Bangkok-
The Commissioner of the Royal Thai Immigration Bureau gave more details this evening on a proposed visa amnesty extension.
The Pattaya News originally announced this earlier this afternoon. The proposal, which is expected to go before the Thai Cabinet for approval next week, is presented as more of a grace application period than an extension.
It is important to note that there has been no official announcement yet and will not be until/unless the Thai Cabinet approve the proposal, possibly as early as next Tuesday, the 21.
The proposal would essentially give a grace period, according to Pol Lt Gen Sompong Chingduang, for those on amnesty to apply for a different visa. If the applicant was truly unable to get home the applicant would need to provide proof and on a case by case basis they would be given a short term extension while the situation was ongoing.
Sompong said the proposal was for the grace period to run until September 26, however those dates are subject to change based on Thai cabinet approval. Under the proposal those who were planning to leave normally would have until that date to leave and would not have to take any further action if they chose not to apply for a different visa.
Those on amnesty would also be able to apply for different long stay visas if they qualified, Sompong added.
Many questions remain, such as how those on a Visa that normally requires border runs would work with borders currently closed. Sompong said that each person on amnesty, if they wished to stay past the grace period, would need to discuss this on a one on one basis with Immigration.
Sompong also stated that specific rules for visa applications and extensions would be clarified and presented to the public after any potential Cabinet approval of the initial proposal.
The Pattaya News will continue to update you on this story as more details emerge.
