immigration home visit

[samsensam]

 

hi,

 

today i went to bangkok immigration to start the retirement visa process.

 

i've just received a call saying that immigration staff are going to visit my place in the next few days, it it likely they are coming? what will they do when they do visit?

 

thanks,

Edited November 7, 2018 by samsensam
clarity

[ubonjoe]

Yes they will visit you. They will visit you to confirm you are truly living where you stated on your application form. Yours is not the first report of it happening.

If living in a condo or apartment the may want to talk to the management as well.

[Pa John]

Yes, they will come. Just to see you live there and they take some photo's. Normally they don't go inside your house and they just have a nice little chat with you, notthing to worry about. A friend of mine with retirement visa had a visit last month, they was very nice, but they did not call him to say they where comeing...

[The Deerhunter]

9 minutes ago, Pa John said:

Yes, they will come. Just to see you live there and they take some photo's. Normally they don't go inside your house and they just have a nice little chat with you, notthing to worry about. A friend of mine with retirement visa had a visit last month, they was very nice, but they did not call him to say they where comeing...

Usually retirement extensions do not get visits. I think it is the procedure only for marriage extensions.   Well I am pretty sure no-one I know in retirement has ever been visited.  It is usually to confirm that the marriage, relationship and address are all kosher.

Edited November 7, 2018 by The Deerhunter

[Pa John]

Everybody can get visits, I know many long time tourist that had visits from immigration police to. 

Normally they come in lowseason, but this was @ koh Samui and Koh Phangan...

[weegee]

16 hours ago, The Deerhunter said:

Usually retirement extensions do not get visits. I think it is the procedure only for marriage extensions.   Well I am pretty sure no-one I know in retirement has ever been visited.  It is usually to confirm that the marriage, relationship and address are all kosher.

Yep...1 visited us at home yesterday...all good. Same things, Look at Passport and related papers, a couple of photos, a few questions, a cup of Coffee, and away he went.... Arrived unannounced, which didnt worry us, we are above board.

 

[WorriedNoodle]

13 minutes ago, weegee said:

Yep...1 visited us at home yesterday...

In Bangkok? Which area? I live at least 2 hours drive in normal traffic from the IO so cannot see them ever coming to see me?

[Bournville]

No. No. No. This is really over the top. I've got nothing to hide but I do enjoy my privacy. Make the IO a cup of coffee? 5555.. In Chiang Mai most of us despise immigration. 

 

It's enough that the police are often walking around Chiang Mai taking random photos of people and cars. Most days there are road check points for drivers license.. Helmet.. Tax. That's enough. It's like I live in a military government country! Oh wait a minute... 

[Vacuum]

3 minutes ago, Bournville said:

It's enough that the police are often walking around Chiang Mai taking random photos of people and cars.

Say what?

[connda]

It's actually is a non-issue and nothing to worry about.  My first extension was based on marriage.  Immigration showed up on a day we weren't there.  They talked to the neighbors and the village head.  Considering I'm the only farang currently living in a 35 km long rural valley, I don't think it was difficult to determine that I lived there with my wife.  You could just about ask any of the 150 or so villagers in the area.  The last time I saw immigration was after the Erawan Center bomb attack.  I think every farang in Thailand got a visit.  However it was also one of those time where their racial profiling was about 100% off target.  Given our dogs greeted them at the gate with an unwelcome reception they didn't bother to come in. And the visitation party include a local cop who knows me, so I'm assuming they were where just putting a checkmark in the checkbox.  I changed over to a retirement extension this year simply because I got tired to filing out so much paperwork.  I haven't seen any immigration in our neighborhood and don't really expect to consider the I/Os at immigration know both my wife and myself on sight. 
So, nothing much to worry about.  Just a formality.

[wimpy]

17 hours ago, The Deerhunter said:

Usually retirement extensions do not get visits. I think it is the procedure only for marriage extensions.   Well I am pretty sure no-one I know in retirement has ever been visited.  It is usually to confirm that the marriage, relationship and address are all kosher.

I have, once in six years.

[swissbie]

17 hours ago, The Deerhunter said:

Usually retirement extensions do not get visits. I think it is the procedure only for marriage extensions.   Well I am pretty sure no-one I know in retirement has ever been visited.  It is usually to confirm that the marriage, relationship and address are all kosher.

No, it's not a confirmation of marriage, just of the address, as ubonjoe says. I got a visit this year, after changing my place of residence. I have an extension based on retirement since two years. Before i had extensions based on marriage for 9 years, never got a visit from the immigration.

[Morch]

In our experience, they call ahead - not too eager to make the drive for nothing. Can be short notice stuff, but not a big deal if at home, and they didn't have a problem delaying/waiting when we were out and about.

 

Talked to one of the neighbors, no problems. Asked to verify pictures submitted, alright. Never go indoors without express invitation permission. A lot of questions, but nothing out of line or too intrusive. If anything, very polite. It's not fun, but not as bad or annoying as can be expected.

[Bournville]

Say what?

Yep. I've seen this often and have been photographed! Unsettling at best. Why do they do this?

[JackThompson]

18 hours ago, The Deerhunter said:

Usually retirement extensions do not get visits. I think it is the procedure only for marriage extensions.   Well I am pretty sure no-one I know in retirement has ever been visited.  It is usually to confirm that the marriage, relationship and address are all kosher.

That used to be the case.  In fact, this is the only way they can know for sure if the address given was accurate.  As much as I dislike many policies of immigration - the poorly designed TM-30/TM-28/TM-6 system in this context (and others in other contexts) - I have no problem at all with the home-visit activity.

[Media1]

Bored just play the game. Yawn yawn off they toddle

[PerkinsCuthbert]

Be sure to hide the drugs, let the dogs off their leashes, wear your best plus-fours and a dickie, and offer them a stiff glass or two of execrable Thai fruit wine; that should keep them well away for a few years.

[The Deerhunter]

3 hours ago, JackThompson said:

That used to be the case.  In fact, this is the only way they can know for sure if the address given was accurate.  As much as I dislike many policies of immigration - the poorly designed TM-30/TM-28/TM-6 system in this context (and others in other contexts) - I have no problem at all with the home-visit activity.

Well I stand corrected.   Never heard of retirement people getting visited until this thread.    Do they drink tea or coffee or buy their own tea on their way home with their tea money?

[The Deerhunter]

3 hours ago, JackThompson said:

That used to be the case.  In fact, this is the only way they can know for sure if the address given was accurate.  As much as I dislike many policies of immigration - the poorly designed TM-30/TM-28/TM-6 system in this context (and others in other contexts) - I have no problem at all with the home-visit activity.

Me neither.  Except don't want them to see me in my outdoor exercise clothes.   Walking around supervising the wife and two orchard staff.  We had one guy who used to sit down when ever out of sight of the house and smoke while playing with the throttle on the weed whacker.  "Brrrrmmmm brrrmmm  brrmmm "  These two actually work hard unsupervised, but you can't be too careful.

Edited November 8, 2018 by The Deerhunter

[weegee]

5 hours ago, WorriedNoodle said:

In Bangkok? Which area? I live at least 2 hours drive in normal traffic from the IO so cannot see them ever coming to see me?

No...down south...

[bergan]

9 hours ago, connda said:

It's actually is a non-issue and nothing to worry about.  My first extension was based on marriage.  Immigration showed up on a day we weren't there.  They talked to the neighbors and the village head.  Considering I'm the only farang currently living in a 35 km long rural valley, I don't think it was difficult to determine that I lived there with my wife.  You could just about ask any of the 150 or so villagers in the area.  The last time I saw immigration was after the Erawan Center bomb attack.  I think every farang in Thailand got a visit.  However it was also one of those time where their racial profiling was about 100% off target.  Given our dogs greeted them at the gate with an unwelcome reception they didn't bother to come in. And the visitation party include a local cop who knows me, so I'm assuming they were where just putting a checkmark in the checkbox.  I changed over to a retirement extension this year simply because I got tired to filing out so much paperwork.  I haven't seen any immigration in our neighborhood and don't really expect to consider the I/Os at immigration know both my wife and myself on sight. 
So, nothing much to worry about.  Just a formality.

I had them come visit once in 11 years, and I am a business owner as well. They did seem eager to know about that part, I think mostly out of curiosity or politeness, but it was not the reason they were there. There were five of them, they sat down and had a bottle of water each, which we offered them voluntarily, they were very polite and friendly and they didn't ask for anything at all and went back to the office (or wherever they went). I'd normally be more worried about police than immigration, as long as everything is in order the Immigration officers will not ever be a problem. Police more often than not won't be either, but some of them walk around thinking they own the place/village they live in.

 

I'd say my encounter with Immigration officers coming to my house was an overall pleasant experience.

[grego49]

Up the 323 they are visiting all retirement and marriage extensions,a mate just had his visit of 5 officers for a marriage extension,same adress over 10 years,same wife and child that started out as a nipper now a teenager,wanted more pictures inside and outside of their house and meet the neighbors,same every year.

[Nyezhov]

I just had one, no problem at all:

 

 

[sandyf]

I did a retirement extension a few weeks back and for the first time they asked for a map, clue? About 10 days later they phoned up an said they would be doing a visit a few days later, my wife said that we would be away so they said they would ring back at another time. 

We live out in the sticks so they rung yesterday to check we would be there and came a couple of hours later. All very quick and straightforward, filled in a form and 2 photos, one of me with an IO and the other my wife and myself at the gate. They never spoke to anyone else, about 10 minutes max.

[samsensam]

thought i'd post and update on the immigration home visit, or not...

 

i was told to expect a visit in 2-3 days and not go far from my place, no problem. it's now been seven working days and i haven't had the visit. after five days i was fed up with hanging around at home so sent a polite sms to the IO at chengwattana saying it was five days and could they confirm what day they would visit. they haven't replied or visited.

 

i was speaking to the apartment building owner, who is also a lawyer, and she told me that all her paperwork to immigration and police regarding tenants is up to date, and in her experience immigration first do a check on this paperwork and if all looks ok they dont bother visiting. who knows?!

 

i've given up waiting around for a visit and will be getting on with my life in and outside bangkok, if immigration want to see me here i'm more than happy to oblige but they'll have to let me know in advance or risk missing me.

[user343434]

On 11/7/2018 at 10:49 AM, The Deerhunter said:

Usually retirement extensions do not get visits. I think it is the procedure only for marriage extensions.   Well I am pretty sure no-one I know in retirement has ever been visited.  It is usually to confirm that the marriage, relationship and address are all kosher.

Unfortunately you are wrong.

A female and male officer came 5 years ago, asked where my personal belongings (clothes) were stored, but didn't want to see them in the changing room because we would have to cross the bedroom,

made a Photo in front of the house showing the house number and one of our wedding photo on the living room wall,

they were very friendly apologized for have to do their duty.   

I was able to get hold of our Landlord which was much appreciated by her and another Photo of all together was taken. 

 

No drama for me and I understand their job has to be done.

 

If in Germany somebody lives on benefits and meets a new boyfriend/girlfriend who visits him/her often the Authorities are also coming if the catch wind of it...

...and the do not stop in front of the bedroom door, they even want to see Toothbrushes and underwear in the closet.. 

Edited April 20, 2019 by See Will

[ukrules]

4 hours ago, See Will said:

If in Germany somebody lives on benefits and meets a new boyfriend/girlfriend who visits him/her often the Authorities are also coming if the catch wind of it...

The difference here is there are no 'benefits' at all, only suspicion.