Immigration woes —- Again?

[FolkGuitar]

We’re sitting on line...  8am....  must be 150 people waiting for retirement visa extensions. I’m sitting in chair #9. My line sitter got here at 2am. So much for ‘low season’ slowdown. People still piling in. Line extends well past the end of the building. Damn.....

[saakura]

Wow. You can hire 'line sitters'?? How much do they cost ??

[sirmud63]

3 minutes ago, saakura said:

Wow. You can hire 'line sitters'?? How much do they cost ??

yep, bout 200-400 thb . 

but smart people use an agent .

[worgeordie]

12 minutes ago, sirmud63 said:

yep, bout 200-400 thb . 

but smart people use an agent .

Whats smart paying 5K for an agent, Vs 200-400 THB for a sitter?

regards worgeordie

[pgrahmm]

Flew back into the country on the 8th after 3 month holiday - visa renewal due by the 9th.....

 

Went to an agent = spent one hour at immigration was done & gone, complete with multiple entry.....

 

Didn't want to take the chance that I'd might have omitted something or a procedural/paper change took place while out of the country.....No wiggle room for a mistake....

 

Yes, there was a horde of people there.....Many were called to the desk for wrong or incomplete paperwork during the hour I spent there....

 

 

Edited May 10, 2018 by pgrahmm

[RichardColeman]

34 minutes ago, FolkGuitar said:

So much for ‘low season’ slowdown.

Of course it could simply be that Monday is a holiday - ploughing day !

Edited May 10, 2018 by RichardColeman

[jeffandgop]

I went yesterday (Wed) to try to process my retirement extension. I arrived at 0930 and was turned away as all que numbers had already been passed out. Anyone confirm that IMM is still doing 25 retirement extensions in the morning and 25 more in the afternoon (bring their self imposed limitations)?

[Lizard2010]

49 minutes ago, jeffandgop said:

I went yesterday (Wed) to try to process my retirement extension. I arrived at 0930 and was turned away as all que numbers had already been passed out. Anyone confirm that IMM is still doing 25 retirement extensions in the morning and 25 more in the afternoon (bring their self imposed limitations)?

I believe it is Total 25 for walk in

Plus Agents

Better than  before when Agents were included

 

[elektrified]

Ugh..... just come back at 14:30 and your problems are solved. Or come back tomorrow.

[sirmud63]

1 hour ago, worgeordie said:

Whats smart paying 5K for an agent, Vs 200-400 THB for a sitter?

regards worgeordie

5k for an agent ?

mate ,you need to get around abit more .

[jeffandgop]

Lizard- I don’t believe you know. 

Edited May 10, 2018 by jeffandgop

[Sparkles]

After hearing rumours a while back that DYI yourself Immigration matters were now just a breeze I wondered how this could be with no apparent increase in staff.

New residents and retirees are still flocking to CM as its being promoted as the one of the worlds best retirement destinations.

 

If they are only processing 25 people day for retirement thats less then what they were doing years ago

 

Interesting times as the move back to the airport is imminent.

 

Never seen so much traffic coming through CM City boundaries yesterday,fast becoming a mini Bangkok

 

 

[jeffandgop]

electrified- your response provides no assurance or even hope that either method will guarantee successfully processing an extension.I went Wed and today is Thur and clearly both days had a clear excess of applicants. Coming in at 1430 does nothing as well. 

Edited May 10, 2018 by jeffandgop

[FolkGuitar]

In by 8:00am -  out by 10:00am   Total cost: 300 baht

Back at my computer now so easier to give the full story. We hired a line sitter from a local travel agency. He got there at 2am but was only able to get seats 9 and 10 for my wife and me. There were eight people there before he arrived at 2am... We arrived at 8:00am and there were already 150 people lined up in the Visa Extension line. At 8:30 an Imm officer came out and handed out tickets... about forty of them. All the rest of the people left. By that time there were at least 175 queued up.  We went inside, waited until our numbers were called, sat in front of the officer for less than 10 minutes, had out photos taken, and told to wait. We waited about 10 minutes and our names were called and passports given back. We left.

 

The first time or two that I renewed, I used AssistThaiVisa as I didn't know the system. But these days, we simply make multiple photocopies of everything needed so we have a set to use the next time without fretting over what might be required. We add in the fresh bank book copies and bank letter (getting the bank letter took 10 minutes the day before,) and that's that. No stress. No worries, and no longer a need to spend 12,000 for two people to renew. We spent 300 baht. Instead of an hour with ThaiVisa, we spent two hours at Immigration. 

 

ThaiVisa does provide 90-day reporting service for 1,500 baht.  We just mail ours in for 35 baht EMS charge. Instead of driving to ThaiVisa to do it, we walk to the post office.  Choices.

 

There are perfectly valid reasons to use a full service Visa agent such as Assist Thai Visa. If you've never done it before and want to make sure that you've dotted all the t's and crossed all the i's, a service is great.  But once you've done it a few times, the only inconvenience of doing it yourself is getting to Immigration at zero:dark thirty.  A line sitter takes care of that very nicely.  As I said, in by 8, out by 10, and all's in order for another year in the Land of Smiles.

 

[rumak]

1 hour ago, FolkGuitar said:

  A line sitter takes care of that very nicely.  As I said, in by 8, out by 10, and all's in order for another year in the Land of Smiles.

 

I was just at CMI and there were 150 line sitters .......was trying to find mine but damn, they all look the same !  ........   THIS IS FAKE NEWS !........... But tomorrow it just might be real :-)

Hint:  some good ideas i just share with my friends  .   

[wijipa]

Jomtien Immigration, love them. Arrived back in Thailand on 5th April, on getting to my accommodation I found that I needed to exit by the 5th April. Big mistake. Went to Jomtien, 5 mins in the queue and explained the mistake, 2 mins later, all fixed, no charge. On the 3rd of May, went back to get a 30 day ext. Arrived at 11.20, but the time I had filled in the form it was 11.45,at the counter the lady pointed to the sign saying closed until 1pm. Bugger, then the big boss comes over, prints me out a number, speaks to the lady who handles the ext, 5 mins later all  done and out of there. Brilliant. 

[marioc]

I went to the Immigration Police Office near the airport (the office just back to the Immigration Office we used before going to Promenada's office) for a 24h report ( I am going there because I live close and was told in the past it is perectly fine doing it there) and asked about the new building already finished.... they told me the new building will be operative from around July. Hopefully things there will be better....  hopefully  :)

[topt]

1 hour ago, wijipa said:

Jomtien Immigration, love them

Reading these sagas of Chiang Mai Immigration reminds me just how lucky we seem to be with Jomtien Immigration. I also struggle to understand why it is as it is compared to Jomtien. 

[NorthernRyland]

5 hours ago, Sparkles said:

Never seen so much traffic coming through CM City boundaries yesterday,fast becoming a mini Bangkok

stop it, you're stressing me out man!

[ICECOOL]

wow!  feel so lucky in HH.  it's so quiet. For 2 years I wander down about 3 - 3.30 pm. Ticket with 1-2 in front.  Wait 10 - 15 minutes.  Chat to officer 5 min and pay. Wait 10 min for return Of P'port. Gone. 

[Krataiboy]

What horror stories! But has anybody thought to complain?

[Suradit69]

4 hours ago, rumak said:

Hint:  some good ideas i just share with my friends  .

Some things are better kept to yourself.

[rumak]

7 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

Some things are better kept to yourself.

That's what I said  ( i have no friends) 

[worgeordie]

5 hours ago, sirmud63 said:

5k for an agent ?

mate ,you need to get around abit more .

That mate is what they charge in CNX plus 1,900 THB,

where are you ?

regards Worgeordie

[The Deerhunter]

1 hour ago, topt said:

Reading these sagas of Chiang Mai Immigration reminds me just how lucky we seem to be with Jomtien Immigration. I also struggle to understand why it is as it is compared to Jomtien. 

There is a reason apparently.  The usual Thai reason, you will not be surprised to hear.!!  Someone braver than me who knows for sure the details will tell you.  From me it would only be hearsay

Edited May 10, 2018 by The Deerhunter

[DJ54]

Where? BKK?

 

Up here in Udon Thani once I had to wait more than 15 minutes. The staff are very helpful and kind as long as you don’t  piss in their coffee.

 

Once a guy was ranting and raving didn’t do any good. It got the through treatment and told to come back another day. 

 

First time used agent in BKK but they didn’t stop to pick up gel on the way with the bill......painful....

 

with ThaiVisa  forum and the information you can gain really makes it easy. 

 

Thanks to all of you

[observer90210]

Use an agent, who will do the necessary bribing on your behalf and you won't be exposed....and of course smoothen and speed things up for you....welcome to Corruption 4.0 !!

[Gillyflower]

When I went to the Promenada in January, there were no more than 7-10 in all the lines with the exception of Tourist Visa.  I was no. 1.  This was at 7.30 in the morning.   I went at 8 to get photos and photocopies then a rupture of electricity that lasted until 8.50.  Of course I was no longer no. 1, but still only about 5 before me.  Got to the desk, the younger one looking at my papers, and the older one on her calc.  She suddenly says to me, "You look good, madame".  I preen myself, thinking she meant my clothes.  The American next to me said, "She's working out your age".  Then the older woman starts a conversation, about the weather and so on, then switches over to French and we continue.  We must have held things up for a good 5 minutes whilst we had our social chat.  Mind you, there was the young man who handed me my passport and took 5 minutes to explain all the ins and outs of a visa to an elderly lady.

 

Last year,  inside, one of the women came out from behind the desk, holding a passport and asked me to find the owner for her!!!!  Saying to me in English, "I don't speak French".  I still can't work out why she asked me, when I have a French passport too.

[Lacessit]

Have to smile when I read the tales of CM Immigration. Pay an agent, 90 day reports cost me the time of dropping off the passport at the agent. Retirement extensions, about an hour all up including the transport to and from the agent. No need to worry about queues, or getting an immigration agent who is in a shitty mood.

Yes it costs, but at my time in life I'd rather pay than have the angst.

[thailand49]

What location Chon Buri?  that you need a sitter?