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Q about work permit and sketchy boss


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Hey, so my old school's English program was bought out by a company from the UK.  All fine and dandy but then one of the higher ups said there was a list of teachers who would be laid off, mostly Filipinos and newer hires.  Found out that my department was going to be gutted, and everybody in the department has since lost their position except for Thai staff and the one English supervisor, who's a good guy, but if I'd stayed I'd have been canned for sure.  Everybody in the school started looking for new jobs, and I'd written it off until my girlfriend sent me a position at a high tier international school teaching my dream subject, which I jumped on and nailed the interview and demo before songkran.  Pay is about 20k more and I've frankly never dreamed a school like it could exist.  Only problem is my old school's HR is nasty when dealing with foreigners (honestly that whole school is a mess when it comes to cultural relations, I've seen too many individual issues there to explain in much detail here without derailing the topic) and they aren't giving me my letter of release or answering messages.  I've got a 90 day report due on friday, and I applied for it online but I haven't got an answer yet and I'm freaking out about this whole situation.  If I have a real visa problem, I expect I'll encounter it if/when I go in to the witches brew that is Chaeng Whattana, and worse case I could find myself without a visa or a realistic way to get a new one.  Read: irrational terror. I'm sitting around during Songkran break so no need to work yet but I need to get this situation ironed out. 

Long story short, A: if I fly out of the country and back in, can I get a tourist visa and restart the whole process without significant hiccups, or what hassles should I be prepared for? B: is it even possible to get a new tourist visa or fly out in this strange coronavirus addled world?

Another big chunk of this situation is that I tried once to leave through Mukdahan but was turned away because I don't have the release documents from my old school.  Now, my old school didn't cancel my work permit or extension of stay, and that was a few weeks ago.  I got in touch with the old school afterwards and they said they would call me in to arrange some documents in the meantime, while using their visa, but the whole situation is very worrisome and I'd like to get out of this position as soon as possible.  Hypothetically, they could have cancelled it unilaterally (I think we're on pretty bad terms now, but I might just be overthinking it since I reaaaaaaally don't want to lose where I am in life now) since then and left me here with an overstay at a time when there's no way to leave the country or anywhere to go, and frankly I just don't know the situation abroad or the visa rules well enough to know what to do or what my backup plan should be.  Question C is: what happens if your visa is cancelled and you can't leave the country?

Sorry to go on and on but this is where the gurus are and I'm really just hoping one of you can give me some peace of mind, one way or another.

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6 hours ago, checheche said:

Now, my old school didn't cancel my work permit or extension of stay, and that was a few weeks ago. 

Your permit to stay ends the day your job ends, when on a "non-b" extension of stay based on work.  You would need your old-school to post-date that your "end of job" date, or you will be considered on "overstay" since that time.  This was the issue with leaving at Mukdahan. 

 

Some have reported that a new passport and new-B-Visa could allow a possible re-start w/ a new school, if the old-school won't help with a post-dated "end of job" letter.  Going from a TR-entry to a Non-B visa-stamp "in country" + extension is theoretically possible, but I've heard few cases of anyone doing this successfully, except through an agent ($$). 

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On 4/6/2020 at 12:44 PM, checheche said:

if I fly out of the country and back in, can I get a tourist visa and restart the whole process without significant hiccups, or what hassles should I be prepared for? B: is it even possible to get a new tourist visa or fly out in this strange coronavirus addled world?

Airport is closed and wherever you go there is going to be a quarantine so how will you get a visa. Wish yo u luck but I dont think you are going to be able to do any visa runs for the near future..

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I would just hang tough for the moment with the virus situation.

Your new school by the sound of it will be prepared to help & I am sure they will find a way

as they must have some kind of personnal Dept

Tell them everything

Good Luck

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Stick to the facts, long read. The school isn't cancelling your work permit. Go to /call  the labor board and register a complaint.

Highly unlikely you will be able to return to Thailand if you leave. Just a week ago a work permit in hand was the only way a foreigner would be allowed into the country. Without your current school working with your new school to transition you in country it will be impossible I believe to get a new work permit and visa.

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