month

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Have also been told that we must now read and write, and that when I extend my visa in December I will be expected to know the alphabet, apparently my schooll was informed last week! Previously the first year was speaking only, so I have a couple weeks to learn the whole alphabet (good luck) even though when I extended 9 months ago immigration asked the school to bring the curriculum and were fully aware that year 1 was speaking only!!

Actually after one year in country you will not obtain an extension. You will need to go get a new visa again.

So what are my options? Pay 100,000+ baht a year in school fees now to cover the extra hours, possibly pay 3800 baht a month for my partner and i if we have to keep extending? (my friend was given one month extensions every time with the "under consideration" stamp on it)

More likely around 50,000 Bt a year, all included, to be on ED visa and extensions. The extension is made every 90 days not every month. You do not pay again after the "under consideration" stamp, that it is not even always used by immigration.

You can consider a Thai Elite card, it cost Bt 500,000 and gives you 5 years in country without leaving, plus some perks.

I meant get a new visa, not extend it.

I'm talking about my wife and I, so costs are doubled, plus we have private classes which are more expensive than group classes.

And now they are doing the extensions monthly in Phuket for ED visas, although I was not aware that you don't have to keep paying the 1900 baht each time, thanks for clearing that up.

The Thai elite card, honestly is an option, I just don't know if I trust them not to change the goalposts on that one as soon as they get a million baht off me.

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I said I'm learning thai already, and this is the second time i've clarified that for you. Is your reading comprehension that poor? I was talking about having to do 4x the hours and paying a lot more for it. Plus extending every month

Every 90 days. Not picking on you, I want this to be clear for the casual reader.

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It's about time some of the whingers who are trying to evade the intent of the laws (regulations) try to comply with the requirements of the host country. If your visa says you are here to study Thai (or whatever) then that is EXACTLY what you should be doing in an authorised and appropriate environment.

Stop complaining that the Thais caught you cheating on the rules and act like a man (or woman if the high-heels fit)

I think the complaints are not because people are cheating on the rules (that's only your perception). It's that there are people fully compliant under the existing conditions of the visa option, then all of a sudden they change the requirements and so making some people not eligble under that visa. That is a reasonable complaint because the rules change so often in thailand. I can't understand why, except that thai immigration never fully think through the rules when they change them. Then have to change them again.

Imagine if all of a sudden Thailand stated Retirement visa applicants must now be 70 years old instead of 50. Or working visa extensions require minimum salary of 500k per month. You wouldn't say people who complain about that are cheating the system, so why do you say people under existing ED visa are?

exactly. I've been given 2 weeks notice that my first year course should also have included reading and writing. Is that fair?

If I'd renewed a few weeks early I wouldn't have been expected to know the Thai alphabet, and indeed when I did my first extension after 3 months Immigration checked my curriculum for year 1 and approved it, knowing full well that I would not be covering reading and writing.

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I said I'm learning thai already, and this is the second time i've clarified that for you. Is your reading comprehension that poor? I was talking about having to do 4x the hours and paying a lot more for it. Plus extending every month

Every 90 days. Not picking on you, I want this to be clear for the casual reader.

No, at the moment in Phuket they are doing it every 30 days.

I got 9 months, but everyone at my school and several others that I know of has to extend every 30 days for the last 3-4 months.

Edited by Poopdick
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exactly. I've been given 2 weeks notice that my first year course should also have included reading and writing. Is that fair?

If I'd renewed a few weeks early I wouldn't have been expected to know the Thai alphabet, and indeed when I did my first extension after 3 months Immigration checked my curriculum for year 1 and approved it, knowing full well that I would not be covering reading and writing.

Under all aspects you should have been taught reading and writing with an one year course. Even with the private lessons your school is not giving you a good service without it.

Anyway, if you will be tested (it is not said you will), just blame the school, show that you know the most used letter, and that will be enough.

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exactly. I've been given 2 weeks notice that my first year course should also have included reading and writing. Is that fair?

If I'd renewed a few weeks early I wouldn't have been expected to know the Thai alphabet, and indeed when I did my first extension after 3 months Immigration checked my curriculum for year 1 and approved it, knowing full well that I would not be covering reading and writing.

Under all aspects you should have been taught reading and writing with an one year course. Even with the private lessons your school is not giving you a good service without it.

Anyway, if you will be tested (it is not said you will), just blame the school, show that you know the most used letter, and that will be enough.

I hope so, if I don't get the second year visa I think I'll end up in the Philippines or somewhere else, I'm nearly old enough for a retirement visa there! (35)

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No, at the moment in Phuket they are doing it every 30 days.

I got 9 months, but everyone at my school and several others that I know of has to extend every 30 days for the last 3-4 months.

Understand but on this forum (that receives vary many) your is the first and only report. about an ED extensions being granted for less than 90 days, and is made in second person. I think as mentioned above they are confusing being "under consideration" with requiring a new extension. Not to disbelieve but one would need to see pics of the relevant stamps and receipts.

Edited by paz
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10 hours a week isn't that much .. I did 25 a week and after 3 or 4 months at a reputable school I could read and write.

If you haven't picked up enough language ability after a year to run rings around an immigration officer then its time to think if learning a foreign language is for you.

Have to agree 100%. If you have lived in Thailand on an Ed visa, you should be able to converse on a basic level with a Thai person. 2 hours 4 days a week in Bangkok does not seem excessive. Why will the visa cost rise from 25000 - 80000? Tuition costs will stay the same, won't they?

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No, at the moment in Phuket they are doing it every 30 days.

I got 9 months, but everyone at my school and several others that I know of has to extend every 30 days for the last 3-4 months.

Understand but on this forum (that receives vary many) your is the first and only report. about an ED extensions being granted for less than 90 days, and is made in second person. I think as mentioned above they are confusing being "under consideration" with requiring a new extension. Not to disbelieve but one would need to see pics of the relevant stamps and receipts.

Fair enough, maybe my school (and a couple others) is under scrutiny. I live near Muay Thai camps where most of the foreign workers are using the ED system by working as PTs/physios etc, so it's entirely possible that they're being tough on schools in this specific area.

Edited by Poopdick
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10 hours a week isn't that much .. I did 25 a week and after 3 or 4 months at a reputable school I could read and write.

If you haven't picked up enough language ability after a year to run rings around an immigration officer then its time to think if learning a foreign language is for you.

Have to agree 100%. If you have lived in Thailand on an Ed visa, you should be able to converse on a basic level with a Thai person. 2 hours 4 days a week in Bangkok does not seem excessive. Why will the visa cost rise from 25000 - 80000? Tuition costs will stay the same, won't they?

4x the hours for the same price?

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This is crazy, I have been here for 1 year on an ED visa, go to my classes and actually try to learn thai.

I'm under 50, I work online. I make a lot of money and bring a lot of money into Thailand. Recently spent 250,000 baht on hospital bills for my partner, have a car, pay rent on a home, I spend over 100,000 baht a month in Thailand and I love it here. But what I cant put up with is the uncertainty of never knowing if I'm going to have to pack my bags and leave with a months notice, I have dogs, a car etc. I'd be screwed if i was given one week to up and leave.

Have also been told that we must now read and write, and that when I extend my visa in December I will be expected to know the alphabet, apparently my schooll was informed last week! Previously the first year was speaking only, so I have a couple weeks to learn the whole alphabet (good luck) even though when I extended 9 months ago immigration asked the school to bring the curriculum and were fully aware that year 1 was speaking only!!

So what are my options? Pay 100,000+ baht a year in school fees now to cover the extra hours, possibly pay 3800 baht a month for my partner and i if we have to keep extending? (my friend was given one month extensions every time with the "under consideration" stamp on it)

Paying over 200,000 baht a year to stay in Thailand is crazy, I'd rather go elsewhere but I don't know what options I have right now.

Going to research Vietnam and other places, but for work purposes I need a very reliable and fast internet connection, a bit of security would be a bonus. A visa stamp saying 12 months would be nice.

I know technically i'm "abusing" the ED visa since I work, but I do nothing but spend money here and I'm not doing something a Thai could do (it's very niche), and it's money that would not be in the Thai economy if I went home to Europe and worked, and it's another empty house on my Soi.

Having me here adds at least 1.5 million baht to the thai economy every year, but it's getting to the point where considering the cost and uncertainty I'm not sure it's worth the effort of staying here.

Anyone else know a good place in SE Asia where it's a bit more welcoming in regards to working etc?

100,000 baht "a month " God 100,000 baht is my total yearly outgoings " All In" how can you possibly spend so much money in what is mostly a 3rd world country ( almost ) - " amazing " And then to say he may have to leave because of the expense of maintaining an education visa!

I would like to know the all up cost because I am intending to reside in Bangkok on an education visa. I can speak Thai in a limited but fluent way but need to learn to read and write it. I'd be happy to sit the immigration tests but don't want to pay for monthly extensions etc.

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10 hours a week isn't that much .. I did 25 a week and after 3 or 4 months at a reputable school I could read and write.

If you haven't picked up enough language ability after a year to run rings around an immigration officer then its time to think if learning a foreign language is for you.

Have to agree 100%. If you have lived in Thailand on an Ed visa, you should be able to converse on a basic level with a Thai person. 2 hours 4 days a week in Bangkok does not seem excessive. Why will the visa cost rise from 25000 - 80000? Tuition costs will stay the same, won't they?

25,000 baht sounds a lot for an education visa & lessons! You should be able to get one for about 17,000 baht! Start looking around and put 17,000 on the table " take it or leave it " business is business these days in a competitive world......

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This is crazy, I have been here for 1 year on an ED visa, go to my classes and actually try to learn thai.

I'm under 50, I work online. I make a lot of money and bring a lot of money into Thailand. Recently spent 250,000 baht on hospital bills for my partner, have a car, pay rent on a home, I spend over 100,000 baht a month in Thailand and I love it here. But what I cant put up with is the uncertainty of never knowing if I'm going to have to pack my bags and leave with a months notice, I have dogs, a car etc. I'd be screwed if i was given one week to up and leave.

Have also been told that we must now read and write, and that when I extend my visa in December I will be expected to know the alphabet, apparently my schooll was informed last week! Previously the first year was speaking only, so I have a couple weeks to learn the whole alphabet (good luck) even though when I extended 9 months ago immigration asked the school to bring the curriculum and were fully aware that year 1 was speaking only!!

So what are my options? Pay 100,000+ baht a year in school fees now to cover the extra hours, possibly pay 3800 baht a month for my partner and i if we have to keep extending? (my friend was given one month extensions every time with the "under consideration" stamp on it)

Paying over 200,000 baht a year to stay in Thailand is crazy, I'd rather go elsewhere but I don't know what options I have right now.

Going to research Vietnam and other places, but for work purposes I need a very reliable and fast internet connection, a bit of security would be a bonus. A visa stamp saying 12 months would be nice.

I know technically i'm "abusing" the ED visa since I work, but I do nothing but spend money here and I'm not doing something a Thai could do (it's very niche), and it's money that would not be in the Thai economy if I went home to Europe and worked, and it's another empty house on my Soi.

Having me here adds at least 1.5 million baht to the thai economy every year, but it's getting to the point where considering the cost and uncertainty I'm not sure it's worth the effort of staying here.

Anyone else know a good place in SE Asia where it's a bit more welcoming in regards to working etc?

Don't understand why you don't get the Elite visa if you make a lot money. No need to write a lot here, just contact them, pay 500k and you are sorted for the next 5 years.

I already mentioned that, what's to stop them changing that once they get a million baht off me? (I'd need two)

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This is crazy, I have been here for 1 year on an ED visa, go to my classes and actually try to learn thai.

I'm under 50, I work online. I make a lot of money and bring a lot of money into Thailand. Recently spent 250,000 baht on hospital bills for my partner, have a car, pay rent on a home, I spend over 100,000 baht a month in Thailand and I love it here. But what I cant put up with is the uncertainty of never knowing if I'm going to have to pack my bags and leave with a months notice, I have dogs, a car etc. I'd be screwed if i was given one week to up and leave.

Have also been told that we must now read and write, and that when I extend my visa in December I will be expected to know the alphabet, apparently my schooll was informed last week! Previously the first year was speaking only, so I have a couple weeks to learn the whole alphabet (good luck) even though when I extended 9 months ago immigration asked the school to bring the curriculum and were fully aware that year 1 was speaking only!!

So what are my options? Pay 100,000+ baht a year in school fees now to cover the extra hours, possibly pay 3800 baht a month for my partner and i if we have to keep extending? (my friend was given one month extensions every time with the "under consideration" stamp on it)

Paying over 200,000 baht a year to stay in Thailand is crazy, I'd rather go elsewhere but I don't know what options I have right now.

Going to research Vietnam and other places, but for work purposes I need a very reliable and fast internet connection, a bit of security would be a bonus. A visa stamp saying 12 months would be nice.

I know technically i'm "abusing" the ED visa since I work, but I do nothing but spend money here and I'm not doing something a Thai could do (it's very niche), and it's money that would not be in the Thai economy if I went home to Europe and worked, and it's another empty house on my Soi.

Having me here adds at least 1.5 million baht to the thai economy every year, but it's getting to the point where considering the cost and uncertainty I'm not sure it's worth the effort of staying here.

Anyone else know a good place in SE Asia where it's a bit more welcoming in regards to working etc?

Don't understand why you don't get the Elite visa if you make a lot money. No need to write a lot here, just contact them, pay 500k and you are sorted for the next 5 years.

I already mentioned that, what's to stop them changing that once they get a million baht off me? (I'd need two)

At least you don't have to worry for 5 yrs or 20 yrs depending on which one you purchase. They may change the goalpost for future elite visas but not for existing ones.

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I already mentioned that, what's to stop them changing that once they get a million baht off me? (I'd need two)

Personally I don't see why they should scam people. Program has been in place some 15 years. The contract allows refunds in the due cases. Recently some changes were made in favor of the client and are published in the official gazette. Other than that you can read or ask in any of the many relevant threads running on this forum.

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I already mentioned that, what's to stop them changing that once they get a million baht off me? (I'd need two)

Personally I don't see why they should scam people. Program has been in place some 15 years. The contract allows refunds in the due cases. Recently some changes were made in favor of the client and are published in the official gazette. Other than that you can read or ask in any of the many relevant threads running on this forum.

Alright mate cheers, you've been quite helpful in this thread biggrin.png I will have a better look at the elite visa, tbh I haven't looked in any depth because the idea of spending 1m baht on a visa seemed a bit loopy

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Alright mate cheers, you've been quite helpful in this thread biggrin.png I will have a better look at the elite visa, tbh I haven't looked in any depth because the idea of spending 1m baht on a visa seemed a bit loopy

Personally I would never pay it no matter what. With that kind of money I would rather use the 10M bath investment option.

But the option exists and must be mentioned.

Edited by paz
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