Thai immigration relaxes re-entry rules for foreigners with permanent residency

[webfact 82,145]

Thai immigration relaxes re-entry rules for foreigners with permanent residency

 

REUTERS FILE PHOTO for reference only 

 

Thai immigration has relaxed its rules on foreigners with permanent residency (PR) being required to enter Thailand in order to maintain their PR status.

 

Normally, foreigners who have PR are required to return to Thailand within one year from the date they left or face losing their permanent residency in the country.

 

Picture: Immigration Bureau

 

However, according to a post on the immigration Facebook page on Tuesday, the requirement is being waived in order to help those foreigners with PR who may still be stranded overseas due to COVID-19.

 

Any foreigner with PR who has been outside of Thailand since 26 March 2020 will not lose their PR status if they fail to enter the kingdom.

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-01-21

 

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[jackdd 8,811]

This was already announced in April 2020, not really "news":

 

[impulse 21,063]

25 minutes ago, jackdd said:

This was already announced in April 2020, not really "news":

 

I'm confused...

 

You can re-enter on your re-entry permit.  But your visa/extension has expired...

 

How does that work?

 

[jacko45k 17,682]

Just now, impulse said:

 

I'm confused...

 

You can re-enter on your re-entry permit.  But your visa/extension has expired...

 

How does that work?

 

Visa may well have expired, the Extension not......

 

[ubonjoe 48,638]

28 minutes ago, jackdd said:

This was already announced in April 2020, not really "news":

It is update of the original since there was nothing in the original order about when it would end. It was assumed it would be one year from the date of the order.

Now it is clear there is no end date at time time.

 

[impulse 21,063]

1 minute ago, jacko45k said:

Visa may well have expired, the Extension not......

 

If you've been gone over a year it has.

[jackdd 8,811]

Just now, impulse said:

 

I'm confused...

 

You can re-enter on your re-entry permit.  But your visa/extension has expired...

 

How does that work?

 

It's only about permanent residents, not temporary visas/extensions

A permanent resident can stay in Thailand as long as he wants without doing anything, as long as he doesn't leave.

If he leaves he has to get a "re entry permit" (slightly different from the one holders of temporary extensions get) before leaving, and has to return within one year, or his permanent residency would be void.

Since April 2020 this one year period has been extended due to the Covid situation.

[jacko45k 17,682]

1 minute ago, impulse said:

 

If you've been gone over a year it has.

Then so has the re-entry permit.

Edited January 21 by jacko45k

[jackdd 8,811]

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

It is update of the original since there was nothing in the original order about when it would end. It was assumed it would be one year from the date of the order.

Now it is clear there is no end date at time time.

The original order from April said "will be announced by the immigration bureau", the picture shown in OP still says this, there has been no change. They never said anything like "one year", if somebody assumed this they were just mistaken.

[impulse 21,063]

1 minute ago, jackdd said:

It's only about permanent residents, not temporary visas/extensions

A permanent resident can stay in Thailand as long as he wants without doing anything, as long as he doesn't leave.

If he leaves he has to get a "re entry permit" (slightly different from the one holders of temporary extensions get) before leaving, and has to return within one year, or his permanent residency would be void.

Since April 2020 this one year period has been extended due to the Covid situation.

 

Maybe my bad.  I didn't see the word permanent.  I still don't.  I was resident in Thailand for 7 years.  But not on a permanent residence.

 

If I left Thailand in April, 6 months into my stay...  My extension would be expired.  I don't know what good a valid re-entry permit would be.

[impulse 21,063]

3 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Then so has the re-entry permit.

 

Not according to the text in the OP.  It says they're extending re-entry permits beyond a year.

[jackdd 8,811]

1 minute ago, impulse said:

If I left Thailand in April, 6 months into my stay...  My extension would be expired.  I don't know what good a valid re-entry permit would be.

A permanent resident's extension doesn't expire, it's "permanent".

[impulse 21,063]

4 minutes ago, jackdd said:

A permanent resident's extension doesn't expire, it's "permanent".

 

I still don't see the word permanent.  It says take up residence.  Which describes people on WP.

 

Discrepancy between the title, and the graphic...  Title says permanent.  Graphic doesn't.   Now I get it...

Edited January 21 by impulse

[ubonjoe 48,638]

1 minute ago, impulse said:

 

I still don't see the word permanent.  It says take up residence.  Which describes people on WP.

Having a WP is not having residence. You are still on a temporary permit to stay. Only those with permanent residency are legal residents.

[jackdd 8,811]

3 minutes ago, impulse said:

I still don't see the word permanent.  It says take up residence.  Which describes people on WP.

Somebody on a non-immigrant visa/extension is considered a temporary visitor, not a resident.

If immigration talks about "permitted to take up residency" it refers to people with permanent resident status.

 

Edited January 21 by jackdd