Obtaining NON-B visa without leaving Thailand

[azaazo9]

I alerady posted this, but maybe it is better to start a new topic.

 

My husband lost his job on 11 May, and since then we've been on amnesty visa (we are in Thailand since 2013). Few weeks ago, he got a new job, signed the job offer, but simply can not obtain a new Non b visa without leaving the country. We went to immigration office on Friday, but they told us that in order to get the Non b visa he has to get letter from our embassy, which is impossible, since our embassy doesen't issue any letters. The second option presented to is is to leave Thailand on 26 sept, and than go back. We don't know what to do. It is so frustrating.

Does someone has any idea, or similar exparience?

[jackdd]

If he worked before, i guess he has a non-B visa already. So he doesn't need a new non-B visa, but has to get an extension based on working.

[azaazo9]

8 minutes ago, jackdd said:

If he worked before, i guess he has a non-B visa already. So he doesn't need a new non-B visa, but has to get an extension based on working.

His Non B visa expired in 11 May.

Edited August 11, 2020 by azaazo9

[jackdd]

4 minutes ago, azaazo9 said:

His Non B visa expired in 11 May.

His actual non-B visa probably expired in 2013, but this is quite irrelevant, the only relevant thing is his permission to stay.

In normal times, the permission to stay would have ended on 11th May, when he quit his job.

But currently everybody is automatically extended until 26th September.

This means he currently still has a valid extension, and everything he has to do is to further extend it, based on working.

I'm aware that immigration is currently extorting foreigners in such situations, and refuse to process the extension, unless there is an agent involved and they get paid.

[azaazo9]

They say once he gets the visa extension stamp, they will proceed with his visa work processing accordingly. But to do that they ask the letter form our embassy, which is mission impossible. Or to leave the country. Or to go crazy...

[ubonjoe]

They are wanting a valid permit to stay stamp for him to apply for a one year extension (it is not a visa) based upon working. The problem is that some offices do not recognize the "automatic extension" under the amnesty as a valid permit to stay.

Contact your embassy about getting the letter from tham and explain the situation to them.

[Peter Denis]

In cases where the problem is the local office not wanting to handle your application because they don't recognize the automatic Amnesty extension and insist on a 'valid' permission to stay, temporary administratively relocating to a province with a more accomodating IO could be considered. 

[Jackcwba]

Dear OP,

I am in a very similar situation I’m on the amnesty but haven’t worked before I was just on a tourist visa and I am waiting to start work for a boi company who have a very strict process with almost no backdoors / loopholes for getting the non B

 

ive been told the only way for me to get the non b is to fly out and fly back in. Problem is 14 days quarentine upon return to Thailand which is an insane amount of money. Not to mention the fact all these surrounding countries have the same road blocks upon entering. 
 

im looking at going down the agency route but could cost me around 20-25k baht. Cheaper than flying back and forth to uk and paying for ASQ here.

 

Do keep me posted on your situation or if you have any updates. 

[jadee]

Hi, to answer the OP's question, my understanding is that you can't get a Non-Immigrant B visa without leaving Thailand and I don't understand why the immigration officials have told you that this is an option. It's completely new to me and I don't know 1) why they would need a letter from your embassy, 2) what letter they want, or 3) why your embassy won't issue letters. 
My understanding/experience of the process of getting a Non-B (in normal, pre-Covid times) is that you take a letter and paperwork from your employer in Thailand and go to any Thai embassy outside Thailand. Once you get your visa, you can then re-enter Thailand and your employer will apply for a work permit and can stay in Thailand with a 1 year extension of stay. There's never been a requirement to have any letter from your embassy, so there must be a new requirement due to Covid. 

[Jackcwba]

2 hours ago, jadee said:

There's never been a requirement to have any letter from your embassy, so there must be a new requirement due to Covid. 

I would also like to know the same thing ^ but no announcements at all about people waiting to start work.

 

, OP let us know.

 

it makes absolutely no sense for people who are here COVID free with no cases in 78 days to fly to other countries who are swarmed with covid.

boi companies also don’t deal with CW IMmigration office and have to go to chamchuri square - who also advise flying out is the only way. Madness.

 

[azaazo9]

Thanks yu all for your comments.

 

ubonjoee, we contacted our embassy few times and explained the situation, but they say they just can't help. The additional problem is that in fact our embassy is not located in Thailand, it is the emabssy in Jakarta that covers the citizens of my country living in Thailand. But in Chamchuri Square we are told that they accept only letters from embassies in Thailand.

 

Jackcwba, going down the agency route is what we are adviced, but I am not sure can the agent really help in this sitation?

 

 

 

 

[Jackcwba]

45 minutes ago, azaazo9 said:

Jackcwba, going down the agency route is what we are adviced, but I am not sure can the agent really help in this sitation?

 

 

 

 

It’s not impossible.. but it will be an under the table type of situation with immigration, these agencies have ‘contacts’ with certain immigration officials, in regards to CW Immigration they are notorious for having the most corrupt officials there in the higher up positions who will do it as CW isn’t regulated as well as the other Immigration offices. 
 

the ‘non tips’ jar on the table always makes me laugh when I see it on the table.

 

im waiting on a call back from the agency and hope to get this sorted soon so I will let you know how it goes. 
 

 

 

 

[Max69xl]

5 hours ago, Jackcwba said:

It’s not impossible.. but it will be an under the table type of situation with immigration, these agencies have ‘contacts’ with certain immigration officials, in regards to CW Immigration they are notorious for having the most corrupt officials there in the higher up positions who will do it as CW isn’t regulated as well as the other Immigration offices. 
 

the ‘non tips’ jar on the table always makes me laugh when I see it on the table.

 

im waiting on a call back from the agency and hope to get this sorted soon so I will let you know how it goes. 
 

 

 

 

"It’s not impossible.. but it will be an under the table type of situation with immigration"

Are there any other types? 

[JackThompson]

11 hours ago, Jackcwba said:

Dear OP,

I am in a very similar situation I’m on the amnesty but haven’t worked before I was just on a tourist visa and I am waiting to start work for a boi company who have a very strict process with almost no backdoors / loopholes for getting the non B

 

ive been told the only way for me to get the non b is to fly out and fly back in. Problem is 14 days quarentine upon return to Thailand which is an insane amount of money. Not to mention the fact all these surrounding countries have the same road blocks upon entering. 
 

im looking at going down the agency route but could cost me around 20-25k baht. Cheaper than flying back and forth to uk and paying for ASQ here.

 

Do keep me posted on your situation or if you have any updates. 

Keep in mind (and @jaydee), there is NO LEGAL REASON you need to 'go out for a visa' - it is an Invented Rule by corrupt officials to create an agent-only (envelope-money) process.  Law Firms advertise this "service" - are the agent-partner to immigration in the process.

 

Whether switching from one non-imm type of permitted-stay to another, or getting a 90-day-non-imm stamp to start that process from a TR entry - both of these are 100% legal, and should cost 1900 baht (2000 for the Non-Imm 90-day). 

 

BOI is somewhat special, in that the labor dept is "partnered" with corrupt-immigration.  That is why BOI won't issue Work-Permits under conditions which the "normal" labor office will.  For this reason, I have a "normal" work-permit - to spite working for a BOI company - issued on a Non-O Visa entry. 

 

That said, 20 to 25K Baht is cheap for "in-country" Non-B service - especially BOI service - in the existing climate of corruption.  The cost to use BOI through the contacts my company knew were prohibitively-expensive.  

[Peter Denis]

9 hours ago, JackThompson said:

...

Whether switching from one non-imm type of permitted-stay to another, or getting a 90-day-non-imm stamp to start that process from a TR entry - both of these are 100% legal, and should cost 1900 baht (2000 for the Non-Imm 90-day). 

...

Your post is spot one.  But the 'confused'/'sad' reactions it generated probably refer to one incorrect statement.

Indeed you can apply at your local IO for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa, but only from a Visa Exempt or Tourist Visa entry (with at least 15 days left on the permission to stay from that VE or TR/TS Visa).

But you CANNOT switch between different Non Imm Visa types, and that's a.o. the reason you need to exit the country and re-enter the country when wanting to switch from a Non Imm O-A type Visa to a Non Imm O type (this in order to get rid of the thai IO-approved health-insurance requirement).

What you can do when you are staying in Thailand on a certain Visa type (e.g. Non Imm O, Non Imm O-A) when applying for an extension of stay of that Visa switch the Visa 'category', i.e. the purpose of the Visa, e.g. for reason of retirement, or for reason of marriage, or for reason of dependant child, or any other pre-defined category reason.

Note: I stand to be corrected if the above is not correct, as I am not so familiar with Non Imm B Visa and there might be a way of switching from these in country to a Non Imm O Visa (but I never came across a 'legal' way of doing this in TVF reports).

 

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, Peter Denis said:

Note: I stand to be corrected if the above is not correct, as I am not so familiar with Non Imm B Visa and there might be a way of switching from these in country to a Non Imm O Visa (but I never came across a 'legal' way of doing this in TVF reports).

 

The OP's husband was on a extension of stay based upon working. He already has a non-b visa entry. He can apply for a new extension of stay if immigration they will agree to it. Go back and read my first post in this topic.

 

[azaazo9]

The latest info told by immigration to HR of my husband's company: soon there will be regulation accordiing which one can get extention of stay based upon working, without any letter from embassy or leaving the country. Too good to be true, but let's wait and see.

 

[ubonjoe]

30 minutes ago, azaazo9 said:

The latest info told by immigration to HR of my husband's company: soon there will be regulation accordiing which one can get extention of stay based upon working, without any letter from embassy or leaving the country. Too good to be true, but let's wait and see.

The letter or leaving the country is not required now if he and the company can qualify for the extension. It is just a case of the the local immigration office will do the extension while under the the "automatic extension" from the amnesty.

[azaazo9]

Update.

We are still waiting. My husband signed the job offer letter on 8 July, and should start working soon, since the company's project can nt be delayed, but he simly can not get the stamp of extension based upon working. Immigration keeps saying that we have to leave the country, that his Non b expired and that he has to get the new one, that it can't be obtained within the country, and this and that. Always the same mantra. We contacted few agencies but they say they can't help. It's a nigthmare.

[greggraham]

11 minutes ago, azaazo9 said:

Update.

We are still waiting. My husband signed the job offer letter on 8 July, and should start working soon, since the company's project can nt be delayed, but he simly can not get the stamp of extension based upon working. Immigration keeps saying that we have to leave the country, that his Non b expired and that he has to get the new one, that it can't be obtained within the country, and this and that. Always the same mantra. We contacted few agencies but they say they can't help. It's a nigthmare.

When did you last speak to immigration? A couple of new developments today;

 

This sounds like what you were talking about a week ago: 

Also, semi-related, Barrow:

 

 

Edited August 27, 2020 by greggraham