Phuket paves way for new visa for parents of international school students

Phuket officials are paving the way for a new visa category, aimed specifically at parents of children studying in international schools. However, this new visa provision is not without its safeguarding measures.

The approval process will include a thorough criminal background check, an effort to keep individuals with a criminal past from residing in Phuket under the guise of their children’s enrolment in international schools.

This new visa initiative was unveiled during a meeting held last Friday, under the stewardship of Phuket’s Vice Governor, Amnuay Pinsuwan. The meeting served as a platform to discuss potential solutions to the issue of individuals with criminal backgrounds exploiting the education system to gain residence in Phuket.

The gathering brought together representatives from both the governmental and private sectors. The primary aim was to recommend the government greenlight visas for parents whose children are studying in Phuket, positioning the province as the pioneer of this new visa initiative. The broader objective is to enhance education and sustainably drive the economy.

Currently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not offer a specific visa for foreign parents of children studying in Thailand. Nonetheless, the Immigration Bureau has, for some time, endorsed one-year stay permits for such parents, contingent on their children’s continued enrolment in the school.

This permit is governed by ministerial regulations issued in August 2014.

New visa provision

A large number of participants in the meeting were in favour of granting such visas, in preference to stay permits. The consensus was that both parents should be permitted, provided they meet the criteria. This move, as per an official report from the meeting, will not only offer stability to foreign students but also serve as an economic stimulus for Phuket Province.

The benefits of this visa provision extend to the reduction of student bullying and the opportunity for parents to partake in self-development activities, such as learning the Thai language. It also gives parents time to expose their children to the various educational and cultural offerings in Phuket.

Nonetheless, the report emphasised the necessity of prioritising the criminal background check in the visa approval procedure. Only parents with clean records will be considered for the visa, reported Phuket News.

The report also highlighted that Phuket is host to 14 international schools, accommodating over 3,000 students from pre-kindergarten to Grade 12. No clarification was provided on the challenges faced by parents of foreign children studying in Phuket when applying for stay permits through the Immigration Bureau.