Advice regarding loss of employment and non-immigrant B

[AdamJensen]

Hello,

I was employed as a teacher until recently. I've been here on a non-immigrant B visa and I had all the necessary documents. My employment just ended and I'm wondering what I should do. My former employer contacted me saying she needs me to sign something. I have a trip back home in 29 days.

Thanks for any advice.

[Neeranam]

If your visa is valid for another 29 days just stay on it. Some will tell you that you have 7 days to leave the country but no one can cancel your visa apart from an immigration officer.

The only problem you would have is when trying to get another work permit - they make you go to the police station and pay a 1500 baht fine for not cancelling the WP before.

[ubonjoe]

If it is just a 90 day non-b visa entry it will not be a problem to stay until the 29th.

If you are on an extension of stay you got at immigration it ends on the date you are no longer working.

[AdamJensen]

I am on an extension. It's good until the 22nd of September. My flight home is on April 11th. So what would be the best thing for me to do? Apply for a tourist visa and come back for 4 weeks? Or should I just fly out and then back in and not worry about a tourist visa?

[ubonjoe]

You could fly out an back to get a 30 day visa exempt entry. If that is not enough you could get a 30 day extension of that entry.

[AdamJensen]

What about taking a bus to Laos? Would I have to get a tourist visa if I want back in?

[ubonjoe]

If you cross the border at Nong Khai or Mukdahan you will need a letter from your employer stating your job has ended or they will not let you leave the coutnry.

At any other crossing you would not have a problem leaving, re-entering and getting a visa exempt entry but you would only get a 15 day entry unless you are from a G7 country.

[IMA_FARANG]

I am on an extension. It's good until the 22nd of September. My flight home is on April 11th. So what would be the best thing for me to do? Apply for a tourist visa and come back for 4 weeks? Or should I just fly out and then back in and not worry about a tourist visa?

-------------------------------

That's just the point we are asking about.

If you had an EXTENSION of your VISA to work in Thailand, then is your VISA (which you used to enter Thailand) still valid.

If it is out of date, expired, then your EXTENSION will expire when you are no longer working.... and you must leave the country.

If your VISA is till valid, you can stay in Thailand until it expires, but your EXTENSION does not continue once you stop working.

If that is the case, you can be on overstay now.

[PiBa]

I was in a similar situation a couple of years ago. I worked at a school on a one year contract running from May to May. Visa, work permit, tax registration were all in good and legal order. In August I gave the school my notice, and worked there to the end of the term, which in effect was out September. I heard rumours that leaving my job would actually make my visa void, even if I had an extension to mid-May the following year. I didn’t pay any attention to this and just stayed on. Later that year I planned a trip to India. I was a little bit nervous about what would happen at the immigration at the airport in BKK when I was leaving. But nothing happened. I went to get a re-entry permit at airport, stamped out and off I went. Coming back to Thailand two weeks later was not a problem either. My Non Imm "B" visa extension was still good. I left Thailand on a re-entry permit one more time before this visa expired. Again, no problems. When my visa actually expired in May I left for Laos over Nong Khai to get a double entry tourist visa. No questions asked.

[Mario2008]

You were on overstay and illegally in the country, you just didn't get caught.

[Neeranam]

You were on overstay and illegally in the country, you just didn't get caught.

I've never heard of anyone being charged for overstay in this situation.

AFAIK, the Ministry of Labour do NOT inform Immigration.

[Mario2008]

You were on overstay and illegally in the country, you just didn't get caught.

I've never heard of anyone being charged for overstay in this situation.

AFAIK, the Ministry of Labour do NOT inform Immigration.

That doesn't make it legal to stay.

But on occasion people are being asked why they leave without a re-entry permit and told to cancel the permission to stay before being allowed to leave when immigration finds they leave because their job has finished.

It can also lead to problems when applying for a new extension of stay based on working, if immigration spots a discrepancy between new and old contract start/finish date.

[Neeranam]

You were on overstay and illegally in the country, you just didn't get caught.

I've never heard of anyone being charged for overstay in this situation.

AFAIK, the Ministry of Labour do NOT inform Immigration.

That doesn't make it legal to stay.

But on occasion people are being asked why they leave without a re-entry permit and told to cancel the permission to stay before being allowed to leave when immigration finds they leave because their job has finished.

It can also lead to problems when applying for a new extension of stay based on working, if immigration spots a discrepancy between new and old contract start/finish date.

If one is stopped at random to get their passport checked, the visa will be there. My point is immigration can never know unless you tell them and why would one want to do that?

Immigration are not in contact with the Ministry of Labour. As I stated earlier, the only problem is a 1500 baht fine when applying for a new WP.

If asked at immigration why no re-entry permit, just say you are not coming back.

However, I know quite a few who have left their job, left the country at some expense and come back with a tourist visa, get a new job, leave the country again ignoring my advice. Maybe they can sleep better at night.

[Mario2008]

If asked at immigration why no re-entry permit, just say you are not coming back.

And then they can tell you to cancel your permission to stay properly at an immigration office, where they want documents to show your last day of employment to determine if you are on overstay or not.

[Neeranam]

If asked at immigration why no re-entry permit, just say you are not coming back.

And then they can tell you to cancel your permission to stay properly at an immigration office, where they want documents to show your last day of employment to determine if you are on overstay or not.

Really? Thanks, I didn't know that.

This being the country tat it is, one could ask "if there was any way to solve this problem without missing your flight". 99 times out of 100, I bet there is.