Covid19 - updates on immigration and visa extensions

[Big Boy]

It should be interesting. If people are in fact trapped here, the authorities will have no option but to round up overstayers and imprison them until the offenders can be deported. Who will pay for imprisonment/deportation? The alternative being, whoever said no more extensions to back down and lose face.

[PeteC]

This is the web site where you can't so much as copy 1 word. The article is hearsay, but at least indicates that something positive may happen.

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https://bangkokherald.com/thailand/repo ... extension/

[buksida]

This is the web site where you can't so much as copy 1 word.

There is always a way ...


With two weeks left until Thailand’s visa amnesty expires, tensions are rising with authorities sending mixed signals and foreigners jumping on any hint of an extension.

A Bangkok Herald Facebook post today about this story exemplifies how high the anxiety level is, with the post being shared more than 200 times to more than 35,000 people in less than two hours.

Hopes for continued amnesty plunged after the Immigration Bureau reopened its Muang Thong Thani extension office on July 13, a facility set up to handle the massive crowds that assembled following Thailand’s lockdown.

If amnesty was going to be extended, why would Immigration need an overflow facility? The gloom deepened after the bureau’s spokesman controversially speculated that the automatic extension until July 31 likely; would not be extended again, claiming it was time to “clean out” the foreigners still here. Considering expats and tourists trapped here are the only foreigners supporting the economy these days, netizens were less than pleased with the spokesman’s coarse language.

On July 9, the American embassy in Bangkok warned its citizens to begin preparing for the end of amnesty and later published – and then deleted – a post saying the embassy no longer would issue any extension letters, adding that there were plenty of flights back to the planet’s worst coronavirus epidemic.

And earlier this week Chiang Mai resident Richard Cox posted a message from the Canadian embassy purporting there will be no extension and that Immigration will only be offering seven-day extensions. Then Rayong happened.

The government’s bungling of the visits of an Egyptian Air Force delegation and the improper self-quarantine of a Sudanese diplomatic family has in Thailand, possibly giving immigration officials pause about inviting hundreds of thousands of foreigners back to immigration offices and airports. An experienced legal agent in Bangkok that handles a large volume of visas for hospitality and entertainment venues in the capital said today that Immigration now is preparing to extend amnesty for another two months, until Sept. 30.

That first-hand report echoed a Wednesday post by Phuket resident Alexandre Boutemy to a local Facebook group that he was told directly by an officer at the Phuket Immigration Office that “tourists should be able to stay until the end of September”.

Of course, at this point, both reports are unconfirmed hearsay. Rank-and-file immigration officers have been left in the dark as much as anxious foreigners. But, with the Bangkok visa agent at least, the rumors are credible in that the legal firm had spoken with a senior officer at the Chaeng Wattana headquarters.

Three sources have said that an official confirmation of what Immigration is planning will be issued on or before July 24.

[Zidane]

It should be interesting. If people are in fact trapped here, the authorities will have no option but to round up overstayers and imprison them until the offenders can be deported. Who will pay for imprisonment/deportation? The alternative being, whoever said no more extensions to back down and lose face.

A couple of days ago the Pattaya Mail was speculating that up to 400,000 foreigners of all nationalities were waiting in Thailand for a decision on the visa amnesty.
That will have to be a pretty big detention camp.
Maybe get all the elderly farangs building the high speed China-Laos-Thailand railway ??
In 10 years make a film "The Bridge over the River Mekong" starring David Beckham, Harry Kane and Sylvester Stallone who singlehandedly rescues us.

Maybe a way of saving face would be monthly visas costing 1,900 baht (like it was 10 or so years ago) until the end of the year or until the pandemic has all but disappeared ?

[PeteC]

Proposal being ‘examined’ by authorities for a possible visa amnesty extension

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/expats/ ... -extension

Today the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has briefly addressed the issue of the current visa amnesty, which is due to finish on July 31. The issue was mentioned today as part of the daily briefings.

The visa amnesty was announced, then extended, in April to allow foreigners with lapsed visas, to stay in the country without having to visit an immigration office or prepare new paperwork, until the end of July. There has been a lot of speculation in the past few weeks but no official comment from the government.

At today’s briefing of the CCSA the spokesperson, Natapanu Nopakun said that a third proposal of an extension for visa amnesty “is being drafted and reviewed by relevant agencies”. He also announced that people should… “stay tuned for further announcements from Thai Immigration in the very near future”.

The comment mentioned a ‘proposal’ and is no guarantee that the current visa amnesty will be extended again. Nopakun made no additional comments if there would be any conditions or requirements regarding the proposed extension. The Thaiger would continue to urge anyone currently in Thailand, without a current visa, to examine their options just in case an extension is not announced.

[Big Boy]

Yes, as is normal these days, Social Media is being flooded with Fake News that the amnesty has been approved already - IT HASN'T BEEN APPROVED. It will be discussed at next week's cabinet meeting.

[Big Boy]

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... p-WLjf479o

It looks as though 26 Sept will be the final deadline to get out.

NB: This would not be the first time Bangkok Post has tried to guess at what the news will be.

[buksida]

Khaosod also running the story ...

GOV’T SPOKESMAN SAYS VISA AMNESTY IS POSSIBLE AFTER ALL
A foreign ministry spokesman on Friday said officials are proposing a new round of visa amnesty extensions, less than two weeks before the current amnesty expires.

During the Friday briefing by the government’s COVID-19 pandemic center, spokesman Natapanu Nopakun said that government officials will make a proposal to the Cabinet, but nothing is certain as of now.

“It is in the pipeline so please follow the updates to be made by the immigration bureau of the Thai police,” he said.

An Immigration spokesman previously said another round of automatic extension was “unlikely” and said a letter from embassies would be required to extend the stay. Several embassies also said they would not issue the letters.

The amnesty, approved by the government in April, allowed foreigners stranded in Thailand whose visas expire between March 26 to July 31 to stay in the Kingdom without applying for an extension at immigration offices.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/cri ... after-all/

[PeteC]

Thai Cabinet extends the visa amnesty for foreigners

https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/thai ... foreigners

The Thai Cabinet has extended the visa amnesty for foreigners so they can remain in Thailand during the Covid-19 global pandemic. This is the second extension to the visa amnesty and will be a huge relief for tens of thousands of people who have been in a visa limbo, some without many other options other than staying in Thailand whilst international flights remain limited.

A government spokeswoman, Traisuree Taisaranakul, says that the automatic visa extension will now be in force until September 26, as rumoured. Mandatory 90 day reporting for resident foreigners with ongoing visas will also be suspended until September 26.

At this stage there has not been any additional provisions or paperwork announced, other than a general extension of the current amnesty.

The announcement will assist tourists and visitors who found themselves stranded in Thailand due to travel restrictions, as well as providing extra time for people to make arrangements and take advantage of repatriation flights or opportunities to head home.

[HHTel]

Mandatory 90 day reporting for resident foreigners with ongoing visas will also be suspended until September 26.

That will make 6 months without 90 day reporting. Hopefully, this may be the beginning of the end of 90 day reports. Fingers crossed.

[hhinner]

Mandatory 90 day reporting for resident foreigners with ongoing visas will also be suspended until September 26.

That will make 6 months without 90 day reporting. Hopefully, this may be the beginning of the end of 90 day reports. Fingers crossed.

Sure. Back in the early 90s there was no 90 day reporting. Then suddenly came a new chief of immigration and the 90 day report, which apparently had been on the books for years but not enforced, was required. Many, many people were caught out and fined 2,000 baht for missing reports they'd never been told they had to do.

[handdrummer]

As long as missing the 90 day reporting provides revenue, it will never end. There's no logic to it, it's just make work and income.

[GroveHillWanderer]

As long as missing the 90 day reporting provides revenue, it will never end. There's no logic to it, it's just make work and income.

If there were any logic, the lifting of the requirement to report your address within 24 hours of any trip away from your regular residence, indicating the assumption that your regular residence remains unchanged unless notified otherwise, should lead to the ending of the requirement for 90 day reports - but as you say, there is no logic to it.

[HHTel]

As long as missing the 90 day reporting provides revenue, it will never end. There's no logic to it, it's just make work and income.

How many people are more than 7 days late with 90 day reporting? I would guess it's quite small. I doubt whether the revenue collected from late comers is worth the extra manpower in processing 90 day reports.

[handdrummer]

worth the extra manpower

That's the make work part. There are a lot of bodies in immigration and they have to do something with them.