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Overstay and Thailand Elite Visa Ineligibility

Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing the Thailand Elite Visa program, overstay and possible ineligibility for getting a Thailand Elite Visa. 

In a recent announcement on thailandelite.com so a press release from Thailand Elite itself, quoting directly: "This is to inform you that our Thailand Elite members whose visas expired during the exempted period and who failed to apply for a stay extension at the Immigration Office within a specified time limit will be subjected to an at least one-year ban." So, the reason for this video it is a little broader than just what we are talking about here. They are specifically discussing, yes there was an Amnesty in 2020. Folks that got stuck in Thailand were sort of grandfathered into visas or at least grandfathered out of being in overstay status if you will, while the situation progressed. Basically, the Immigration Office just gave an Amnesty to certain folks. That Amnesty ended and failure to get into status before the Amnesty ended result in folks falling into overstay status. I think that this is kind of a common misconception. Thailand Elite is not a cure-all for all Visa issues. It is a very good Visa. It is not currently work authorized so there is that. It also it is not for the full 5 years. Generally speaking, you have to take affirmative Steps either by leaving the country or by extending status in one-year intervals to maintain status in Thailand notwithstanding the fact that the sticker validity may be for example 5 years at a stretch. 

The other thing to understand is overstay has a dramatic impact on one's ability to either maintain Elite status, if you fall out of status in Elite status and you don't maintain it, it could result in being banned from returning to Thailand even if the Visa is valid. They just may not let you return based on the overstay fines and penalties. 

The other thing associated with Thailand Elite and overstay is, if you have overstayed before you even apply for one, depending on your circumstances you might be ineligible to even apply.

For those who are unaware or they are uncertain as to how best to proceed, and Thailand Elite can be a rather expensive proposition, it may not be a terrible idea to go ahead and contact a legal professional to gain some insight and guidance as to one's eligibility before making any further and possibly irrevocable steps.