ED Visa Crisis! Help!

[Offshorebudd]

Hi,

Im writing on behalf of my girlfriend. She has been in Thailand for about 5 months, the last three on an ED visa. Her visa runs out on the 29th of december, monday. I am currently away at work overseas and I told her she should go in earlier to take care of the visa extension. The school (in Phuket) told her that she need to wait until the last day. Then today they told her that they had "not received and approval letter from immigration" and that immigration is not approving any ED visas on their end. But at the same time suggested the letter might be there on monday. She has been going to classes very regularly and is often the only person in her class.

First of all, can someone list ALL the documents an applicant needs to take with them when they apply for the extension.

Second, are there any options for a temporary short extension?

Has anyone heard about anything like this?

Finally just to make it clear the people at the school basically BS'd her, telling her that she had to wait till the last day because they actually hadn't received this letter from immigration yet.

Thanks for your help and any advice.

[paz]

The letter of approval that they are waiting for is from ministry of education, not immigration. The school may be using the wrong terminology in referring to it. The extension cannot be be issued without, and there is no bridge-gap extension she can get. If she doesn't get the letter in time she can get 7 days to leave country (Bt 1,900), then go get a single or dual entry tourist visa in Laos and then continue with ED visa if still wanted.

Edited December 26, 2014 by paz

[Mack23]

Seems like the school in Phuket got a lot of problems lately, Couple of months without licence and people could not extend their visas and people could not get refunded etc etc..

The school should steer this sinking ship in right direction asap!

[ColdSingha]

"She has been going to classes very regularly and is often the only person in her class"

The school really need to up their game this is making everyone look bad

Edited December 26, 2014 by Mario2008

[Mario2008]

Several posts edited and 1 post removed.

Naming of the school is not allowed under our forum rules regarding naming and shaming.

[bigt116]

A victim of other people's indifference to the Immigration laws :-(

[Offshorebudd]

Several posts edited and 1 post removed.

Naming of the school is not allowed under our forum rules regarding naming and shaming.

Well perhaps you could forward this post to Mr. W, since he apparently is a moderator on this site, so that he could weigh in the situation? Be'cause i assure you i will be naming and shaming the school in question everywhere i can on the internet if this isn't worked out. To be honest it seems to me like you might be protecting one of your advertisers on this site more than anything. Thanks.

[Kitsune]

Don't worry it happens to many of us!

She needs to :

1/ Go to immigration to extend her visa for 7 days and ASK NICELY what would happen if the MOE letter has not arrived by then (they gave me another 7 days before)

2/ Before her extension runs out, she has to do a border run to get a visa exempt. No she does not need to get a proper tourist visa, she is not a tourist anyway she's a student. Just a way and back to the border, would do to buy more time (ie one month). Plus she can get it extended (one more month) at immigration. By then that should be plenty enough time to receive MOE letter

3/ Then once she has the letter from MOE she needs to leave the country and apply for her new ED visa in a Thai embassy abroad

Edited December 26, 2014 by Kitsune

[Loaded]

Several posts edited and 1 post removed.

Naming of the school is not allowed under our forum rules regarding naming and shaming.

Well perhaps you could forward this post to Mr. W, since he apparently is a moderator on this site, so that he could weigh in the situation? Be'cause i assure you i will be naming and shaming the school in question everywhere i can on the internet if this isn't worked out. To be honest it seems to me like you might be protecting one of your advertisers on this site more than anything. Thanks.

New rules introduced recently only allow 1 extension to each 3-month non-imm ED visa at a category 15/2 (language) school. IE after 6 months she needs to obtain a new visa. It sounds as though they are processing the paperwork to support a new visa application (permission letter from moe). It sounds like they are doing the right thing and processing the correct paperwork for your girlfriend. Their communication may be poor or possible your girlfriend's understanding was poor.

The school has NO control over the permission letter. They have to wait until it's issued.

The school has no control over immigration (extensions) or moe (permission letters). Your anger is probably misplaced.

Edited December 27, 2014 by Loaded

[Robert24]

looks like this school is pretty useless to give such wrong information and not handling the MOE papers in time such that your gf can extend her ED stay.

Suggest you follow up with the school directly (rather than through your gf) to make sure there are no misunderstandings.

[Mack23]

Don't worry it happens to many of us!

She needs to :

1/ Go to immigration to extend her visa for 7 days and ASK NICELY what would happen if the MOE letter has not arrived by then (they gave me another 7 days before)

2/ Before her extension runs out, she has to do a border run to get a visa exempt. No she does not need to get a proper tourist visa, she is not a tourist anyway she's a student. Just a way and back to the border, would do to buy more time (ie one month). Plus she can get it extended (one more month) at immigration. By then that should be plenty enough time to receive MOE letter

3/ Then once she has the letter from MOE she needs to leave the country and apply for her new ED visa in a Thai embassy abroad

Sounds like a bad idea, she don't want to cancel her education visa when she can extend it one more time, Probably school was slow sending papers into MOE

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/770647-trustworthy-schools-near-karon-phuket/ another thread about them being slow sending papers to MOE

[LoveThaiGirls]

Not sure you could place 100% of the fault on the school. These recent 6-month only visas are still fairly new in enforcement and at least in Phuket the rules around them keep changing from person-to-person you speak to at Immigration Office. Given it can take weeks to get the letter from MoE, and this being a new rule, it's not surprising it would perhaps take longer than usual to try and figure out what is needed and when.

As an example, I know some students who have been told they won't need a new visa, and they'll just get given another extension after 6 months (usual 1+2 months). Others have been told there will be a test, others have been told there isn't. It's a complete mess for both student and school without exact/consistent information from Immigration.

[Suradit69]

A victim of other people's indifference to the Immigration laws :-(

As an example, post # 12 in this thread

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/786969-i-think-i-forgot-the-90-day-report-or-not/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=feed:%20thaivisa24%20(today#39;s best thaivisa topics)

Edited December 27, 2014 by Suradit69

[AlexDorneles]

Cannot name the school? Please go on facebook and post on bangkok expats group the name. Ridiculous the guy cannot post the name of the school.

I have a feeling I already know the school in question. There is some conflict of interest going on in this website.

Why the school took so long to send the papers to MOE?

Edited December 27, 2014 by AlexDorneles

[LoveThaiGirls]

Why the school took so long to send the papers to MOE?

Don't know this exact case, but please remember that previously (until very recently) you could get a 1 year ED Visa, so schools didn't need to apply twice for students. Now if all of a sudden the Immigration office change their policies and only issues 6 month Visas, that means the school has to once again get all the paperwork sorted and apply to MoE (which itself can take weeks for a response). Multiply that issue by possibly 10-100 of students and you can see it would be a logistical nightmare for a school in such a short space of time.

The Immigration offices should have worked with the schools in advance and notified them of the upcoming changes, but as usual they're done on a whim and the legit schools/students get shafted. It wouldn't have been hard for Immigration to simply say "going forward, any NEW ED visas will only be valid for 6 months" giving those on their existing visa/extension time to prepare.

I know of one person already affected by this rash change - he was due to go for his 2nd extension (i.e. done 6 months) a week or two before the 6 month max rule came into place, and there was literally no way he could got the papers back from MoE in time - so he was completely shafted because they didn't take into account those already on or close to their existing 6 month mark of their 1 year visa.

I'm not saying the school isn't it a fault in this case - no one knows the specifics so we shouldn't guess, but if you look at the situation you can understand WHY there may be delays.

[LoveThaiGirls]

Finally just to make it clear the people at the school basically BS'd her, telling her that she had to wait till the last day because they actually hadn't received this letter from immigration yet.

This isn't 100% BS, I know many students in my class who have been told the same by Phuket Immigration. How strict they enforce it at the IO is a different issue. Personally I did my extension a week before it was due and was fine, but I know of at least 2 other students in my class who asked the IO if they could come earlier next time (as it clashed with classes) and they flat out told them "No, must come on this day".

So yes, if they didn't have the letter from MoE (immigration don't send the approval letters, MoE do), regardless of who's fault it was that they didn't have the letter back (it can take weeks on MoE end), it would make sense for her to go on the very last day possible.

[csabo]

Several posts edited and 1 post removed.

Naming of the school is not allowed under our forum rules regarding naming and shaming.

Well perhaps you could forward this post to Mr. W, since he apparently is a moderator on this site, so that he could weigh in the situation? Be'cause i assure you i will be naming and shaming the school in question everywhere i can on the internet if this isn't worked out. To be honest it seems to me like you might be protecting one of your advertisers on this site more than anything. Thanks.

Commenting on moderating also not allowed. Prepare for delete. Checkmate.

[duanebigsby]

Cannot name the school? Please go on facebook and post on bangkok expats group the name. Ridiculous the guy cannot post the name of the school.

I have a feeling I already know the school in question. There is some conflict of interest going on in this website.

Why the school took so long to send the papers to MOE?

You obviously know bugger all about Thailand's defamation laws.

If TV allowed naming and shaming they'd had all been arrested long ago.

They have to have this rule and it's been consistently enforced, regardless of advertisers.

[Offshorebudd]

Ok, thanks for the all the helpful comments. The school, which once again cannot be named, called my gf this AM and said they have received the letter from the MOE...saved by the bell. One point i would make clear is that my beef with the school is that they just did not say that they were waiting on this letter that may, or may not, arrive in time. If we had known this we would have had a contingency plan instead of it all being last minute...anyways all sorted so at the end of the day the school pulled through. Luckily it all worked out! Thanks again.

Budd.

[tezzainthailand]

Ok, thanks for the all the helpful comments. The school, which once again cannot be named, called my gf this AM and said they have received the letter from the MOE...saved by the bell. One point i would make clear is that my beef with the school is that they just did not say that they were waiting on this letter that may, or may not, arrive in time. If we had known this we would have had a contingency plan instead of it all being last minute...anyways all sorted so at the end of the day the school pulled through. Luckily it all worked out! Thanks again.

Budd.

The school I am attending in Hua Hin insists on 3 weeks notice to apply for EdVisa extensions and last time I got my paper work with 3 or 4 days to spare, so your girlfriend was very lucky in such a short space of time. Might be time to look for a more reliable school or at least get in early next time.

[LoveThaiGirls]

Glad to hear it worked out. Trust me you're not the only one running around at the last minute trying to make sure everything is covered.

Communication between Immigration, the schools, and obviously the students is key - and unfortunately with the chaos and ambiguity in the changes, the communication is breaking down

[wump]

I have also been a student at the school mentioned in post #7. They have also been slow to process my paperwork and put the wrong home country on the report to the MOE so they had to do it again ...they only needed to put my name and my country on the attendance list... how hard can it be?. Of course the MOE letter didn't arrive on time and they told me to get a 7 day extension. The paperwork arrived on the last day of that 7 days but the IO only laughed at me and told me 'of course there is no such thing as a 7 day extension'. It is merely a refusal giving you time to leave.

Had to go to Malaysia the next day, pay overstay 1 day, get a tourist visa, come back, apply for a new express passport (that old passport was full with the extra page for the new tourist visa), wait another 6 weeks for the MOE letter, go back to Malaysia to get ED visa and lose some 20,000 baht in the whole process. All because the school was too dumb to get the paperwork sorted! I have been so angry and still don't recommend it to anyone.

The teachers are quite nice but they fluctuate a lot since somehow they don't get paid properly, there has been a thread about this. The materials are dead boring though.

It's really a shame, this school has a large network and could be a huge success but most people just stopped coming after 2-4 weeks cause it just wasn't worth it.

[Maestro]

The owner of one school cannot help a student of another school with his extension.

[samui4me]

Hi

Sorry, did I understand well? Now ED visas are only for 6 months?

Thanks.

[paz]

Hi

Sorry, did I understand well? Now ED visas are only for 6 months?

Thanks.

Extension of stay are given for three months at time, for a maximum of one year. Then a new visa is needed.

Edited December 27, 2014 by paz

[LoveThaiGirls]

Hi

Sorry, did I understand well? Now ED visas are only for 6 months?

Thanks.

Extension of stay are given for three months at time, for a maximum of one year. Then a new visa is needed.

Phuket have been saying the maximum is 6 months now, after which a test must be taken before you can get a new *visa* (i.e. apply again with MoE).

Problem is none of these new rules are in writing and seem to change day-to-day.

[paz]

Phuket have been saying the maximum is 6 months now, after which a test must be taken before you can get a new *visa* (i.e. apply again with MoE).

Problem is none of these new rules are in writing and seem to change day-to-day.

So Phuket is relaxing the official rules, which is good and could be a starting point for a future positive change countrywide.

[LoveThaiGirls]

Phuket have been saying the maximum is 6 months now, after which a test must be taken before you can get a new *visa* (i.e. apply again with MoE).

Problem is none of these new rules are in writing and seem to change day-to-day.

So Phuket is relaxing the official rules, which is good and could be a starting point for a future positive change countrywide.

No, sorry if it wasn't clear - "maximum is 6 months" was referring to the ED Visa, not the extensions (sounded like maybe you thought I was referring to extension?).

Originally it was pretty standard to get a 1 year ED Visa that once used allowed upto 1 year of extensions before needing to apply for a new ED Visa again. Now they've reduced that (apparently, still nothing concrete) to a maximum 6 month ED Visa which would mean needing 3 months worth of extensions (1st 3 months covered by Visa, next 3 months covered by first extension you make, usually 1 month consideration followed by a further 2 months).

But as I said in earlier posts, there is conflicting information at Phuket Immigration. Some people who are making their 1st extension (i.e. after 3 months covering the next 3 months) are being told that after that initial 6 months they'll need to take a test, and if they pass they can apply (MoE letter, exit country etc) for another ED Visa (6 months again). Others have been told no test, no need for a new Visa, and can just get another extension stamp(s) (upto 1 year as originally covered by the Visa).

If you read other threads for other areas (BKK etc) it sounds like the test is being used to grant further extensions, rather than being used as a limit to the Visa duration. Their policies are all over the place and causing endless confusion for schools and students.

Edited December 28, 2014 by LoveThaiGirls

[paz]

No, sorry if it wasn't clear - "maximum is 6 months" was referring to the ED Visa, not the extensions (sounded like maybe you thought I was referring to extension?).

Originally it was pretty standard to get a 1 year ED Visa that once used allowed upto 1 year of extensions before needing to apply for a new ED Visa again. Now they've reduced that (apparently, still nothing concrete) to a maximum 6 month ED Visa which would mean needing 3 months worth of extensions (1st 3 months covered by Visa, next 3 months covered by first extension you make, usually 1 month consideration followed by a further 2 months).

But as I said in earlier posts, there is conflicting information at Phuket Immigration. Some people who are making their 1st extension (i.e. after 3 months covering the next 3 months) are being told that after that initial 6 months they'll need to take a test, and if they pass they can apply (MoE letter, exit country etc) for another ED Visa (6 months again). Others have been told no test, no need for a new Visa, and can just get another extension stamp(s) (upto 1 year as originally covered by the Visa).

If you read other threads for other areas (BKK etc) it sounds like the test is being used to grant further extensions, rather than being used as a limit to the Visa duration. Their policies are all over the place and causing endless confusion for schools and students.

You're reporting confusion and misunderstanding, The "one year ED visa" is actually a multiple entry non-imm ED visa that allow stay 90 days at time for up to one year, and is issued at a consulate. Immigration don't issues it, consulate do. In fact it is not even very frequent because nearby consulates only issue single entry non-imm ED visa, that is valid for a stay of 90 days only. People with multi-entry visa do not have a problem really.

Also, to be issued a new ED visa, no immigration test is needed. Only MoE letter and school paperwork. Again, Immigration is not involved in visa issued at consulates. They cannot cancel visa or limit their duration, except for truly unusual circumstances like counterfeiting.

So. Immigration offices (in Phuket or anywhere else) can do any informal testing, require add.t documents, shorten extension length and do anything else to make students life miserable only when it's about extensions.

Edited December 28, 2014 by paz

[Robert24]

so what is the new process now? Does your 1 year visa become invalid after 6 months and you have to get a new 1 year visa from a consulate? Or do they issue only 6 months ED visas now?