Thread: Emergency Immigration Problems

Hello Ajarn.com

Immigration have well and truly scuppered me with my yearly extension, even going so far as not giving me another extension and writing something that might be really bad (i'm not sure) in my passport. Hopefully someone here has heard of or experienced something similar, so I have to apologize that my first post is so selfish in asking for help!

Firstly - Has anyone ever successfully appealed a 'bad' immigration decision (province level) at BKK? If so, what's the process?

Secondly - Has anyone ever had this in their Passport? ไม่อนุญาตให้เดินทาง - mai anuyat hai durntang or "no permission to travel" How did you fix it - Were you able to cross a border?


Any ideas on the second? the first is a big issue, but the second problem pissed me off and made me realize that I really should try to appeal as having worked legally and followed all rules / paid taxes - it wasn't fair for her to do that.

I think BKK might just say that all decisions are final blah blah blah, but they're at the disagreement of labour office and teachers council right now. (i think the imm. official just hates me)

When I asked some Thai friends, they literally shit a brick too.

I've broke no laws, not been employed illegally and have just had my yearly extension based on WP refused (strangely) The last words of the imm.officer (with this stamped in my pp) were "if you can't come back to see me on tuesday, don't bother coming back, but btw you can go to laos for another business via"

I didn't get time to check my passport - because I was on day 5 of a day 7 extension (which runs out today) and she'd literally landed a monumental shit bomb in my face by refusing my wp extension. When I got home, I saw this - had it translated and re-translated and came to the conclusion that perhaps the reason I've been stopped at every hurdle for my wp extension is because she just DOESN'T like me.

I'm now hoping to goto BKK (tonight) and ask them tomorrow morning to appeal the decision regards my extension and ask about this in my PP and why on earth an immigration official (captain) would go as far as to try and write this in my PP whilst saying in another breath - by the way, go to Laos and get another Non B...

Maybe she's just trying to get me locked up? I swear - there's no pending court judgments or anything. The worst I've ever had was being stopped for not having a bike license just after posting this and being stung for 200 baht (OUCH) :p

Well something poisoned the well, bro. Somebody ain't digging you too deep.

Originally Posted by edztTH

Any ideas on the second? the first is a big issue, but the second problem pissed me off and made me realize that I really should try to appeal as having worked legally and followed all rules / paid taxes - it wasn't fair for her to do that.

Who is her? Your boss or the immigration officer?

Last week in Vientiane, I came across female irrationality. Staff regarded blank pages in an American passport as "used". In the post 9/11 world, tampering with an American passport would be crazy. And the passport holder was a future doctorate, lecturing math at a university.

Q: Care to share it all, starting at the beginning? How on earth did you get into this jam?

Q2: What does this mean - usually, Thai Immigration may want someone to leave (and never to come back). They want you to stay put? Sorry if I'm dense.

Chris

---Update---

Should have read your follow-up post, sorry. Mate, you gotta get another B-Visa. Hurry! Can your school give you all you need?

I would get help from the school - if they want you to stay, they should do more and help you, starting with some phone calls and faxes!

Originally Posted by edztTH

Secondly - Has anyone ever had this in their Passport? ไม่อนุญาตให้เดินทาง - mai anuyat hai durntang or "no permission to travel" How did you fix it - Were you able to cross a border?

Never heard of this type of stamp. A stamp like that would IMHO only apply to foreigners for who a criminal case is going on which prohibits them to leave the country.

Originally Posted by edztTH

and have just had my yearly extension based on WP refused (strangely)

What were the reasons for having your extension of the permission of stay based on employment denied?

Originally Posted by edztTH

because I was on day 5 of a day 7 extension (which runs out today)

If last Friday was your 5th day then your 7 days extension has run our yesterday. Why do you have a 7 day extension in the first place?

Originally Posted by edztTH

I'm now hoping to goto BKK (tonight) and ask them tomorrow morning

You'll be 2 days on overstay then. If your passport is asked by a police or Immigration Officer before you hand it in yourself, you'll be charged with a criminal offense.

Thanks for the advice Chris - it's a bit more complex than meets the eye, however I have broken now laws or anything that should cause a problem. Here's the full story from the beginning (it's quite a long one so apologies)

For the past year I've been a fully legal Computer Teacher at one of the largest schools in my province. They were desperately keen to hire me based on my prior professional experience (IT training) and also the fact that a good friend had given me a glowing recommendation to our head of EP.


Initially, after talking to them - they said that I couldn't be a computer teacher, they hired me as something else. Labour office approved, teachers council approved and the education office approved. Eventually after getting all the paperwork sorted, immigration even granted me a 1 year extension on my Non B.


To cut a long story short, this year comes around and after signing the new contract and renewing my workpermit (which went fine) immigration then refused. They stated that government schools cannot have foreign employees who are not teachers?!? (despite having written evidence from the teachers council stating the contrary). They smiled and gave me seven days extension, suggesting I go back to the teachers council.


After getting back to school, a senior rep of the school rushed to bangkok that evening to speak to the teacher's council to figure out a solution. The TCT decided that the easiest way forward would be to grant me special dispensation as a trainer. Said teacher rushed back to esan with a letter stating that they deemed me worthy of the job, and to forego any degree requirements.


I then had to rush to the labour office on Friday, who pretty much said that I was breaking no laws, and it was perfectly legal to hire me as a non-teaching employee, and they asked what the problem was at immigration, to which I could only reply with a rather paltry "mai roo". After paying 1100 baht to change the WP from computer tech to trainer, they asked if I could find out more after immigration approved things.


Sadly, I got to immigration at Korat and after leafing through my paperwork, they explained that they could only give me a month's extension and that my case would be reviewed at BKK and summarily refused. To make things difficult, she requested all my professional certs, and some qualifications that I do not have. After explaining this to the immigration official she said in Thai - "if you don't come back by Tuesday, don't come back." But just go straight to Laos and try and get another business visa - Those were quite literally her words.

Right now the school is shocked as they don't want to hire someone else, and I'm annoyed because I don't particularly want to leave. However, now that my visa extension expires (today) there's nothing much I can do about things. I had a chat with the school to explain that worst case scenario we have to think about the future bla bla bla, and they pretty much said that they can't help me anymore. Worst case they will give me until the end of the month, but visa-wise they can't assist me anymore - (i can't expect them to after all they have done)

I really don't know where to go from here - BKK is the only hope I have, but my gut feeling is they might just tell me they can't and it must be done at a provincial level Really sucks, because I love the job, the job loves me and there's nothing either the school or it seems I can do to make things right :/

So, the story is that you don't have a degree, no?

pretty much. School found a fully legal and authorized way around it thanks to my prior work experience and now my world's came crashing down around me. Which is admittedly partly my own fault, but even still I have documentation from the teacher's council and confused people at labour office who are all asking why immigration are refusing.

What makes the problem is the note in my passport which says TRAVEL NOT ALLOWED. i.e. now that immigration have bent me over and done the unspeakable, they have decided that I can't actually leave the country, or what? all this on an extension that expires today (a government holiday).

Originally Posted by edztTH

The last words of the imm.officer (with this stamped in my pp) were "if you can't come back to see me on tuesday, don't bother coming back, but btw you can go to laos for another business via"

Why don't you do this?