Integrity Legal - Law Firm in Bangkok | Bangkok Lawyer | Legal Services Thailand Back to
Integrity Legal

Legal Services & Resources 

Up to date legal information pertaining to Thai, American, & International Law.

Contact us: +66 2-266 3698

info@integrity-legal.com

ResourcesVisa & Immigration LawThailand Immigration Law"Bonus" 30 Days for Pre-September 26 Thai Visa Extension?

"Bonus" 30 Days for Pre-September 26 Thai Visa Extension?

Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing the Visa Amnesty extension to a degree. 

A recent article from the Phuket News, that is thephuket news.com, the article was titled: All Visa Extensions in Effect from November 1. Quoting directly from that article: "Immigration Bureau Deputy Commissioner Major General Pornchai Kuntee explained at a press conference last Tuesday September 29, that there were two different groups of Visa holders: those who applied for extensions before the original cut-off date of September 26th and those who hadn't, with the latter being granted the opportunity to do so until October 31." Quoting further: "Irrespective of when an individual's Visa was or will be extended, they will all take effect from November 1." 

So in a sense, Thai Immigration in my opinion is trying to "right the ship" here and provide further status for those who got in status prior to what was ostensibly the September 26 deadline for Amnesty extension or extension of one's Visa status to operate post Amnesty. 

Again, I urge folks watching this check to out that article. There is a lot more in there. The Phuket News is really quite a good resource for insight into Immigration, especially Phuket Immigration and things regionally and province to province can vary a little bit and the Phuket News is very insightful again that article is titled: All Visa Extensions in Effect from November 1 from the Phuket News. 

A little further analysis here. The Amnesty is presumably going to end October 31. I am going to do some other videos on that topic specifically but long story short, I know there are those who don't believe that is going to happen because it has been extended previously. I think it is going to be one of those situations where the time you think that the extension is going to be extended, that is going to be the time it doesn't get extended. I think eventually this definitely is going to end. Now I have said that ad nauseam I am sure I sound like a broken record to some folks that watch this channel but long story short, I do believe the Amnesty eventually is going to end and I don't think we are going to know when. They are just going to keep announcing the presumptive termination that they may extend it but there is going to come a day when they don't and it just stops. I think that day is drawing nearer and nearer based on what we saw in the aftermath of September 26 there truly was this interim period where the Amnesty was not officially extended and there was another order that issued an extension retroactively but there was a window in there where theoretically folks were already in overstay. 

So the thing to take away from this video is, I do think eventually the Amnesty is going to end. We need to presume it is going to end on the 31st of October. So those who have not got their visa situation sorted, do it before the 31st of October. Meanwhile, understand that those who did get their situation sorted, they are going to get a little bit of extra time in consideration for having sorted their visa before the 26th of September.