I have lived in Phuket for the past 2 years, I had an ED visa for studying muay thai. I started as a rookie, trained regularly and had 2 pro fights. In my spare time, I would study Thai. Because 1) I'm getting too old to compete and 2) I have a genuine interest in learning Thai, I decided to get an ED/language visa for my third year. I flew to Malaysia last week and upon re-entering Phuket, I was questioned extensively by the immigration officer. When she went to get her supervisor, I knew I was in trouble. The officers said that I needed to have my ED visa prior to re-entering the country and that if it wasn't the case, I'd need to buy a return ticket home so they would let me enter the country. This was news to me as I was told that I could re-enter as a tourist and that in 30 days, my school would have time to process my visa. And that if things were delayed (with Songkran), I could always pay to get a 30-day extension. I called my teacher (the same one who I have studied with for two years and that will provide me with the ED visa), he tried to vouch for me to the officers over the phone but to no avail. He told me to sit tight, made some calls and in the end, I followed his recommendation and essentially wired a bribe to someone who must be a big shot at the airport. 15 minutes later, a different officer came to get me and they let me through.
Here are my questions: 1) Is it easier to do border runs by van? Last year, I did it that way, went to Satun and I feel as though they stamped my passport without even checking my picture. According to my teacher, I got unlucky with the immigration officer, although I feel it might also be due to the current backlash around farangs (especially since I live in Phuket). 2) How many years can I stay using a language visa given that I already had an ED visa for two years? Because I have to get a stamp from immigration every 3 months, I feel as though this stamp collection will raise eyebrows every time I try to re-enter the country. Thank you for your help 🙏
