Immigration and Embassy's now have shared Database

[Lovethailandelite]

34 seconds onward's, second news Bulletin. This is the database which will be used for future online visa applications. The days of swapping passports and the ability to hide your visa history at Embassy's and consulates are coming to an end.
 

 

[BritTim]

An interesting report. It does not actually explain exactly which data is to be shared. Specifics, worryingly, seem to refer to tax information. I really hope Thailand is not going to crack down in that area. That would be a hassle that would dwarf any respite from eliminating 90-day reporting.

[elviajero]

Some positive changes.

[AbeSurd]

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

An interesting report. It does not actually explain exactly which data is to be shared. Specifics, worryingly, seem to refer to tax information. I really hope Thailand is not going to crack down in that area. That would be a hassle that would dwarf any respite from eliminating 90-day reporting.

On the basis of that report...

For some of the faint-hearted, the thread headline really should say 'Thai Immigration and Thai Embassies now have shared database'.

For others of the faint-hearted, you only have to bear in mind the sharing of tax info if you have a Thai work permit.

 

[onera1961]

The long waited elimination of 90-day reporting is coming to an end. I hate the 90-day reporting.

[humbug]

bluster comes to mind, the aussies have a deep searching database which can even look into financial transactions, i doubt the system here is anywhere close, but once again they keep dangling the end of reporting as some positive but lurking in the background will be plenty of negatives. Nothing to be trusted from this second hand car salesman in uniform

[chassa70]

I just wish the Australian Embassy and Centrelink ( Govt. pensions) had a shared database then there would be no doubt about where my pension came from.

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, onera1961 said:

The long waited elimination of 90-day reporting is coming to an end. I hate the 90-day reporting.

I would not hold my breath wait for that to happen because the immigration act will have to be amended which has not been done since it was issued about 40 years ago.

[wobalt]

Data protection laws?


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[monkeycu]

I cant see why they cant, Centerlink are matched to all banks and immigration,

They know the time and date you enter Aus and leave

[wobalt]

Possibly not in Europe


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[wgdanson]

1 hour ago, onera1961 said:

The long waited elimination of 90-day reporting is coming to an end. I hate the 90-day reporting.

At least it's only every 90 days, four times a year.

[wgdanson]

They cannot connect the databases for Road Offences and Road Tax, so how will this happen? Oh yes, Windows has a new update coming in April.   LOL

[wgdanson]

6 minutes ago, monkeycu said:

I cant see why they cant, Centerlink are matched to all banks and immigration,

They know the time and date you enter Aus and leave

That's Aus. TIT.

[vinegarbase]

What does it matter when the embassies and consulates just do what they want anyways? How many have been to certain embassies just to be told no regardless of it being legal by Thai immigration law. The law is what they say it is regardless of a shared database.

[wobalt]

What are we are talking about here ? Thai embassies and thai immigration? How they have done this before?


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[mokwit]

36 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I would not hold my breath wait for that to happen because the immigration act will have to be amended which has not been done since it was issued about 40 years ago.

I would have thought that would be a reason to update it BJ has specifically brought up the issue that it is 40 yrs old. World has changed, 40 years ago half of Africa, Middle East and Indian subcontinent were not on the move.

[ubonjoe]

3 hours ago, mokwit said:

I would have thought that would be a reason to update it BJ has specifically brought up the issue that it is 40 yrs old. World has changed, 40 years ago half of Africa, Middle East and Indian subcontinent were not on the move.

I am sure it has been tried before but it got blocked by the bureaucrats at the affected ministries in Bangkok.

It is not just the 90 day reporting that needs to be changed. There are several sections of it that need to be brought up to date or eliminated.

[Essecola]

They also said double entry SETVs are coming back, never happened

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, Essecola said:

They also said double entry SETVs are coming back, never happened

That would not be needed if they would just change the requirements for the multiple entry tourist visa. Allow them to be issued anywhere, take out the proof of employment and reduce the financial requirements would be enough.

[NanLaew]

49 minutes ago, wobalt said:

What are we are talking about here ? Thai embassies and thai immigration? How they have done this before?


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They haven't.

[Lovethailandelite]

The onus is being taken away from individual Embassy's to issue visas. The 'system' as in the case of London from the 1st April will say 'yes' or 'no' before you even turn in your hard copy of documents based on previous visa and Thai immigration history held in the shared database.

[JackThompson]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

That would not be needed if they would just change the requirements for the multiple entry tourist visa. Allow them to be issued anywhere, take out the proof of employment and reduce the financial requirements would be enough.

The financials were the only part of that application-process which made any sense, from a practical standpoint.  The wanted the "riff-raff" out - ok, fine.  But, given that vetting, no one with a METV should ever face problems entering the country based on money-issues.  Yet, some entry-points arbitrarily deny entry to METV holders - claiming they cannot fund their stay - so asking for financials on application do not seem to serve a useful purpose.

 

18 minutes ago, Lovethailandelite said:

The onus is being taken away from individual Embassy's to issue visas. The 'system' as in the case of London from the 1st April will say 'yes' or 'no' before you even turn in your hard copy of documents based on previous visa and Thai immigration history held in the shared database.

Have they decided what the "yes/no" rules are, and/or do they plan to publish those, so everyone can plan to cooperate/abide accordingly? 

 

Hopefully, they will also issue a financial-outlook result, which shows how their new rules/system will minimize the often arbitrary denials for visas which currently occur (Phnom Penh, recently, as a good example), and thus will lower "false-positive" rejections, to maximize income from self-funded expat-visitor spending.

[ubonjoe]

13 minutes ago, Lovethailandelite said:

The onus is being taken away from individual Embassy's to issue visas.

I think the embassy or consulate will still be doing the approval of the application. You have to remember immigration and embassies are not under the same ministry.

 

13 minutes ago, Lovethailandelite said:

The 'system' as in the case of London from the 1st April will say 'yes' or 'no' before you even turn in your hard copy of documents based on previous visa and Thai immigration history held in the shared database.

The system will be similar to what the Singapore embassy is doing already. You apply online and they give a preapproval of the application.

I think the embassies will only be able to confirm you are not blacklisted from entering the country or have flag on the system that could result in denial of entry.

[overherebc]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

I am sure it has been tried before but it got blocked by the bureaucrats at the affected ministries in Bangkok.

It is not just the 90 day reporting that needs to be changed. There are several sections of it that need to be brought up to date or eliminated.

Dropping 90 day reports would be a very welcome change on it's own for now.

[Boon Mee]

3 hours ago, wgdanson said:

At least it's only every 90 days, four times a year.

And it's really not that big of a hassle. 

Sukhumvit farangs for example need only to mosey over to Bumrungrad Hospital and for a small fee, a service there will take the passport out to Chang Wattana and return it. 

[wgdanson]

8 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

And it's really not that big of a hassle. 

Sukhumvit farangs for example need only to mosey over to Bumrungrad Hospital and for a small fee, a service there will take the passport out to Chang Wattana and return it. 

Or it can be done online........most of the time.

[Lovethailandelite]

Just now, ubonjoe said:

I think the embassy or consulate will still be doing the approval of the application. You have to remember immigration and embassies are not under the same ministry.

 

The system will be similar to what the Singapore embassy is doing already. You apply online and they give a preapproval of the application.

I think the embassies will only be able to confirm you are not blacklisted from entering the country or have flag on the system that could result in denial of entry.

According to London and other sources, the application is approved or not via the linked database in Bangkok. The MFA and Immigration are now data sharing. There was a news briefing yesterday confirming the same. If you remember, this was ordered to happen around 18 months ago by the current PM that the 2 ministry's had to work together. 
If you see the tutorial, you will be able to apply anywhere in the world in the online system, then make a booking anywhere in the world to turn in the hard copies and collect the visa. Once your application is approved, the approval simply sits on the system until you have made the booking for the next stage. The plan is to have all Embassy's on the system by the end of 2020. I would guess that's easily doable now the system is built. It's simply a case of installing software on local computer terminals, and going online.

[farangx]

15 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I think the embassies will only be able to confirm you are not blacklisted from entering the country or have flag on the system that could result in denial of entry.

To control border runs.

 

[farangx]

3 minutes ago, Lovethailandelite said:

If you see the tutorial, you will be able to apply anywhere in the world in the online system, then make a booking anywhere in the world to turn in the hard copies and collect the visa. Once your application is approved, the approval simply sits on the system until you have made the booking for the next stage. The plan is to have all Embassy's on the system by the end of 2020. I would guess that's easily doable now the system is built. It's simply a case of installing software on local computer terminals, and going online.

I used to be able to get a 1 year ME non-0 in oz with 10K in a foreign bank (without seasoning) in just over an hour, I suspect then they weren't linked.

 

If this online system is in place, it can simplify things.