Hello,

After 3 years of ED visa without problems, now looks like they don't want students anymore... hard to get the visa, hard to renew it... especially when you already had 3 in your passport....

Now my ED will expire, what other solution can I use to stay in the country? Under 50 years, not married with a Thai.... I guess the only solutions is Business visa? If I understood well there are 2 types, 1 you need to exit/enter every 3 months, another with 4 Thai employees, you can stay 1 full year without leaving the country?

No other solution....? Do you know the price for the previous 2 I stated? Is it 10000% legal? I don't want to have problems!

Thanks

There is no 3 year limit.

You could change your course of study to another language and study it for as long as the school can supply the paperwork.

You also should check with another school for Thai language studies. Some schools offer advanced studies that could give you to 5 years total.

You could enroll in a university and then get one year extensions.

For 500k baht you could get the 5 year PE visa through the Thailand elite program. See: http://www.thailandelite.com/glimpse.php

It's not that that they don't want students, it's that they don't want criminals and people working illegally. If you can prove

that your income is coming from outside the country, no one will care what you are studying and I don't see you having any problems with a Ed visa.

Why would they not want people bringing in and spending money in the country?

You could also get a new passport. If you are a dual citizen even better, because that way you are treated as being a completely different individual if you use your other passport, as far as immigration is concerned.

Either way, getting a new visa should be a piece of cake if you start the slate clean with a new or a different passport to the one containing all those ED visas you already have.

But even better would be going to another school or university provider etc. as Ubonjoe has suggested.

Business non-B multi entry 1-year visas obtained from a western country shouldn't be too hard to get - you don't need to be working here per se but do need to have a letter from a company back home AND a Thai company in order to be given the visa. However, apart from Penang where they do require a work permit to issue one, they can't be obtained in the region at all.

Getting new passport does not do away with a persons previous history of entries, extensions and etc in immigration's database. Even having a passport from another country does not help.

Are you over 50? Get a retirement visa. Are you under 50? Then I suppose you must have enough money to support yourself (otherwise you better go back home and work on it :-) or work online, so you can either get married, or if you prefer to rent the girls, get tourist visa (if you do not work here) or business visa (if you work locally, i.e. not offshore). If you have even more money and prefer the added comfort, you can get investment visa, or the Elite card.

I suppose still enough options to choose from.

Hi guys, many thanks for the answer. (again I am under 50)

I confirm even for legit students, they really don't want more ED...

Some student in first year of Thai were asked to read/write after 3 months of Thai, which obviously is not possible.

So immigration gave only 2 months extension instead of 3...
Every day, stricter for sure, since a while.

I speak for Chaeng Wattana officers...

I think ED does not bring them enough money. Yes you pay school 25000 or so... not interesting for them, even if you spend your money there. I don't understand but it is like this. B visa brings them more money I guess, and even better for TE.

So, even if I had only 1 ED, I think this is the end of ED... it was very cool for 3 years and allowed to learn Thai.

I will get some infos, many friends on a B visa. Of course the best would be TE

Off topic post removed

Why not just get the tourist visas?

Study Muay Thai, much more interesting.

Looks like you'll be joining the Tourist Visa ranks like the rest of us under 50.

PE visa is the best option in my opinion if you are below 50 and not married. I'm in a similar situation and may consider buying the elite visa for 5 years.

Just checking, there are no plans to lower the age for retirement visa to say 45?

PE visa is the best option in my opinion if you are below 50 and not married. I'm in a similar situation and may consider buying the elite visa for 5 years.

Just checking, there are no plans to lower the age for retirement visa to say 45?

Would be more logical to set the retirement "visa" age to the actual age that the passport holder can retire in their home country. I.e get the government benefits, not just stop working because they can.

For those who can stop working before the official retirement age...well done. Go with the Thai Elite option.

Everyone else....use the usual ed, tourist, business options.If you can't continue to meet the ongoing requirements for any of these....just what are you doing in Thailand anyway??

Off topic, troll posts and etc are being removed. There will be no further notice of removals. If your post disappears it means you stepped over the line.

Why not just get the tourist visas?

This. There's no official limit on tourist visas, you can get 3-4 double entries in a row from Vientiane consulate (paraphrasing Ubonjoe here), then a triple from back home, rinse and repeat, always carrying 20k in cash through borders as 'proof of funds' and booking flights in and out in advance to show your itinerary if requested. Just avoid using visa exemptions.

Us under 50s are here to stay. It's still easy to stay here, just looking at a cost of ~60k a year doing border runs instead of ~30k as a student.

Edited December 18, 201411 yr by jspill

Us under 50s are here to stay. It's still easy to stay here, just looking at a cost of ~60k a year doing border runs instead of ~30k as a student.

60'000 THB doing border runs? They are really only so little if you do them on strict budget travelling, meaning the trips won't be so nice, but tiring.

Which is then 40'000 THB cheaper than the Thai elite card.

Saving 40'000 THB, and paying with a lot of headaches.

What is 40'000 THB, saved per year?

That is 110 THB daily.

If that looks much, 110 THB, stop smoking and drink one beer less, that costs 110 THB daily.

There are so many variables in the cost of living, that 110 THB daily will not be noticeable on your account at the end of the year.

Anyway, we will pick up Thai Elite visa tomorrow, for my girl-friend. Everything goes smooth and comfortable.

No pain.

Hi guys, many thanks for the answer. (again I am under 50)

I confirm even for legit students, they really don't want more ED...

Some student in first year of Thai were asked to read/write after 3 months of Thai, which obviously is not possible.

So immigration gave only 2 months extension instead of 3...

Every day, stricter for sure, since a while.

I speak for Chaeng Wattana officers...

I think ED does not bring them enough money. Yes you pay school 25000 or so... not interesting for them, even if you spend your money there. I don't understand but it is like this. B visa brings them more money I guess, and even better for TE.

So, even if I had only 1 ED, I think this is the end of ED... it was very cool for 3 years and allowed to learn Thai.

I will get some infos, many friends on a B visa. Of course the best would be TE

"I think ED does not bring them enough money. Yes you pay school 25000 or so... not interesting for them, even if you spend your money there. I don't understand but it is like this. B visa brings them more money I guess, and even better for TE."

You say you don't understand but then you've decided you know some reason that suits your view that Thai immigrations only wants more money from people who would shift from an ED visa to a B visa. Why would someone here who legitimately wants to study then decide he wants to run a business? You've more or less admitted your objective is just to stay in Thailand and that Ed visa just provided you with the easiest, least expensive way to game the system because you don't meet the qualifications for most other long-stay options.

As was suggested, if you want to stay here, go for the Thai Elite card. Then feel free to say that they want your money ... which, when you think about it, is one of the few sensible reasons why any country would want foreigners to stay with them.

Edited December 18, 201411 yr by Suradit69

60'000 THB doing border runs? They are really only so little if you do them on strict budget travelling, meaning the trips won't be so nice, but tiring.

Different strokes for different folks. There are solid arguments for either option, 'up to you' as they say.

Arguments for tourist visas:

- Some people actually like visiting other countries, and do it cheaper than 60k. What's tiring to you is fine to others.

- To some paying a private company a lump sum of 500k for a 'visa agreement' situation (it isn't technically a visa) in an unstable country leaves a bad taste in the mouth, even if past TE holders have had their stamps honored thus far. That's comfortable to you, uncomfortable to others.

- Some people aren't sure they'll be here 5 years, they'd go for TE if it was 100k for one year.

- The 'it works out to only X baht daily' arguments are fallacious as you're not considering the opportunity cost of losing 500k that could be put to work for you. Spreading payments out over time rather than up front is the entire basis of the credit card industry. For some a 500k sunken cost is considerable, for others it's nothing.

Edited December 18, 201411 yr by jspill

Why would someone here who legitimately wants to study then decide he wants to run a business? You've more or less admitted your objective is just to stay in Thailand and that Ed visa just provided you with the easiest, least expensive way to game the system because you don't meet the qualifications for most other long-stay options.

As was suggested, if you want to stay here, go for the Thai Elite card. Then feel free to say that they want your money ... which, when you think about it, is one of the few sensible reasons why any country would want foreigners to stay with them.

Maybe we should meet. I <deleted> carry you over the border, whether you resist or not. We do not need your kind of patronizing <deleted> here.

You've more or less admitted your objective is just to stay in Thailand and that Ed visa just provided you with the easiest, least expensive way to game the system because you don't meet the qualifications for most other long-stay options.

Aren't we all seeking easy, low cost options. People want to start businesses, they choose Thailand for the lifestyle, cheap labor, low tax etc. People want to retire, they do so in Thailand because it's cheaper than back home.

This notion that it's 'abuse' or wrong to want to stay in Thailand and choose a cheap option that's available rather than an expensive one, only seems to exist on internet forums. What if I want to study, and want to stay here, equally? Is that abuse?

The only abuse is if you work illegally taking jobs from Thais, while on an Ed visa. It isn't your place to define abuse as anything else or tell people they're gaming the system.

There is also the charity option

You work a part-time job for a school for free and in return they sponsor your visa as charity worker

You could also get a new passport. If you are a dual citizen even better, because that way you are treated as being a completely different individual if you use your other passport, as far as immigration is concerned.

Either way, getting a new visa should be a piece of cake if you start the slate clean with a new or a different passport to the one containing all those ED visas you already have.

But even better would be going to another school or university provider etc. as Ubonjoe has suggested.

Business non-B multi entry 1-year visas obtained from a western country shouldn't be too hard to get - you don't need to be working here per se but do need to have a letter from a company back home AND a Thai company in order to be given the visa. However, apart from Penang where they do require a work permit to issue one, they can't be obtained in the region at all.

Once again the new passport furfy raises its head and once again i will say,don't you rekon they have a data base.You know,that black rectangular thingy on every desk,it's called a computer and believe it or not,your in there somewhere.Amazing Thailand eh!Now,change your name,bit of cosmetic surgury,wear platform shoes,shave your head and you might have a chance.

Study Muay Thai, much more interesting.

I'd like to test that at Immi.

Why not just get the tourist visas?

This. There's no official limit on tourist visas, you can get 3-4 double entries in a row from Vientiane consulate (paraphrasing Ubonjoe here), then a triple from back home, rinse and repeat, always carrying 20k in cash through borders as 'proof of funds' and booking flights in and out in advance to show your itinerary if requested. Just avoid using visa exemptions.

Us under 50s are here to stay. It's still easy to stay here, just looking at a cost of ~60k a year doing border runs instead of ~30k as a student.

Good onya mate,a bloke that can read and understand the system.There is always a way.

Study Muay Thai, much more interesting.

I'd like to test that at Immi.

I've never done it as I've had different visa's, but it IS a legitimate field of study along with many other things as an alternative to studying Thai.

Why not just get the tourist visas?

This. There's no official limit on tourist visas, you can get 3-4 double entries in a row from Vientiane consulate (paraphrasing Ubonjoe here), then a triple from back home, rinse and repeat, always carrying 20k in cash through borders as 'proof of funds' and booking flights in and out in advance to show your itinerary if requested. Just avoid using visa exemptions.

Us under 50s are here to stay. It's still easy to stay here, just looking at a cost of ~60k a year doing border runs instead of ~30k as a student.

Good onya mate,a bloke that can read and understand the system.There is always a way.

Study Muay Thai, much more interesting.

I'd like to test that at Immi.

I've never done it as I've had different visa's, but it IS a legitimate field of study along with many other things as an alternative to studying Thai.

Too true mate,cooking is another option.Good for the brain to keep ticking over.

You could also get a new passport. If you are a dual citizen even better, because that way you are treated as being a completely different individual if you use your other passport, as far as immigration is concerned.

.

You must use the passport of the country you are living in when you have dual citizenship.

Who says it doesn't work? It does.

Easy answer..... buy a Thai Elite Card.

Cant do that, stop whining and go to your home nation. Bye!