The predicament faced by overstayers

[reader]

Thai authorities estimate that there are about 150,000 people in the country who, for various reasons, have overstayed their visas. Saturday is the deadline for requesting extensions buy many are not expected to be able to complete the process.

From the Thai Examiner

Particular problems associated with long-stay Non-Immigrant B visa holders under the present extraordinary conditions are being identified as the closure of the kingdom’s borders has prevented expats from earning income and regularly travelling outside the kingdom while business owners with the visa in Thailand have seen their personal circumstances diminished to such an extent that many cannot comply with the normal conditions. The next few days, for thousands of these people, will be stressful as they weigh up and consider exiting Thailand to avoid ending up on the wrong side of the law while facing a highly uncertain future.

A senior Immigration Bureau officer in Bangkok on Monday warned that the bureau would make use of its live database to track down visa overstayers from midnight on Saturday who failed to extend their visas as the Covid 19 visa amnesty finally comes to an end. As well as over 150,000 tourists believed to be still in Thailand since January, there are also many small business people, caught in peculiar circumstances, who now have a matter of days to decide whether to leave their life in Thailand behind them and return home or see if they can find a solution to their predicament as they can no longer meet extension requirements because of the disruption of their business and diminished financial circumstances.

Senior Thai Immigration Bureau officers throughout Thailand are working frantically to process a deluge of last-minute applications as it becomes clear that the visa amnesty issued because of the Covid 19 crisis will not be renewed after it expires on Saturday next, September 26th, at midnight.

[reader]

From Chanel News Asia

Thailand extends visa renewal grace period for foreigners stranded due to COVID-19

BANGKOK: Thailand on Monday (Sep 28) said it will extend a grace period for visa renewals for foreigners stranded in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic until the end of October, as travel restrictions remain in place and new infections climb globally.

The extension will allow foreigners to remain in Thailand until Oct 31, a spokesman for the government's coronavirus taskforce Taweesin Wisanuyothin told Reuters.

After October, a new immigration regulation will allow foreigners to apply for 60-day extensions to remain in the country if they are unable to leave due to limited flights or other issues, Pornchai Kuntee, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, told Reuters.

Previously, extensions required documentation from their respective embassies and were limited to 30 days.

Authorities on Monday also extended an emergency decree until the end of October.

[firecat69]

Thanks for that post. I have a good friend who is in that boat and his wife and 2 kids are Thai.  They live in Bangkok and hope to move to Canada when this Covid - 19 is over . His kids can get Canadian passports but of course there will be many hoops to jump through to get his wife into Canada. If you have any knowledge or suggestions in that area please send a PM.