REPORT: ED Visa extension @ Chaeng Wattana - 3 mohenths if read/write Thai, 2 months if can't

[bbi1]

Went to do my ED Visa extension on Wednesday & arrived there about 1:30pm. All done around 6:30pm so it's a crazy long 5 hour wait even mid-week. I can only imagine how long it must be on a Monday, Friday or just after a public holiday!! I wonder if the ED visa extension section of immigration only does ED visa extensions (both for language schools & universities) or also does others too? They have such a small section compared to the retirement visa section which didn't have many people waiting around or the tourist visa extension section or business section. No wonder all the other sections had finished seeing customers while the ED visa section kept going so late.

Anyway, at the 1st step "Checking Documents" section is full of ladies working that section. When waiting I saw a big folder for "Pro Language" which is what people have mentioned here before that they are apparently in the bad books with Immigration. I wonder what they have in that folder......

When I met with the lady, they didn't really speak any Thai to confirm if I can speak or not. After looking at the documents she said the name of my school to the other lady at her desk & she said "2 months". I questioned her why 2 months, not 3 months? She asked if I can read & write Thai, which I said I can. She asked me to read a passage from the documents provided from the language school then asked me to write something basic. At that point she stamped 3 months. It seems 2 months is the usual even if you go to a reputable good school (maybe less for Pro Language) but if you can read/write you get an extra month.

I also noticed earlier 4 students waiting with a Thai representative from their school/uni, one being an African about 35yrs old who really wasn't happy as it seems he didn't his full extension. His Thai representative didn't manage to help. I think I heard Immigration saying that if he studies more he would get 1 year?? Not sure as they were very far from me. I always wonder why some people come with a Thai representative. Saw a few that day. Can't people visit immigration themselves? lol

[frimu]

Pro Language is just 30 days now.

I'm very disappointed of that school, as they made a serious impression, when I booked the course there, but somehow they screwed up since then. We also have a very good teacher in class and I attended regularly,

And now if you're registered with that school you get 30 days, even if you can read and write like I can.

[inbangkok]

Pro Language is just 30 days now.

I'm very disappointed of that school, as they made a serious impression, when I booked the course there, but somehow they screwed up since then. We also have a very good teacher in class and I attended regularly,

And now if you're registered with that school you get 30 days, even if you can read and write like I can.

Why is PL only getting 30 days?

[inbangkok]

This is not the case OP. It is on a day to day basis at CW. I know people who can read and write and have still only gotten 2 months. I know people who cannot read or write and have gotten 3 months.....all very recently.

They make this shit up as they go.

[bbi1]

This is not the case OP. It is on a day to day basis at CW. I know people who can read and write and have still only gotten 2 months. I know people who cannot read or write and have gotten 3 months.....all very recently.

They make this shit up as they go.

Are they all from the same school or different schools? Did they all get tested on their reading & writing or not? Did they question them why they only got 2 months or not?

I think depending on which school you go to makes a difference. They said my school name to the other lady & were going to automatically give 2 months, then since I could read & write I got 3 months.

Considering how crazily busy it is even mid-week, you'd think they'd want to give everyone 3 months so they would have less work with people coming for extensions less frequently.

Edited February 28, 2015 by bbi1

[inbangkok]

This is not the case OP. It is on a day to day basis at CW. I know people who can read and write and have still only gotten 2 months. I know people who cannot read or write and have gotten 3 months.....all very recently.

They make this shit up as they go.

Are they all from the same school or different schools? Did they all get tested on their reading & writing or not? Did they question them why they only got 2 months or not?

I think depending on which school you go to makes a difference. They said my school name to the other lady & were going to automatically give 2 months, then since I could read & write I got 3 months.

Considering how crazily busy it is even mid-week, you'd think they'd want to give everyone 3 months so they would have less work with people coming for extensions less frequently.

Different schools. Some got tested, some didn't. Like I said, there are no rules or regulations. They make it up as they go along day by day.

From what I can gather, the only school where it is making a difference at this point regarding the extension at this point is pro language where most people seem to be getting 30 days. Everyone else at every other school reports anywhere between 30 and 90 with no consistency.

[BKKSnowBird]

Why is PL on the bad list? I have always heard great things about them.

[maidee]

they expect a newbie to learn to read & write thai in 2 or 3 months now ???

[bbi1]

they expect a newbie to learn to read & write thai in 2 or 3 months now ???

Yep it seems so, otherwise you'll get the standard amount of days based on which school you go to. Good luck to any newbies getting 90 days on their 1st time they go to immigration. After 6 months of study I would say that you should be able to read/write enough to be able to pass their test. If not then you're not studying hard enough.

[gezginrocker]

Why is PL on the bad list? I have always heard great things about them.

Immigration found out that some Koreans from Silom branch were working illegaly. Since then, PL is blacklisted. Immigration is punishing all PL students, whether they attend classes or not. This is madness.

[bbi1]

Why is PL on the bad list? I have always heard great things about them.

Immigration found out that some Koreans from Silom branch were working illegaly. Since then, PL is blacklisted. Immigration is punishing all PL students, whether they attend classes or not. This is madness.

I'm glad that I've only ever seen one Korean dude at my school. Actually, a friend of mine recently told me a fellow Korean co-worker is actually being he tracked down by the cops because apparently foreigners aren't allowed to work in the job that she's working in, it's in the prohibited list. But I don't think that Korean has an ED visa, just a tourist visa & lives here with her Korean husband.

[Kitsune]

Immigration officers are not Thai language examiners, they are not trained on levels and I suspect they don't care.

3 months or 3 years study same same for them: you can speak/write/understand /read Thai, yes or no? It's binary, no "but".

End of story.

It would take even more time if it was done properly. So it's up to the officer to decide how much time he wants to give you.

Yes Prolanguage is in immigration's black book, and I really pity the students who pay a lot for their school, attend lessons, and get one month.

It's not fair.

[edgarfriendly]

IME the 5 hour delay is 100% due to the morning period being spent with 'sataff' playing on their phones, casual flirting with each other & trinket buying/selling/sharing.. and ALMOST NO work being done until 11.00AM. 5 hours to get a stamp should be reason enough for them all to be moved to inactive positions but what ya gonna do??

As to the legality of their behaviour we are pretty much out of luck, we are all 'guests' at their discretion - meaning if they say no extension, that means no extension. and they KNOW this!

i have always been disheartened by the ineptitude of these 'civil servants' since they were back in suan phlu - now they have a shiny office complex their attitudes have grown even more contemptuous and i cant see it getting any better without a severe regime change.

all this shit directed at students who actually bother to extend and potentially nothing aimed at the 'many' illegal workers who just ignore the 'rules' and do what they like!!

its a sick joke. paying through the nose to get mediocre education from mediocre 'teachers' who are themselves subject to a biased system run by mediocre 'servants'

DISGUSTED!!

the fact that all this 'cant' be solved by automated extensions is revealing enough. How many of these people would be considered employable anywhere else??

like the 'ticket staff' at the BTS 'ticket office' who do nothing more than change notes into coins & occasionally issue one day tickets which is even LESS than the ticket machines can do!!!

A complete waste of time, effort, money and space!!! every single station could/would be much improved with 3-4 extra gates and no 3-4 lazy asses sat in A/C all day frowning (not to mention their pathetic, stinking attitudes...)

(also, whats a mohenth??)

Edited March 2, 2015 by edgarfriendly

[gezginrocker]

Looks like Pro Language is "white listed" again. Today I went to Chaeng Wattana to get my first ever extension. There was a PL staff who handled all of our documents, we didn't get interviewed. And all of us got extensions until 10th of May for 1900 baht. That's 2 months and 9 days I think, I saw that they had written "2.9" on the documents with a marker.

I was so stressed by this nonsense and I'm really glad that it is finally over.

[edgarfriendly]

i was given 2 months instead of 3 today.

the 1st staff member said it can be changed to 3 months by his boss - the boss asked me how i can afford to live here.

then gave me 2 months.

when i asked why, i was told (very quietly) by staff no. 1 (for extra 1900, ha ha ha...)

i will no longer be studying this pointless 'ranguage' - until they start abusing their positions with other legitimate applicants...

piss-takers!!!

[Boycie]

For an extra 1,000baht over the table, no shame, you can get 90 days instead of the first offer of only 60 days.

[Kitsune]

The reason for the crackdown was to get rid of people working on ED visas.

Result : The exact opposite happened......

- real students, not working living cheap and refusing to bend over for corruption officer, get treated like a criminals.

- people working who can pay the bribe and are to busy to go to class, don't queue and get VIP service.

Soon only people working will be on ED visa. For people who have a good job that pays well, it makes sense to pay extra not to lose work days, like on tourist visa.

Edited May 22, 2015 by Kitsune