Covid19 - updates on immigration and visa extensions

[Ratsima]

Richard Barrow posted this on Twitter:
.

extension.jpg (89.75 KiB) Viewed 2416 times

.
I'm not sure I understand it.

• By "visa extension" does Immigration mean "extension of stay"?

• How does this reduce crowding?

• Does this mean that every one year extension will have an effective date of September 27 and an expiration date of September 26, 2021? Or, will it be one year from the original expiration date?

[handdrummer]

How dare you ask for clarification, where do you think you are, the civilized world? Harrumph!

[buksida]

Foreigners urged to renew visas before Sept 26
The Immigration Bureau has urged foreigners to renew their visas before the end of an exemption which falls on Sept 26.

Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau Sompong Chingduang said foreigners in the kingdom should contact immigration offices early to avoid overcrowding close to the deadline.

Thailand earlier announced an exemption for foreigners whose visas expired so they could legally stay in the country until Sept 26, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Short-term and long-term visa holders must contact immigration offices. When the visas are renewed by Sept 26, the validity of the renewed visa would start from Sept 27, he said.

Pol Lt Gen Sompong said all short-term visa holders must leave the country by Sept 26.

For those who cannot leave, due to flight unavailability or Covid-19 pandemic in their home country, they would need certification from their embassy or consulate for submission at an immigration office in their local area.

For the 90-day report requirement, all foreigners are required to report and inform the bureau of their residences by Sept 26, he said.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... re-sept-26

Clear as mud ...

If this is real, it is utter insanity as it means that every foreigner in the country will be forced to go to immigration in the same month.

[europtimiste]

Foreigners urged to renew visas before Sept 26
The Immigration Bureau has urged foreigners to renew their visas before the end of an exemption which falls on Sept 26.



For the 90-day report requirement, all foreigners are required to report and inform the bureau of their residences by Sept 26, he said.

What does this mean ??? My 90 days report is fixed at October 2020.

[Ratsima]

Clear as mud ...

If this is real, it is utter insanity as it means that every foreigner in the country will be forced to go to immigration in the same month.

My thought, exactly. I wonder when they will realize that something is amiss. When no one shows up in January for an extension of when thousands show up the first week in September, 2021.

[Big Boy]

If this is real, it is utter insanity as it means that every foreigner in the country will be forced to go to immigration in the same month. [/i]

This is exactly how I read an earlier directive that I posted here. I said it was ridiculous and convinced myself it meant something else. Many others agreed, However, I think it was lomuamart who renewed his visa recently, and stated that the 12 months extension ran from 26 or 27 Sept.

[Ratsima]

Never mind.

[Big Boy]

An answer to Ratsima's question that he no longer wants an answer to.

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=23918&p=517417#p517417

[sateeb]

My visa based on retirement expires in Jan '21. I called in at the Imm office last week just to check whether I have to renew before the Sept. amnesty. I was told by the lady at the desk that I should renew my visa as per the expiration in January.

[Dannie Boy]

I renewed mine back in June, so I’m good until June 2021 - hopefully!!

[lomuamart]

If this is real, it is utter insanity as it means that every foreigner in the country will be forced to go to immigration in the same month. [/i]

This is exactly how I read an earlier directive that I posted here. I said it was ridiculous and convinced myself it meant something else. Many others agreed, However, I think it was lomuamart who renewed his visa recently, and stated that the 12 months extension ran from 26 or 27 Sept.

Yes it was me who commented before on this. My extensions have always been due on the 11th September but this year they gave me until 26th September 2021 - another 15 days over the year.

Whilst I initially thought that was "days for nothing", it slowly dawned on me that if the 26th September 2021 was the extension date given to all extendees then there was going to be a huge blockage in the system next year.

I'll cope with that when it happens.

[europtimiste]

There will be soon more details.... My year visa is for june 2021 and 90 days report October 2020. That's on my passport, will not go to immigration before those dates.

[buksida]

Cabinet to consider special tourist visa next week

The visa will be valid for an initial 90-day stay but can be renewed twice – 90 days each time – for a maximum stay of 270 days. The visa, which costs Bt2,000 per person, is suitable for foreign tourists who want to stay in Thailand for a long time, Yuthasak said.

Plans to allow foreign tourists in must take into account the balance between public health safety, consent from local residents and income by the tourism sector, which accounts for 20 per cent of gross domestic product, he said.“If the situation in the fourth quarter does not improve and no foreign tourists have yet travelled to Thailand, 2.5 million jobs out of a current 4 million in the tourism sector may be lost.

So TAT has to prepare for ‘limited exposure’ to foreign tourists, hoping to attract tourists from markets such as Europe in the fourth quarter of this year. If the results are good, numbers can be expanded,” Yuthasak said.

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30394306

[Big Boy]

“If the situation in the fourth quarter does not improve and no foreign tourists have yet travelled to Thailand, 2.5 million jobs out of a current 4 million in the tourism sector may be lost.

Just a thought that crosses my mind after watching that Bangkok video a couple of days ago, When they talk tourism sector, does that include all of the sex workers, or is that yet another area where mass unemployment is about to strike.

[HHTel]

I've heard from others that they've noticed several girls who they recognise from various bars are now working in the markets. That would indicate that they can make more on a market stall than the 'extras' they they make in a bar. The 'good times' for them are fading.