ED Visa via a Thai language course?

[MarkKetting]

Hi, just spent an hour looking for proper information on the subject and there's so many different opinions out there, I'm confused now with what I discovered here

Can someone please recommend a school to study the Thai language and be visa exemption for 1 year?

A website URL won't be a luxury ... thanks so much

[Goolabert]

I assume you want a school in Pattaya. Bangkok has many more options. There is no visa exemption for studying. You would get a Non-Immigrant Category "ED" Visa.

Walen is probably the biggest school in Pattaya so has more options as regards to class schedules and they are used to helping students with their ED visa paperwork.

I don't think they give one year extensions for ED visas anymore but as long as you keep going to school you can extend every 90 days without leaving the country. Not 100%sure but that was based on talking to guys in my Thai language classes a year ago.

Other schools in Pattaya include Pro Language, Sandee and AUA but I think AUA won't help with a ED visa.

 

http://www.thaiwalen.com/

https://www.prolanguage.co.th/

http://www.sandee.ac.th/

 

[MarkKetting]

In Pattaya yes, we're on a Pattaya website huh! 
I also found http://progresspattaya.com
Thanks Bert, I'll look at those ...

 

[MarkKetting]

Here's an up-to-date info I received from Sandee

When the Thai government changed, so as their rules and regulations. Which means that all the schools in Thailand, were required to change licenses and therefore shorten the courses. We are no longer allowed to offer a 1 year program, instead they asked us to shorten it.

What we offer now are the following:

13,000 THB per LEVEL of Thai Language Course.

Level 1 = 7 months and 2 weeks
Level 2 = 9 months and 2 weeks
Level 3 = 12 months

However, firstly you need to start with LEVEL 1.

Classes are 4x per week, 2 hours per day.
Attendance is a MUST to keep your ED Visa status valid and for you to be able to extend every 3 months without any problems. However, if you want a more flexible schedule, there is an option of paying more for your extensions to the Immigration Office so they will not bother checking your attendance.

Extra Fees for Visa Application and Extensions:
1. DHL fee to send the documents to Canada = 1,900 THB (if applicable)
2. Visa application fee at the Thai Embassy in Canada = around 2,000 THB
3. Extension fees = 1,900.00 THB or 5,200 THB/each extension (at Jomtien Immigration Office)

1,900.00 THB = strict attendance
5,200.00 THB = flexible attendance

If you don't want to apply for your ED Visa in Canada and really need to be in Thailand by April then you may enter Thailand on a 30-day visa exemption (from the airport), that's also a possibility however you need to immediately register to school so that we can submit your application right away to the Ministry of Education (MOE). It will take them more or less 3 to 4 weeks to process it. If your 30-day is almost up and we still haven't heard from MOE, you are allowed to extend your 30-day visa exemption at Jomtien Immigration Office. You just have to pay them 1,900 THB to extend for a month.

I'm definitely sure that by the time your 30-day visa extension is up, we already heard from MOE. When we finally receive the approval letter from them, that's the time we will contact you through phone or email to confirm the date that you will apply for your ED Visa at the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane, Laos. After confirming the date, please allow about 3 to 5 working days for us to prepare the rest of the school documents before you may collect them.

Extra Fees for Visa Application and Extensions:
1. Laos Visa on Arrival = 1,550 THB
2. Visa application fee at the Thai Embassy in Vientiane, Laos = 2,000 THB
3. Extension fees = 1,900.00 THB or 5,200 THB/each extension (at Jomtien Immigration Office)

1,900.00 THB = strict attendance
5,200.00 THB = flexible attendance

Please note that initially at the border/airport, you will be given a 90-day Non ED stamp and before this ends you need to extend your visa at Jomtien Immigration Office every 3 months.

As soon as you obtain the NON-ED visa and arrive Thailand, you need to report immediately back to school because we need to copy your passport with the NON- ED visa sticker and entry stamps as we will submit it to the Ministry of Education to request for your extension documents later on.

Hoping that could help someone 

[MarkKetting]

http://progresspattaya.com
Cost 22,900 THB for 1 year ED Visa and will get 200 hours Thai language course.

[PR1977]

On 3/31/2017 at 2:35 AM, NickTamer.com said:

Here's an up-to-date info I received from Sandee

When the Thai government changed, so as their rules and regulations. Which means that all the schools in Thailand, were required to change licenses and therefore shorten the courses. We are no longer allowed to offer a 1 year program, instead they asked us to shorten it.

What we offer now are the following:

13,000 THB per LEVEL of Thai Language Course.

Level 1 = 7 months and 2 weeks
Level 2 = 9 months and 2 weeks
Level 3 = 12 months

However, firstly you need to start with LEVEL 1.

Classes are 4x per week, 2 hours per day.
Attendance is a MUST to keep your ED Visa status valid and for you to be able to extend every 3 months without any problems. However, if you want a more flexible schedule, there is an option of paying more for your extensions to the Immigration Office so they will not bother checking your attendance.

Extra Fees for Visa Application and Extensions:
1. DHL fee to send the documents to Canada = 1,900 THB (if applicable)
2. Visa application fee at the Thai Embassy in Canada = around 2,000 THB
3. Extension fees = 1,900.00 THB or 5,200 THB/each extension (at Jomtien Immigration Office)

1,900.00 THB = strict attendance
5,200.00 THB = flexible attendance

If you don't want to apply for your ED Visa in Canada and really need to be in Thailand by April then you may enter Thailand on a 30-day visa exemption (from the airport), that's also a possibility however you need to immediately register to school so that we can submit your application right away to the Ministry of Education (MOE). It will take them more or less 3 to 4 weeks to process it. If your 30-day is almost up and we still haven't heard from MOE, you are allowed to extend your 30-day visa exemption at Jomtien Immigration Office. You just have to pay them 1,900 THB to extend for a month.

I'm definitely sure that by the time your 30-day visa extension is up, we already heard from MOE. When we finally receive the approval letter from them, that's the time we will contact you through phone or email to confirm the date that you will apply for your ED Visa at the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane, Laos. After confirming the date, please allow about 3 to 5 working days for us to prepare the rest of the school documents before you may collect them.

Extra Fees for Visa Application and Extensions:
1. Laos Visa on Arrival = 1,550 THB
2. Visa application fee at the Thai Embassy in Vientiane, Laos = 2,000 THB
3. Extension fees = 1,900.00 THB or 5,200 THB/each extension (at Jomtien Immigration Office)

1,900.00 THB = strict attendance
5,200.00 THB = flexible attendance

Please note that initially at the border/airport, you will be given a 90-day Non ED stamp and before this ends you need to extend your visa at Jomtien Immigration Office every 3 months.

As soon as you obtain the NON-ED visa and arrive Thailand, you need to report immediately back to school because we need to copy your passport with the NON- ED visa sticker and entry stamps as we will submit it to the Ministry of Education to request for your extension documents later on.

Hoping that could help someone 

If you are granted an ED visa and wish to leave and re-enter the country a couple of weeks later during the visa's validity period, how do you go about doing this without affecting the visa?

[MarkKetting]

That's a good question, I assumed in multi-entries ... but assuming is bad so let's find that out!

[ceiling]

On 31/03/2017 at 07:24, NickTamer.com said:

http://progresspattaya.com
Cost 22,900 THB for 1 year ED Visa and will get 200 hours Thai language course.

website seems to be offline, anyone know if they are still in business

[Eskorteprinsen]

On 30.3.2017 at 23:24, NickTamer.com said:

http://progresspattaya.com
Cost 22,900 THB for 1 year ED Visa and will get 200 hours Thai language course.

Just wonder if this can goes on and on....lets say you start with level 1= 7,months,two weeks,then level 2= 9 months, two weeks, and finally level 3=12 months; that would be 26 months of thai-language;correct? (correct me if Im wrong here...) Lets say you want to stay in LOS for even longer, then may go learn russian...(only learn for staying in LOS)it could be some years, but much cheaper than thai-elite.visa.....Ps:If all three states is in one year,cluld there still be possible to go to school and learn russian? I dont want to sound stupid here,but the immigration officers may think you were only in LOS,for other than learning language....I assume they dont care, if you pay them 5200 THB every 90 days, in stead of the usual fare of 1900 THB?

[Thailand Red]

Can anyone recommend a school in Pattaya that focuses on speaking and listening?

I've read on another forum Wallen schools are focused on writing and reading which I'm not as interested in.