mjochim

Well, I'm on the verge of obtaining a Non-Immigrant (B) and return to the grind of working (teaching) in Thailand...

I worked for four years on a Non-Immigrant (O) but lost both my job and my wife at the beginning of this year.

To stay legal, I switched to a Tourist Visa when the Non-Imm (O) expired.  As I live in Phuket, the closest and easiest location for my visa run was Penang.

When that visa was close to expiring and I was no closer to finding a job, I returned to Penang for my second Tourist Visa (having been informed on the forum that Penang would deny my application if I obtained an extension within Thailand).  No worries -- I spent some time actually being a tourist, something I enjoyed after four years of employment and marriage.

Lo and behold, I obtained a third Tourist Visa in Penang.

Midway through that third and last visa I signed a contract for a new job.  I gathered all of the required paperwork to obtain a Work Permit so that I could travel to Penang when that last Tourist Visa expired at the end of September.  I planned to obtain the Non-Immigrant (B) at that time and be ready to begin work once the September-October term holiday had finished.

So far, so good.  I was delayed a bit waiting for the Police Report/Criminal Background Check to arrive from America.  But I turned everything into the school a week ago.

This weekend I was informed that the school couldn't give me the additional paperwork required for the Non-Immigrant (B) in time for me to make my visa run on 26 September.  I would have to make a quick visa run to add a bit of time on my stay prior to going to Penang for the Non-Imm (B).

Okay -- now for my questions:

What are the chances of Penang denying my application for the Non-Imm (B) if I have a 15-day "visa-on-arrival" stamp following three straight tourist visas (but without any 30-day extensions obtained within Thailand)?

Or, instead of spending the money on a visa run (roundtrip for the 15-day stamp would cost about 1,500 baht total from Phuket) would I be okay just to obtain a 30-day extension here in Phuket for 1,900 baht?  Would Penang deny my Non-Imm (B) if I had that one extension?

I've heard enough horror stories about Penang that I want to make sure that I don't jeopardize my visa application.  My savings are to the point that I can't easily just do a visa run by air (obtaining 30 days that way) and I don't want to waste the time or money of doing two visa runs in quick succession if an in-Thailand extension will work...

Thanks once again for any all all responses.

After five years in Phuket (four of them teaching, mostly in a large international school), I'm ready for a change of scenery.  I've heard really nice things about Songkla -- things that appeal to me more than, say, Koh Samui or Nakhon Sri Thammarat -- so I'm beginning to think about relocating to the south.

Can any board members let me know what the current job market is like -- do the schools hire year-round or just May/October, for example -- nice places to hang out, etc.  I'm also (lesser) interested in Hat Yai so some information on that city would be nice to have as well...

I don't usually like to post similar threads on different forums but I'd like to enlist the greater expertise here on Thai Visa as time is running short...

My Non-Imm (O) visa expires on 31 March.  I cannot show the cash requirement in the bank for another year extension and I am currently out-of-work.  I hope to sign a new employment contract by the beginning of May at the latest.

I also don't have access to much cash at the moment -- I've been budgeting heavily over the past three months trying to make it on a minimal amount of available savings (not so easy, but I'm surviving).  Again, that situation will change very soon (once said contract comes through).

A 15-day permission to stay by crossing a land border won't get me enough cover (and I can't afford to make another visa run after that), I thought my best option would be to obtain a single-entry Tourist Visa.  From Phuket, the least expensive option is to do this in Penang, particularly since this 60-day visa is available at no cost until 31 March.

I began planning to make this particular visa run, finding out that I could take the second-class bus from Phuket to Hat Yai for 267 baht and then a minivan the remainder of the distance.  I was encouraged to find out how inexpensive some of the accomodations are in the Chulia Road/Love Lane area.  I felt this was completely doable.

But I think I've hit a snag.  I was told elsewhere online that since I'm currently on a Non-Imm (O), the most that Penang would give me would be 15 days.  Otherwise, I could just do a quick visa run via air and receive 30 days -- an option that's a bit over my budget right now.

QUESTION ONE:
Is there anybody here on TV who can verify that I won't be able to obtain the single-entry Tourist Visa based on my coming off of a Non-Imm (O)?  I've had this particular visa since October 2006; apart from the initial 90-day extension, I was able to secure the one-year extensions since then.  That shows a good history of employment -- as these extensions were based on my work permit rather than solely on my supporting a Thai family.

My current thinking is to still go to Penang by bus/minivan but (quickly) purchase a one-way ticket from Penang back home to Phuket.  I found one that's comes to 1800 baht after the taxes and fees.

QUESTION TWO:
If, while in Penang, I decide to try my luck at the consulate (if I don't receive a definitive answer from a knowledgable TV member), and they reject the application would I be able to receive 30 days upon flying back to Phuket?

I'm sorry if these questions seem completely newbieish but it has been more than four years since I've had to make a visa run and the more I read the various forum threads the more confused I become.  I think the "Latest News" page for the various embassies and consulates is a great idea but was unable to find anything that gave me peace of mind for the situation I'm in.

While I'm at it (too long-winded, I know) -- can anybody advise on the least expensive option for the Hat Yai to Penang portion?  Specifically, would I save money by taking a local bus to the Thai side of the border at Sadao and walking across and then finding another public bus from there to Penang?  Would it be cheaper to take the bus to Butterworth and then the ferry the last little way, or even the RapidPenang bus across the bridge?  And I suppose the return will just be the reverse -- or is it more complicated than that?

Finally, is the railway to the top of Penang Hill back in operation?  (I found a news article from last October saying it was being refurbished until January of this year but was it on-schedule?)

Whew!  Many questions but when you can't afford mistakes on a very limited budget, I suppose it's better to know all of your options in advance...

Thanks for bearing with the long post. I hope that at least some of these answers can be answered fairly quickly (I'll need to book that one-way air ticket soon if this seems to be the only way to do it!).  Thanks in advance for any new viewpoints on how to do this.

Cheers...