changing jobs - new process (may not have to leave the country)

[kunnatee]

Hi

Apparently this new legislation is recent, and I don't see threads about it.

So I'll share today's experience.

Please don't rely on what I say without double checking, as nothing is ever very clear with immigration issues, and I wouldn't like you to get in trouble for taking what I write for granted.

So, I'm in the process of changing jobs.

Until today, I thought I would have to go to the immigration with a letter from my old employer saying they stopped employing me on the day I went to the immigration (today).

Then I would get a 7 days extension from the immigration to have the time to leave the country and get a new non-B outside of Thailand before coming back to get a new work permit, and then an extension of stay.

Well, apparently, this has changed.

Today at the immigration, they told me not to get a 7 days extension, as this would force me to leave the country, and to instead get a letter from my old employer with a future date for the end of my employment, that would leave me enough time to get a new visa and work permit without leaving the country.

As long as you still had enough time on the visa you are cancelling, you can apparently now stay in the country until the date mentionned on the letter from your old employer.

This seems quite better than the useless hassle one had to go through before. (leaving the country)

However, I'll only confirm that it actually works like this now after I do have my new visa.

Just so you know, in case you have plans to make. Before buying a plane ticket, check whether you can do without.

[Mario2008]

Some immigration offices no longer allow you to make a new application when on a 7 day to leave the country stamp. This is because as of 29th of August the appeal to a higher officer has been rescinded, so you cannot get a new decision. The decision that you must leave the country is final.

[ubonjoe]

The way it should be done is this way since the latest change to the police order for extensions.

Your new employer applies for your work permit and gets a letter of approval for the application from the work permit office.

You then go to immigration with a letter from your current employer stating you job has ended with them.

You can then apply for a new extension with supporting documents from your new employer and the approval letter for the work permit application.

Then after your work permit is cancelled for your old job your new work permit can be issued.

[bigt116]

Some immigration offices no longer allow you to make a new application when on a 7 day to leave the country stamp. This is because as of 29th of August the appeal to a higher officer has been rescinded, so you cannot get a new decision. The decision that you must leave the country is final.

I was never aware that you had any right of appeal if you applied for the 7 day (get out of dodge) extension ?

[Tomtomtom69]

It's always been the case that you get a post-dated letter from your employer that states you will be terminated at some future date a few weeks or (sometimes) months after your actual termination. For starters, if your company entitles you to severance pay, then depending on the amount of severance pay you are entitled to (often up to 3 months or so), you're covered for that period anyway and that's what the letter should state.

Last year in January I was terminated from my job on the 18th and the letter I was given gave me until the 1st of February. This meant I could go to One Stop for visa cancellation anytime until the 1st of February, but if I went in on the 1st of February I'd have to leave by the end of that day or get a 7-day extension. I was hoping that I'd be taken on by a new company that had expressed interest in me at the time, but in the end there wasn't enough time to transfer my extension of stay in country to that new one (and I didn't even end up getting that job) but that's another story. Since back then the 7-day extension was just a waste of money for me and I had made plans to go to Cambodia on the day I came in for visa and work permit cancellation, I came in on the 31st thinking I'd have to leave that day; but that would obviously be quite absurd - you actually have until the end of the date it says on the letter from your employer so I could have left the next day but I wasn't sure, so better safe than sorry.

I didn't realize that if you get the 7-day extension you can't transfer your previous extension of stay. Good thing I didn't go for that, but as I would eventually go for a double entry TV to tie me over in the meantime, the 7-day extension wouldn't have done anything for me anyway except cost me 1900 Baht and delay an inevitable trip to Cambodia for a week.

[mikecat]

Yes, this is correct you no longer need to leave the country to change jobs. Instructions as per Ubonjoes post.