ED Visa refused in Penang

[London Boy]

Visa run to Penang. Given tourist visa instead of Ed Visa

 

 

Background: 49 year old British male, with dual nationalaity (UK and NZ). Have been living in Thailand since February 2014 on a variety of different visas; Education, Non B, and Tourist. New passport in October 2019, re-entered Thailand November 2019 on SETV from London. Now time for one last visa to tied me over until I turn 50.

 

 

Flew to Penang on 12.2.19 Air Asia ฿3000 per person, with my Thai girlfiend. We thought we'd combine a visa run with a romantic 4 day holiday. Flew out of Don Mueang, absolutly deserted. Flew through immigration. I'd say around 70% of people were wearing facemasks and there was hand sanitiser everywhere. Penang was lovely. Friendly people, cheaper then Bangkok in every aspect. Bought a local SIM at the airport so we could use GRAB to get around (taxi's around half the cost of the ones in Bangkok....yes they're that cheap).

 

Got to the Royal Thai Consulate on the 13th at 8am. Pretty quite but I wanted to be the first in the queue. By the time it opened at 9 there were around 15 people waiting. When the security guard opened the gate to the courtyard infront of the offices, we was turning away farang females who were exposing too much flesh. He told them to go by a shawl and cover their shoulders and they can come back.

 

At the counter, I started to be interviewed on why I wanted to learn Thai. My first reaction was to tell the condescending c*nt that I wanted to learn Thai, because I wanted to learn Thai, but I knew that wouldnt get me anywhere. I told him that I'd be turning 50 in 5 months and that I would retire in Thailand and so I wanted to learn the language to make my life easier. His next question was how old I was!?! Again I wanted to tell him to either listen to the words coming out of my mouth or open my passport that he has in his hands. He asked me why I hadn't applied for an Ed visa in my home country, and I replied that I'm not going to commit to 9 months in a country I've never been to before and wanted to see if I'd like Thailand first, which is why I arrived on a tourist visa. He told me to come back tmrw to see 'the result'.

 

Next day a pleasant morning wondering around Penang which was spoilt by going back to the consulate. Walked in about 3pm and there were several other farangs sitting around complaining that their ED visa had been turned down. I already knew the result but one of the admin staff told me I'd been givem a TR instead of an ED and if I was okay with that. The other farangs in the waiting area I spoke to, said they hadn't been given an explanation as to why their ED visa had been turned down. I insisted on speaking to whoever was in charge. The same officious little <deleted> came out and I made the decsion to verbally blast him once I had my passport given back to me. "Listen to me, I'm not a skint back packer wondering around Asia, I'm a succesful business man and If i want to learn the language before retiring in Thailand, am I asking too much". I think he was taken aback by someone actually confronting him rather then kissing his <deleted>, and he apologised and said it was a new directive from the Minister of Foreign Affairs. I said if that's the case, surely there would be an exception to the rule, and I would be that exception as I can legaly stay in Thailand in 5 months time anyway. He said there are exception's and that is why he gave me a TR where as other applicants wern't given anything. I told him he should state this on his website rather then wasting peoples time, who could easily have travelled to another city to apply.

 

 

Arrived at Don Mueang Sundy evening. Place was like a ghost town. Hardly any passengers at the foreign immigration lines but decided to go though the Thai lane with my GF given my passport now had two back to back TR's. The stern looking female IO asked if I was my GF husband (only BF but didnt tell her that) and she quickly stamped me through without even finger printing me.

 

 

Conclusions:

 

So I get to live another day. Very frustating none the less as I have paid 18k for the course and the 8 month Ed visa would have got me across the line until I turn 50. I'll speak to the school to see if they will refund some of the fee, and I can still attend the classes. Or maybe I'll goto London in April and apply there. Is it still worth the hassle? For me it is, as I've done it for 6 years now and I can see the finishing line. Also having recently spent 5 weeks in London, I still think the benefits outweigh the costs. However if I was 5 years younger, I may feel differently.

[FritsSikkink]

Another rude person who thinks he is entitled to everything and others are his servants.

[jackdd]

1 hour ago, London Boy said:

Have been living in Thailand since February 2014

1 hour ago, London Boy said:

He asked me why I hadn't applied for an Ed visa in my home country, and I replied that I'm not going to commit to 9 months in a country I've never been to before and wanted to see if I'd like Thailand first

I guess you lying to him was 50% of the problem.

 

1 hour ago, London Boy said:

My first reaction was to tell the condescending c*nt

And your attiude the other 50%.

[Maestro]

10 hours ago, London Boy said:

Very frustating none the less as I have paid 18k for the course and the 8 month Ed visa would have got me across the line until I turn 50.

 

It is perfectly legal for you to start taking your Thai language classes while you are in Thailand on your 60-day permission to stay based on your entry with a tourist visa. During this time, with the necessary papers from the school, you can apply for a non-immigrant visa and subsequently for an extension of stay for the reason of studying under clause 2.9 of the Police Order 327/2557 (2014). The school should be able to give you guidance with these applications.

[Fairynuff]

As a successful business man and not a skint backpacker why not buy the Elite visa.

[gk10002000]

 

18 hours ago, jackdd said:

19 hours ago, London Boy said:

Have been living in Thailand since February 2014

19 hours ago, London Boy said:

He asked me why I hadn't applied for an Ed visa in my home country, and I replied that I'm not going to commit to 9 months in a country I've never been to before and wanted to see if I'd like Thailand first

I guess you lying to him was 50% of the problem.

 

19 hours ago, London Boy said:

My first reaction was to tell the condescending c*nt

And your attiude the other 50%.

yeah, the poster was pushing all the visa and extension rules. 

[JackGats]

ED visa, I assume it means erectile dysfunction visa. You should have been less explicit about why you want to stay in Thailand. Don't ask don't tell is best.

[emptypockets]

20 hours ago, London Boy said:

Background: 49 year old British male, with dual nationalaity (UK and NZ). Have been living in Thailand since February 2014 on a variety of different visas; Education, Non B, and Tourist. New passport in October 2019, re-entered Thailand November 2019 on SETV from London. Now time for one last visa to tied me over until I turn 50.

I guess they are waking up to you. It's obvious to me , at least, that you will do anything for a visa and have for the last six years. Why not get married if you are that keen to stay in Thailand with your girlfriend.

[emptypockets]

20 hours ago, London Boy said:

He asked me why I hadn't applied for an Ed visa in my home country, and I replied that I'm not going to commit to 9 months in a country I've never been to before and wanted to see if I'd like Thailand first,

Show up the consulate with a Thai girlfriend. Never been to Thailand before. Yeah.......right.

How stupid do you think these people really are? It's not exactly unknown that people game the system using the ED visa with zero intention of studying. You got caught out. Tough luck.

Edited February 19, 2020 by emptypockets

[dbrenn]

20 hours ago, London Boy said:

My first reaction was to tell the condescending c*nt

No surprise at all that you were refused - Thais are good at reading nonverbal communication, body language, attitude and the like.

[steve187]

another quality visitor to Thailand

[Farangwithaplan]

21 hours ago, London Boy said:

"Listen to me, I'm not a skint back packer wondering around Asia, I'm a succesful business man and If i want to learn the language before retiring in Thailand, am I asking too much".

Clearly not successful enough to take the correct path and get an Elite Visa instead of playing the backpacker style visa run option, though, are you?

 

If I was the person you abused, I would have been straight onto immigration telling them to be ready for you along with Customs and their rubber glove sheathed hands.

 

[ThaiVisa69]

OP. Sounds like the consulate was more than generous with you...Hopefully the next time you go through immigration they pull you aside and send you back to someplace other than here.  You are an offensive c!!t

[Nanaplaza666]

11 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

It is perfectly legal for you to start taking your Thai language classes while you are in Thailand on your 60-day permission to stay based on your entry with a tourist visa. During this time, with the necessary papers from the school, you can apply for a non-immigrant visa and subsequently for an extension of stay for the reason of studying under clause 2.9 of the Police Order 327/2557 (2014). The school should be able to give you guidance with these applications.

Don't try to help him , it sounds like he has everything figured out already this all knowing londonboy .

[London Boy]

11 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

It is perfectly legal for you to start taking your Thai language classes while you are in Thailand on your 60-day permission to stay based on your entry with a tourist visa. During this time, with the necessary papers from the school, you can apply for a non-immigrant visa and subsequently for an extension of stay for the reason of studying under clause 2.9 of the Police Order 327/2557 (2014). The school should be able to give you guidance with these applications.

Thanks for this....reallu useful to know

[spiekerjozef]

If you turn 50 in 5 months and you got now a single entry tourist visa that gives you 90 days. Then you still have 2 months left. I suggest do a visa run to the border with a visa-run company. You get 30 days (visa exempt), you can extend that at immigration for another 30 days. (if that is still not enough do another visa run to the border for another 30 day visa exempt (you can do 2 land border visa exempts in a year)).(use the land borders, avoid flying in)

After that you can apply for that retirement extension....

 

[London Boy]

1 hour ago, spiekerjozef said:

If you turn 50 in 5 months and you got now a single entry tourist visa that gives you 90 days. Then you still have 2 months left. I suggest do a visa run to the border with a visa-run company. You get 30 days (visa exempt), you can extend that at immigration for another 30 days. (if that is still not enough do another visa run to the border for another 30 day visa exempt (you can do 2 land border visa exempts in a year)).(use the land borders, avoid flying in)

After that you can apply for that retirement extension....

 

Yeah that's what I was considering. Maybe a trip to Surat Thai and cross the border at Nong Khai. I was also considering a trip to London in April and applying for an Ed visa there, but that's obvously a bit more convoluted

[URMySunshine]

2 hours ago, Nanaplaza666 said:

Don't try to help him , it sounds like he has everything figured out already this all knowing londonboy .

`Don't tell them your name Pike !

[DrJack54]

20 minutes ago, London Boy said:

Yeah that's what I was considering. Maybe a trip to Surat Thai and cross the border at Nong Khai. I was also considering a trip to London in April and applying for an Ed visa there, but that's obvously a bit more convoluted

Surat thani long hike to Nong Khai.

Udon thani might save you day or 2.

 

[Sujo]

Agree op. Its very unprofessional for them to refuse the visa but not tell you why.

[darrendsd]

If you only have 5 months left it's not actually a big deal not getting a ED Visa is it OP?

 

In fact why did you even bother applying?

 

1 TV (90 days total) and 1 or 2 VE (60 days each) is enough to see you through until you are 50

 

Why all the drama and why bother applying?

[London Boy]

1 hour ago, darrendsd said:

If you only have 5 months left it's not actually a big deal not getting a ED Visa is it OP?

 

In fact why did you even bother applying?

 

1 TV (90 days total) and 1 or 2 VE (60 days each) is enough to see you through until you are 50

 

Why all the drama and why bother applying?

Firstly I dont like the way consulate staff speak to people. Its not just me but everyone who applied that day was given a hard time and ultimately refused.

Rather then going through that prcedure, why not just update their website? They want our money but cant treat us with a bit of respect, so I wanted him to experince the same dis respect

Secondly I wanted a hassle free 8 months of just staying in the country and learning Thai in a classroom environment

 

[London Boy]

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

Surat thani long hike to Nong Khai.

Udon thani might save you day or 2.

 

Yep that's the one, thanks for the correction.

[emptypockets]

1 hour ago, Sujo said:

Agree op. Its very unprofessional for them to refuse the visa but not tell you why.

The OP wrote:

said it was a new directive from the Minister of Foreign Affairs. 

 

Obviously he was given a reason. It might not be the reason you agree with, but in reality your or mine opinions are irrelevant.

Edited February 19, 2020 by emptypockets

[recom273]

9 minutes ago, London Boy said:

Firstly I dont like the way consulate staff speak to people. Its not just me but everyone who applied that day was given a hard time and ultimately refused.

Rather then going through that prcedure, why not just update their website? They want our money but cant treat us with a bit of respect, so I wanted him to experince the same dis respect

Secondly I wanted a hassle free 8 months of just staying in the country and learning Thai in a classroom environment

 

I can tell you, I played the system as you are for more than a few years. 

 

When you eventually get on the correct visa, its a whole different ballgame - consulates and immigration are generally polite and helpful, life is really easy.

 

The thing at the moment is, you are gaming the system, they know, you know - you can make up a million stories in your head of who you are and how successful you are, they don't care, and will treat you accordingly. 

 

[darrendsd]

3 hours ago, London Boy said:

Firstly I dont like the way consulate staff speak to people. Its not just me but everyone who applied that day was given a hard time and ultimately refused.

Rather then going through that prcedure, why not just update their website? They want our money but cant treat us with a bit of respect, so I wanted him to experince the same dis respect

Secondly I wanted a hassle free 8 months of just staying in the country and learning Thai in a classroom environment

 

I'm pretty sure you can apply on the day of your 50th Birthday so 5.5 months is sufficient

[onebir]

23 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

It is perfectly legal for you to start taking your Thai language classes while you are in Thailand on your 60-day permission to stay based on your entry with a tourist visa. During this time, with the necessary papers from the school, you can apply for a non-immigrant visa and subsequently for an extension of stay for the reason of studying under clause 2.9 of the Police Order 327/2557 (2014). The school should be able to give you guidance with these applications.

This could be useful for me too at some point - very difficult info to find, thanks!

[BritTim]

On 2/19/2020 at 12:16 AM, Maestro said:

 

It is perfectly legal for you to start taking your Thai language classes while you are in Thailand on your 60-day permission to stay based on your entry with a tourist visa. During this time, with the necessary papers from the school, you can apply for a non-immigrant visa and subsequently for an extension of stay for the reason of studying under clause 2.9 of the Police Order 327/2557 (2014). The school should be able to give you guidance with these applications.

It is true that you can study while on a tourist entry, but forget about getting an extension under Clause 2.9. That requires that you are in Thailand on a Non Immigrant entry. Further, although it is possible to convert to a Non Immigrant for the purpose of studying a university course, a conversion will not be granted to attend a language school (even, I believe, with an agent's assistance).

 

All the OP can do is what he has already tried: travel to a neighbouring country for a Non Ed visa. He might be lucky at another consulate, but there have been reports of refusals at Vientiane and Ho Chi Minh City, previously popular locations to apply for Non Ed visas.

[ubonjoe]

A post containing a personal attack and flaming of another member has been removed.

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[London Boy]

8 hours ago, BritTim said:

It is true that you can study while on a tourist entry, but forget about getting an extension under Clause 2.9. That requires that you are in Thailand on a Non Immigrant entry. Further, although it is possible to convert to a Non Immigrant for the purpose of studying a university course, a conversion will not be granted to attend a language school (even, I believe, with an agent's assistance).

 

All the OP can do is what he has already tried: travel to a neighbouring country for a Non Ed visa. He might be lucky at another consulate, but there have been reports of refusals at Vientiane and Ho Chi Minh City, previously popular locations to apply for Non Ed visas.

Good advice. I may just attend the classes while on a TR or fly to London in April and apply there (its my mums birthday as well). I think trying in Vientiane or HCMC will be a waste of time with two back to back SETV's