Why did I receive a 60-day extension on my Ed visa instead of the expected 90 days?

@Tod ********

I know right! It really puts me in a situation I would rather not be in and as most people, would like to do things the correct way. For the benefit of other readers, I study in Pattaya.

@Toby *******

that is one of the most un-redeeming things I've really heard about extensions concerning ED visas. :/

This is interesting because this week my school had a random immigration visit and previously when I first signed up for this school it was always communicated 4 days per week 2hrs per day Thai lessons. When I arrived In the country and went to school they then said no you only need to come for 2 days per week and 2 hrs a day as “the rules in Pattaya have changed” they said. To be honest I had no problem learning 4 days a week as I genuinely want to progress my Thai but as I had no option I just did they 2 days per week. So getting back to the immigration visit, it turns out that if I now want to pay the 1900 extension of stay I have to join an additional beginners class for Thai as well as my higher intermediate class to show the extra hours that I should of been doing? And also apparently I have to go to immigration for two visits, the first to request the extension and the second 15 days after to show attendance records before they accept it but as I haven’t been going 4 days a week there may be a problem? Apparently immigration have requested attendance records from the school and questioned why visa students are only doing 2 days per week!? At this point the school gave me the option to pay 5000 bht, they would sort out the extension and getting it stamped and no questions from immigration and I wouldn’t have to worry about joining another class to make up the attendance? Other students in my class have apparently been doing it this way for months and said it so much less hassle. A part of me wants to save 3100bht but another part of me is seeing all this talk of a big clamp down with tourist and ED Visas and frankly, I want to spend as much time away from an immigration office as possible. I am not here to have a holiday on an ED visa I am here to study and if I could, would go to classes for 4 days a week or even 5!

@Eug****

, if the kids are under 15 they cannot be charged for overstay and if they are under 18 they cannot be banned. Personally while it is technically against the law, seeing as nothing untoward can happen to you or the children, I'd just let 'em overstay.

Eugenie Marie Harris I'm not familiar with what rules your immigration office plays by. As has been posted, some offices give 90 days and some give 60 days. My posts were more aimed at if immigration will now deal with you directly rather than through your agent.

Some offices make it difficult for you to deal directly once you have used an agent.

I'll put money on it that if you now attempt to do this yourself, immigration will tell you to go away and get your rep (Agent)

Yeah my school offers a similar service to that for 3900. On a bad day at immigration it can be worth it. Next time though, you should try one of the visa service companies that will do it for cheaper. You getting only 2 months seems like either and oversight by the immigration office or improper paperwork on the part of your school. If this just happened you may be able to go back and try to resolve it at the immigration office or at least figure out what happened

That's expensive compared to some.

Tod, there's better than that. If you pay 30,000 baht every 4 months, you literally don't do anything. No school, no immigration, nothing but sit on the beach all day.

There are outfits running, that charge other fees on top of the extension fees.

These 'Schools' are simple to find. The costs over a year, can mount up to not far short of a yearly TE visa fee. Of course people choose that route due to the fact that they don't have to pay 5 years up front. It's all illegal of course but people do it simply because they can.

I'm not saying this is what the OP is doing but 100% the schools are out there to do it if that's what you want.

Sounds to me like someone bought a 15k 1year edu visa. I dont mean to be the barrer of bad news but where in the world can you get a language course for a year, for just $500??? If its too good to be true, it isnt. Dont be victim, be a student.

@Eugenie **************

best of luck. Maybe look at other options or schools.

@Eugenie **************

i understand, just watch out for these places. They are all over thailand.

AFAIK, many of Phuket schools just want your money. They offer you "cheap ED visas" first (about 12-15 thousand baht), but you pay a lot more for that extensions, tests and everything they want. I prefer to pay one time 25-30 thousand and no problems for a year of studying. And yes, extension costs only 1900 all over the country. Everything else from that 5000 goes straight to the pockets of school owners and/or immigration officers.

@Tod ********

I’ve been getting 90 days extension, my last one was in January...and I’m in Bangkok at Language school

Never looked at it that way, you are correct. Just so strange how something, like immigration, which should be exactly the same throughout the country can vary so much.

@L**

, doesn't make a difference where you got the 90 day ED visa, because you aren't on ANY visa anymore. you're on an extension from the immigration office. Your visa expired a good while ago.

Be that as it may, you're lucky, because almost all the private schools in bangkok only can get their students 60 day extensions.

No, I'm in Chiang Mai. My ed visa issued in Vientiane.

are you in Bangkok? Most students f private schools in Bangkok can only get 60 day extensions now