Advice Please - Non Immigrant B (London)

[Jaffacake]

Long time lurker, first time poster! 

 

I was hoping to pick someone's brains regarding an application I will be making shortly at the embassy in London for a Non Immigrant B Visa (Multi entry). 

 

I have been offered a job in Thailand and the company that I will be working for have sent me a massive wedge of documents required to get the VISA (Company finances, shareholders, offer of employment etc). My query is regarding the information I have to fill out and more specifically the details regarding "Duration of proposed stay" and "purpose of current visit" on the application form

 

From my limited understanding, this VISA isn't a work permit, doesn't permit me to work and is limited to 3 months. That said, i'm going to Thailand to work and I'm planning on staying longer than 3 months so I was confused how I should be filling out these sections. 

 

I have obviously asked the company for guidance and i'm waiting for them to get back to me but thought it might be a good idea to see if anyone here has any first hand advice they may be able to share 

 

Thanks in advance

[elviajero]

Usually people apply for single entry non 'B' visas and apply for a 1 year extension of stay once in Thailand.

 

There is no problem using a multiple entry visa, but you would need to do a border hop every 90 days. If you are applying for this visa then:

Duration of Stay = Multiple stays of 90 days (or something similar)

Purpose = Work.

[Jaffacake]

Many thanks for your swift reply. 

 

The company did suggest a single entry visa to begin with but my understanding was that I wouldn't be able to leave the country for the 3 month duration of this VISA. I said i would rather pay more to get a multiple entry VISA as I would quite like to visit some of the neighbouring countries in that period but wasn't aware it could affected future VISA's?

 

Am i correct in saying If i was to apply for a single entry non "b" would I able to leave and reenter country freely once the 1 year extension of stay / work permit was granted? And am I in saying that if I had a multiple entry "b" visa to begin with I would have to leave every 90 days irrespective of having a work permit?

 

It's all very confusing!

[elviajero]

• If you get a single entry visa it will be valid for entry for 3 months from the date it's issued.
• You can make your one entry anytime during that 3 months.
• When you enter you will be given permission to stay for 90 days.
• If you want to leave during that 90 days you can, but need to buy a re-entry permit. Single entry, 1,000 baht; multiple entry; 3,800 baht.
• The extension of stay will be applied for during the last 30 (maybe 45) days of the 90.
• Once you have the 1 year extension you can also leave whenever with a re-entry permit.
• If you have a multiple entry visa you can apply for a 1 year extension during any 90 day stay. If you don't extend your stay you would need to leave every 90 days. You can exit and immediately re-enter at most borders.

[Jaffacake]

Thank you so much, that is really informative.

 

One final question if i may.. Does applying for the multiple entry over the single entry visa make it any more or less likely for it to be granted? I have been advised it's just an additional cost but the criteria is still the same and thus  makes no difference which one you apply for?

 

I'm having visions of a catching an embassy worker on a bad day and it being rejected!

 

Thanks again for you help 

[elviajero]

• The criteria is the same, but obviously the multiple entry is more expensive.
• You will have no problem getting a single entry, but I am not sure whether London will issue a multiple entry based on work.
• If you are going to be living/working in Thailand then a single entry and a 1 year extension of stay is the best option.
• If you applied for the multiple entry, and it was rejected, they should offer you the single entry.

[Jaffacake]

Okay I think based on this I'm going to just go for the single entry and the 1 year extension of stay thereafter, I don't want to risk it being rejected for the sake of not being able to take any vacations for 3 months. 

 

So on the single entry application

 

Purpose of visit: work 

Duration of stay: 90 days? 

 

 

[elviajero]

That's correct, but to be clear you can still take a vacation during the initial 90 day stay as long as you buy a re-entry permit.

[Jaffacake]

And is that picked up before the trip or at the airport? Is it an instant thing or needs applying for weeks before you wish to go? 

[elviajero]

Once the extension of stay has been granted you can apply for the permit, on the same day or any day thereafter, from your local immigration office. Or you can buy it from the airport on the way out of the country. They are issued on the spot.

 

p.s. The permit will be valid for the remainder of the permission to stay. 

Edited August 11, 2016 by elviajero

[ubonjoe]

There was not really much need for the discussion about about a multiple entry non-b visa since the embassy in London would not issue one. They only do them for business purposes and that requires you to be working for a company in UK with business to conduct here.

[Jaffacake]

I wasn't aware of that Joe and I don't think my sponsor in Thailand was either.

 

Thats makes it a simple decision then, thanks for your help all 

[cheesecakegirl]

Hi. Sorry for hijacking this thread, but I didn't want to create a separate thread as I have some of the same questions that Jaffacake has.

 

I'm going to Savannakhet next week to get my Non-Immigrant B.  I'm a teacher here and I would like to return home to the United States in October during the term break.

 

So, I will need to purchase a re-entry permit, correct?  Do you know if I can do that in Savannakhet as I'm getting my Non-B?  I don't really want to get a multi-entry Non-B because it would cost, I believe, 5,000 baht whereas a Non-B plus a re-entry permit would be only 3,000 baht total.  (Correct me on the math if I'm wrong.)

 

I really do not want to try to get a re-entry permit at the airport.  It's pretty much a crap-shoot, especially if your flight is super-late at night or in the wee hours of the morning.

 

Any info you can give me would be much appreciated.

[ubonjoe]

4 hours ago, cheesecakegirl said:

Hi. Sorry for hijacking this thread, but I didn't want to create a separate thread as I have some of the same questions that Jaffacake has.

 

I'm going to Savannakhet next week to get my Non-Immigrant B.  I'm a teacher here and I would like to return home to the United States in October during the term break.

 

So, I will need to purchase a re-entry permit, correct?  Do you know if I can do that in Savannakhet as I'm getting my Non-B?  I don't really want to get a multi-entry Non-B because it would cost, I believe, 5,000 baht whereas a Non-B plus a re-entry permit would be only 3,000 baht total.  (Correct me on the math if I'm wrong.)

 

I really do not want to try to get a re-entry permit at the airport.  It's pretty much a crap-shoot, especially if your flight is super-late at night or in the wee hours of the morning.

 

Any info you can give me would be much appreciated.

You can forget the though of getting a multiple entry non-b in Savannakhet. They will not do one.

You can only get a re-entry permit at an immigration office here or at some airports and border crossings on departure from the country.

It seems all you would require is a single re-entry permit that costs 1000 baht. A multiple re-entry permit costs 3800 baht. You would not want a multiple re-entry permit until after you obtain a one year extension of stay based upon teaching.

[cheesecakegirl]

So, any immigration office will do, then?  I don't have to go through the process at the I.O. in the province where I live?  Thanks.

[SaintLouisBlues]

Aren't reason and single/multiple just two different checkboxes on the same form under the "Non-Immigrant" heading? So he'd pick "multiple entry" and reason "Business"? On the last form I used the multiple entry cost 2.5 times the cost of the single entry, but at least you get a multiple entry visa without having to apply separately for a multiple re-entry permit

Edited August 13, 2016 by SaintLouisBlues

[ubonjoe]

 

24 minutes ago, cheesecakegirl said:

So, any immigration office will do, then?  I don't have to go through the process at the I.O. in the province where I live?  Thanks.

Since you are not on an extension of stay yet you should be able to get it at any office if you have a local address to put on the application  form.

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, SaintLouisBlues said:

Aren't reason and single/multiple just two different checkboxes on the same form under the "Non-Immigrant" heading? So he'd pick "multiple entry" and reason "Business"? On the last form I used the multiple entry cost 2.5 times the cost of the single entry, but at least you get a multiple entry visa without having to apply separately for a multiple re-entry permit

You could if the embassy or consulate where you were applying would issue a multiple entry visa.

But as said before Savannakhet will not do them.