NO AUTOMATIC EXTENSION for people with covid extension

[uberfarang]

Like many of you who applied for the special covid extension with letter from your embassy, i had an "under consideration" stamp. I was due to come back to the immigration today, I was skeptical about the announcement of automatic extension "for all visas" and i was right to be. I was in (an almost empty) CW today and they just gave me another extension stamp until April 29. I asked what should i do then, she replied if i want to stay longer I'll need to come again with another letter from the embassy. I showed her the announcement from April 7, she said it doesn't apply to me but only to people whose visa expired after March 26.

So I guess if you have already asked for an extension, then you still have to keep doing it in person at the office, you'll only get free automatic extension if the initial visa expiration date was after March 26. So it seems like it doesn't apply to most of us. Actually I'm not even sure to whom it applies to, people who never tried to extend their visa after March 26 and have been on overstay since? 

Please don't shoot the messenger. This information is as of April 10 afternoon at Chaengwattana office. Things might changed and be "clarified" over the next few days, although considering how the situation was handled the past months, I wouldn't hold my breath and still show up at the office when needed. 

[BritManToo]

Is there some reason you posted this again?

[audaciousnomad]

That is concerning. I wonder if anyone else has gone over there and had the same experience?
@ubonjoe....care to chime in on what this person has reported???

Edited April 10, 2020 by audaciousnomad

[uberfarang]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

Is there some reason you posted this again?

this is my first post. what other post are you referring to? 

[jacob29]

Ugh well now we have two conflicting reports.. since CW was nearly empty I'm leaning towards the majority of people in your position aren't bothering to return to immigration.

 

 

[uberfarang]

seems like there was another post earlier from someone who had the same experience as mine:

 

[audaciousnomad]

So we've been "bait and switched" just so they can get rid of all the media coverage...but at the end a bunch of people are likely to get into overstay because the interpretation of the announcement was wrong.  
Hope this gets straightened out and clarified! ????

[uberfarang]

3 minutes ago, jacob29 said:

Ugh well now we have two conflicting reports.. since CW was nearly empty I'm leaning towards the majority of people in your position aren't bothering to return to immigration.

 

 

maybe we are in different situations, I don't see a mention of it in his post but it seems that was his first extension, while in my case I already got the "under consideration" stamps and from what I understood by asking the officer today:

first time asking for extension -> automatic

already applied for extension -> not automatic

[ANDREW999]

I wonder why embassies have stopped issuing letters then. Particularly my embassy (Italian), just let me know I dont need to attend to IMM on April 25, when my 2nd covid extension expires. I wonder...

 

If that was the case: 1st extension = automatic, 2nd aka covid extension = go to imm, they would have specified it.

 

I think we are in front of two unlucky isolated cases. I hope someone can bring more light to this. Or someone who can reach Richard Barrow, so he can make some sort of "public" concern

Edited April 10, 2020 by ANDREW999

[jacob29]

2 minutes ago, uberfarang said:

maybe we are in different situations, I don't see a mention of it in his post but it seems that was his first extension, while in my case I already got the "under consideration" stamps and from what I understood by asking the officer today:

first time asking for extension -> automatic

already applied for extension -> not automatic

They clarified later that it was the first CV19 extension attempt (with embassy letter), having done one regular extension already.

 

It would be truly bizarre if only the people who had done an initial CV19 extension had to keep going to immigration. It was a different office though, I can definitely see different interpretations coming about between offices, though you would assume CW to be the most likely to get the correct one.

[uberfarang]

1 minute ago, ANDREW999 said:

I wonder why embassies have stopped issuing letters then. Particularly my embassy (Italian), just let me know I dont need to attend to IMM on April 25, when my 2nd covid extension expires. I wonder...

the first time i asked for a letter from my embassy they said it was "fake news on social media" and there were no such requirement from the immigration... a week letter they were issuing the letters. I guess the embassies like everyone else here are trying to interpret thai immigration laws and announcements to their best but in the end it's still the immigration officer's call to give you the extension or not. I hope this is just a "lag" between what informations the immigration officers and the rest of us got and everyone will soon be on the same page.

[Tanoshi]

If your Visa expired prior to March 26th, then you must have already extended and therefore subject to the then existing requirement to obtain an Embassy letter for additional extensions.

The new amnesty only affects those who's Visa (or permission of stay) expires later than the 26/3. These will receive automatic extensions. 

 

????‍♂️ The person whose visas has expired from 26th of March 2020 will be automatically extended to 30th of April 2020. There is no need to apply for a visa extension at Immigration Office for this period and will not be fined THB 500 per day for this case.

[ANDREW999]

11 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

If your Visa expired prior to March 26th, then you must have already extended and therefore subject to the then existing requirement to obtain an Embassy letter for additional extensions.

The new amnesty only affects those who's Visa (or permission of stay) expires later than the 26/3. These will receive automatic extensions. 

 

????‍♂️ The person whose visas has expired from 26th of March 2020 will be automatically extended to 30th of April 2020. There is no need to apply for a visa extension at Immigration Office for this period and will not be fined THB 500 per day for this case.

I thought this had already been clarified. . How many person's VISA expired since March 26? The March 26 date was meant to say that anyone on overstay before that day needs to go to IMM and pay as usually required before being granted with automatic extension (meaning: if you were on overstay before the emergency decree, there is no linked reason to allow you an automatic extension). Anyone else "legal" from that day, gets an automatic extension until April 30, and wont be on overstay due to not attending to IMM office.

 

The main problem is the word VISAS. They should have also said EXTENSIONS. This wide and ambiguous word will bring many problems to some of us that already 2nd extended. And I wonder how cover a person will be against an officer "interpretation". 

Edited April 10, 2020 by ANDREW999

[uberfarang]

1 minute ago, Tanoshi said:

If your Visa expired prior to March 26th, then you must have already extended and therefore subject to the then existing requirement to obtain an Embassy letter for additional extensions.

The new amnesty only affects those who's Visa (or permission of stay) expires later than the 26/3. These will receive automatic extensions. 

 

????‍♂️ The person whose visas has expired from 26th of March 2020 will be automatically extended to 30th of April 2020. There is no need to apply for a visa extension at Immigration Office for this period and will not be fined THB 500 per day for this case.

I think a lot of people interpreted this as "all visas or extensions that expires after March 26" because it makes little sense that they would grant "unlimited" (until the crisis is over) free automatic extensions for those who arrived in February~March but keep charging the rest of us 1900 baths and asking to come to the office once (or even twice) per month. But I guess common sense isn't the immigration's motto.

[audaciousnomad]

A lot of people who do not follow ThaiVisa forums are about to screwed by this. If they are here on a previously extended visa, and do not come in thinking they have amnesty, they will be in for a RUDE AWAKENING at 500baht for each day that they failed to come in because they were MISLED by the announcement! #BaitAndSwitch

[Tanoshi]

The date of March 26th given in the announcement is also the date they stopped foreigners entering Thailand. Maybe coincidental, but I think not.

[Tanoshi]

20 minutes ago, uberfarang said:

I think a lot of people interpreted this as "all visas or extensions that expires after March 26"

Your probably correct.

[uberfarang]

8 minutes ago, audaciousnomad said:

A lot of people who do not follow ThaiVisa forums are about to screwed by this. If they are here on a previously extended visa, and do not come in thinking they have amnesty, they will be in for a RUDE AWAKENING at 500baht for each day that they failed to come in because they were MISLED by the announcement! #BaitAndSwitch

I am afraid this is already what is happening considering how empty was CW today (only two people before me at 2pm, counter J), many might have already assumed that extension was automatic for their case too and started to lay back, relax and stop reading frantically TV and the news all day long.

Edited April 10, 2020 by uberfarang
typo

[uberfarang]

5 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

The date of March 26th given in the announcement is also the date they stopped foreigners entering Thailand. Maybe coincidental, but I think not.

You might be right. I always wondered why it was backdated to that specific date.

[Tanoshi]

9 minutes ago, audaciousnomad said:

A lot of people who do not follow ThaiVisa forums are about to screwed by this. If they are here on a previously extended visa, and do not come in thinking they have amnesty, they will be in for a RUDE AWAKENING at 500baht for each day that they failed to come in because they were MISLED by the announcement! #BaitAndSwitch

The announcement is clear.

The fact folk don't understand what they read is not the fault of anyone else.

 

If people don't follow TVF, I doubt they'll follow any Immigration announcements either.

[vermin on arrival]

So my original date to exit was March 29. I went on March 26th to get an emergency covid extension so as not to overstay at MTT. I got an under consideration stamp until April 23rd. Do I need to go again or do I have until April 30th?

[jacob29]

5 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

The announcement is clear.

The fact folk don't understand what they read is not the fault of anyone else.

 

If people don't follow TVF, I doubt they'll follow any Immigration announcements either.

Not clear enough considering you get different answers depending on which immigration office you visit. It's going to be interesting if someone turned away from immigration as 'no need', later gets fined at the airport.

 

Maybe we need a written waiver from immigration confirming 'no need'?

[OneeyedJohn]

Well, for some reason it isn't clear as we have so many posters here asking for clarification on both visa extensions and 90 day reports.

Surely anyone who is in Thailand on a visa that is 90 days or less must be checking on their status regarding renewal etc.

Plus if they are extending then surely they should be in their home country if that was at all possible, but they are not so they will surely be checking every possible angle to get home.

Long stay expats like myself are in a different position, so in a sense it is easier for us to interpret the announcement.

[ANDREW999]

3 minutes ago, jacob29 said:

Not clear enough considering you get different answers depending on which immigration office you visit. It's going to be interesting if someone turned away from immigration as 'no need', later gets fined at the airport.

 

Maybe we need a written waiver from immigration confirming 'no need'?

Totally agree

[finy]

I'll wait until someone with more than 25 posts (probably most in this thread) posts about the same experience.

 

Far too many people are enjoying spreading doom and gloom at the moment.

[dsf9]

Quote

So I guess if you have already asked for an extension, then you still have to keep doing it in person at the office, you'll only get free automatic extension if the initial visa expiration date was after March 26.

Worrying. Im on a normal 30 day visa exemption which I extended 30 days at CW mid march due to expire mid april which would then mean I need to go again in the next few days. Damn, need clarity... 

Edited April 10, 2020 by dsf9

[worldfun]

i guess we shouldn't be surprised if there actually is a catch in this 'automatic visa ext. for ALL'.

 

if it turns out only people who NEVER set foot in thai immigration (never extended stay permits in country) are eligible for the amnesty which actually is sort of fair. they traveled in & got stuck due to covid!

 

those who didn't leave while they could but instead went to immi & extended stay have caused their own problem ????

[vermin on arrival]

2 minutes ago, worldfun said:

i guess we shouldn't be surprised if there actually is a catch in this 'automatic visa ext. for ALL'.

 

if it turns out only people who NEVER set foot in thai immigration (never extended stay permits in country) are eligible for the amnesty which actually is sort of fair. they traveled in & got stuck due to covid!

 

those who didn't leave while they could but instead went to immi & extended stay have caused their own problem ????

The whole stated purpose of this act from immigration was to eliminate the queues and the increased risk of infection and spread of the disease from people doing the emergency extensions during this pandemic. This strict interpretation of the order by CW does the opposite of that. My understanding is that Chiang Mai is granting them.

 

 

[uberfarang]

57 minutes ago, finy said:

I'll wait until someone with more than 25 posts (probably most in this thread) posts about the same experience.

 

Far too many people are enjoying spreading doom and gloom at the moment.

I acknowledge I'm a noob on TV and therefore my trustworthiness must be rather low but these are facts (as of April 10 at CW) and not my uneducated opinion on the subject. So I'll let senior members interpret why I got this stamp in my passport today if we're supposed to get automatic extension. 

[RloLigor]

Quote

 

I was in (an almost empty) CW today and they just gave me another extension stamp until April 29. I asked what should i do then, she replied if i want to stay longer I'll need to come again with another letter from the embassy. I showed her the announcement from April 7, she said it doesn't apply to me but only to people whose visa expired after March 26.

 

 

So you got an extension of stay until April 29. That date is after March 26, so it will be extended automatically to April 30 and later possibly one or several months more.

Edited April 10, 2020 by RloLigor