Doesn't matter to the best of my knowledge.
visa help
- Thread starter ryc
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Ex-Aquanaut
Contributor
If you are applying for a 1-year Non-Immigrant B in the U.S., you can forget it. They are no longer available. I spoke personally last week with the head visa officer in the Thai Consulate in Chicago who confirmed that as of Oct. 1 this year, no more multiple-entry B visas would be granted for dive training in Thailand.
Additionally, no official consulate in the US will issue multiple-entry tourist visas. And most honorary consulates are now not doing visas for those outside their state and some only in person.
However, a directive has been handed down from the embassy in D.C. that dive schools can get SINGLE-ENTRY ED, or Education, visas now. Previosly, to get an ED the school must be registered with the Thai Education Ministry. Dive shops obviously can't get this. (This was also a big problem for the many Muay Thai boxing schools).
So, as 2 weeks ago, those attending dive & muay thai boxing schools are eligible for ED visas.
We at Aquanauts offer complete visa assistance to all our DM and instructor interns and have had 100% success in getting (previously) 1-year B visas and now ED visas for our students. If you're not dead-set on Phuket, click the link below and check out our internship program.
Additionally, no official consulate in the US will issue multiple-entry tourist visas. And most honorary consulates are now not doing visas for those outside their state and some only in person.
However, a directive has been handed down from the embassy in D.C. that dive schools can get SINGLE-ENTRY ED, or Education, visas now. Previosly, to get an ED the school must be registered with the Thai Education Ministry. Dive shops obviously can't get this. (This was also a big problem for the many Muay Thai boxing schools).
So, as 2 weeks ago, those attending dive & muay thai boxing schools are eligible for ED visas.
We at Aquanauts offer complete visa assistance to all our DM and instructor interns and have had 100% success in getting (previously) 1-year B visas and now ED visas for our students. If you're not dead-set on Phuket, click the link below and check out our internship program.
OP
ryc
Registered
Funny Bob, how i heard something completely different from chicago, just minutes ago.
That's funny indeed Aquanauts,
I'm sending ED Visa letters to my candidates for over a year now, without a hitch, including the US.
I'm sending ED Visa letters to my candidates for over a year now, without a hitch, including the US.
Ex-Aquanaut
Contributor
RYC, what did you hear? Curious. I have the personal e-mail address of the visa officer in Chicago, so if I can help, let me know.
Limbo, goodie for you. We were doing lots of Bs with no issue, but nearly every single app went through an honorary consulate. Probably yours too. The honoraries are pretty soft, which is why the Thais want to close them down.
Nick, the visa officer (a westernized nickname for this Thai guy), said plans are afoot to shut down all the honorary consulates because, not surprisingly, the Thais want the visa money to go to them, not the agents they have doing it in the honorary consuls.
Limbo, goodie for you. We were doing lots of Bs with no issue, but nearly every single app went through an honorary consulate. Probably yours too. The honoraries are pretty soft, which is why the Thais want to close them down.
Nick, the visa officer (a westernized nickname for this Thai guy), said plans are afoot to shut down all the honorary consulates because, not surprisingly, the Thais want the visa money to go to them, not the agents they have doing it in the honorary consuls.
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