I’m by no means an expert on this, but as recently as a year ago I know of someone who was able to get the embassy to issue a sworn affidavit that the documents were real and then he took the affidavit and documents to immigration. This was enough to satisfy them. But if your school is sponsoring the visa, do they not have someone to guide you through the proper steps? Otherwise the documents have to go through a bit of a process in the US, but there are companies that will mail them there for you and make sure everything is done correctly.

@Sh ***

so they gave you a 30 day extension from the 4th of May to the 3rd of June. Your original visa exemption was 45 days but the extension was a 30 day extension from your exit date, not 45 from your application date. It just happened to fall 45 days from your application date which I think is where the confusion lies.

@Sh ***

what was the exit date on your entry stamp? I’m not aware of them ever giving 45 day extensions so are you sure it’s not 30 days after your original exit date? Regardless, currently the extension is from your current exit date not the date of application. I just had mine extended a couple weeks ago.

Your extension sticker will say it is issued on whatever day you applied. But the “permitted up to” should be 30 days after the “until” date on your entry stamp.

That’s weird that your appointment is so far away? I did e-extension a week ago in Bangkok so I wouldn’t have to wait in line and there were tons of appointment dates that were just a couple days after I got e-extension approval. What city are you in? You can log back in and change your appointment date. The lady at immigration told me they were only getting a few customers a day so you should definitely be able to get a timely appointment. Unless you are confusing an online appointment at immigration with the e-extension service?

@Jim *******

you are right - I see it on their website now. I knew someone studying there on an Ed visa and she took an online class. But now that I think about it, it must have been an exceptional situation during covid.

Duke does remote classes with an education visa. Edit: no they don’t 😅

If necessary, you can use something like Onward Ticket to get a ~$10 ticket for onward travel.

I had a similar upbringing in the rural south. At first it felt weird but now I find it refreshing that I can walk a few meters and get a good meal for a couple of dollars and support local businesses. I still do all of my own laundry though. However, it’s easy in Bangkok to find a room with a kitchen and washer and typically a dryer in the building. Not sure where some of these negative comments are coming from - you acknowledged it is a subjective matter. Unfortunately expat groups are some of the most toxic places on the internet. I just block anyone unhelpful 😂

They help with the visa and they are a very good school.