Renewal of Work Permit and Non-Immigrant B Visa

[slightlybadwizard]

I'm a University Lecturer from the UK and I've been working here for the last 12 months on a non-immigration B visa.

My work permit and visa both expire on 31st July 2017 and I need to renew / extend them for the first time.

 

I have all the documents from my University for renewing the work permit and visa but I can't find the answer (despite several hours on here and contacting my HR department) about which of these I need to renew first? If renewing the Non-B is straightforward (i.e., just a process of complete the TM7 and providing the supporting documents), I plan to head to Cheanwattana tomorrow morning and deal with this first.

 

Thanks for the advice

[Here2008]

I do not think you will be able to renew a visa at immigration.

[blackcab]

1. It would be usual and normal for the University to handle this on your behalf (unless you speak, read and write Thai to a good standard).

 

2. Do you have a visa or an extension of stay? There is a very big difference. If you must leave the country every 90 days then you have a visa. If you can stay in Thailand longer than 90 days (up to 1 year) you have an extension of stay.

 

2. If you have an extension of stay it is unusual that your work permit expires on the same day (unless these were obtained from the one stop shop at Chamchuri Square).

 

3. To answer your question, you must extend your work permit first, unless you qualify for one stop shop service in which case your work permit and extension of stay will be dealt with at the same time.

 

4. Get your university HR to handle all of this for you. Really.

[slightlybadwizard]

Thanks blackcab,

 

Yes, more precisely it is an extension of stay I'm currently on. Our HR prepares the documents but doesn't offer much more advice than that, unfortunately. 

[Mattd]

10 hours ago, blackcab said:

To answer your question, you must extend your work permit first, unless you qualify for one stop shop service in which case your work permit and extension of stay will be dealt with at the same time.

I am not entirely convinced that this is correct, as it is a renewal of the extension of stay and not the first one, when I changed jobs a while back, then I did have to do the new WP first, however, when they were both renewed then we had to go to immigration first, as the agent said that the labour department want to see that you have the permission to stay prior to renewing the WP, I know coz I thought it was a strange order myself, so asked.

Strange that his HR doesn't process this.

 

[blackcab]

10 hours ago, Mattd said:

I am not entirely convinced that this is correct, as it is a renewal of the extension of stay and not the first one, when I changed jobs a while back, then I did have to do the new WP first, however, when they were both renewed then we had to go to immigration first, as the agent said that the labour department want to see that you have the permission to stay prior to renewing the WP, I know coz I thought it was a strange order myself, so asked.

Strange that his HR doesn't process this.

 

 

I've had a work permit for a number of years, as have other people who work at the same company as I do. Our work permits and extensions of stay are processed by our own admin staff.

 

It's definitely work permit first.

 

Think about it logically. When you enter the country on Non Imm B the next step is to obtain your work permit. After that you go to immigration to get an extension of stay. Your work permit renewal is therefore dated before your extension of stay renewal.

 

If you don't extend your work permit before you apply for an extension of stay the chances are your work permit will have already expired by the time you turn up at immigration.

[brewsterbudgen]

My Extension and work permit expire on the same day. Generally I renew the Extension first (a few weeks before expiry) then HR renew the WP.

[blackcab]

1 hour ago, brewsterbudgen said:

My Extension and work permit expire on the same day. Generally I renew the Extension first (a few weeks before expiry) then HR renew the WP.

 

So immigration give you a 1 year extension when your work permit is only valid for a few more weeks.

 

Which area are you applying in? I'm in Bangkok. 

[Mattd]

10 hours ago, blackcab said:

 

So immigration give you a 1 year extension when your work permit is only valid for a few more weeks.

 

Which area are you applying in? I'm in Bangkok. 

Yes, they most definitely do the under consideration bit prior, as I said, I was surprised myself, as logic would say it should be the other way around, our agent was insistent that it had to be extension first after the initial time.

Mine is also Bangkok.

Edited July 25, 2017 by Mattd

[brewsterbudgen]

 
So immigration give you a 1 year extension when your work permit is only valid for a few more weeks.
 
Which area are you applying in? I'm in Bangkok. 

Bangkok. It's been done like this, for me anyway, since I started working here in 2006.

[blackcab]

@slightlybadwizard

 

So the answer is in Bangkok it doesn't matter what order you do it in as long as your work permit doesn't expire before your extension of stay is approved.

 

For what it's worth, attached is a picture of my work permit and extension of stay.

 

The work permit is valid until 19 February each year. The extension of stay is valid until 14 April each year.

 

Personally it is impossible for me to apply for my extension of stay before I apply for the extension of my work permit. This is because Chaeng Wattana only accept extension applications for business a maximum of 45 days before the extension expires. In my case if I did not extend my work permit first it would expire before I would be able to submit an extension of stay.

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, blackcab said:

The work permit is valid until 19 February each year. The extension of stay is valid until 14 April each year.

I think many people have the same situation as you do.

Entered on a non-b visa then got their work permit and then the extension that started at the end of their 90 day entry.

[altrini]

Good day slightlybadwizard

 

Did you renew your visa and work permit?  What were the required documents and steps? I am going through the same thing and my University does not seem to know much either.  Is a police clearance required as used in the original application process? My visa expires at the end of the Septemeber along with my work permit thus going through the same as you earlier.  

 

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience. 

 

Altrini

[WeeWee]

Hi! are we all still here? This is really useful for me. My school will help but we're a 2 man-band so I like to get info too. My work permit expires 20/12/17 and my nob b 31/12/17. How long it expires before can I renew my work visa? and how long before can I renew my non b? thank you

p.s i am presuming we go work permit, visa, back to ministry of labour but perhaps only 2 visits. My offices are Sri Racha immi and Chon Buri labour.

[WeeWee]

46 minutes ago, WeeWee said:

Hi! are we all still here? This is really useful for me. My school will help but we're a 2 man-band so I like to get info too. My work permit expires 20/12/17 and my nob b 31/12/17. How long it expires before can I renew my work visa? and how long before can I renew my non b? thank you

p.s i am presuming we go work permit, visa, back to ministry of labour but perhaps only 2 visits. My offices are Sri Racha immi and Chon Buri labour.

 

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, WeeWee said:

Hi! are we all still here? This is really useful for me. My school will help but we're a 2 man-band so I like to get info too. My work permit expires 20/12/17 and my nob b 31/12/17. How long it expires before can I renew my work visa? and how long before can I renew my non b? thank you

p.s i am presuming we go work permit, visa, back to ministry of labour but perhaps only 2 visits. My offices are Sri Racha immi and Chon Buri labour.

Are you currently in Thailand on an extension of stay on the basis of working, or on an entry using a multiple entry Non B visa? The details vary depending on the answer to that question. An extension of your permission to stay is not a visa.

[WeeWee]

I'm on a single entry non B and I work

[WeeWee]

meaning a one year non b with work permit

[ubonjoe]

7 minutes ago, WeeWee said:

I'm on a single entry non B and I work

Not sure how you could have a work permit that needs to extended with a 90 day entry from a single entry non-b visa. I think you have a one year extension of stay you applied for at a immigration office.

You can extend your work permit (apply for it early) and then apply for a new one year extension of stay.

[WeeWee]

yes. how long before they both expire can i do each is the question

[ubonjoe]

10 hours ago, WeeWee said:

yes. how long before they both expire can i do each is the question

You can apply for the work permit extension up to a couple of weeks early.

You can apply for the new extension of stay up to 30 day early.