It finally happened! Denied entry at BKK on METV

[jackdd]

7 minutes ago, Mattd said:

They didn't, he was denied for having no appropriate means of supporting himself in the country, which is immigration speak for "we think you are working here"

The reason stamped in his passport actually translates to: Doesn't have basic needs. Or to simplify it: He is impoverished.

This reason is just abused by immigration to deny people who they suspect of working even though they have zero evidence.

[moe666]

New passport didn't work, probably a red flag now. They have all this information on computer now believe it or not. A while back at immigration I got a view of my record on computer it is all there boys, entries, departures, extensions and 90 day reports. That is why the new passport thing doesn't work any more unless the IO is in a I do not care moment

[sillyfool]

8 hours ago, sanemax said:

Why have you been going to Thailand so often ?

this crucial question was not answered by the op i don't think. is the op willing to talk about why they are really coming to thailand so often ? being from canada there are loads of other places the op could travel to. which in 2019 are a far better value for a canadian tourist. why fly half way around the world for a holiday over and over ? the flight from canada to thailand is killer. the total flight time alone is 19 hours. 

 

it must be for the poutine. 

 

 

[Tayaout]

3 minutes ago, sillyfool said:

it must be for the poutine. 

You would fly anywhere warm if you ever survived a canadian winter. 

Edited September 26, 2019 by Tayaout

[Mattd]

32 minutes ago, jackdd said:

The reason stamped in his passport actually translates to: Doesn't have basic needs. Or to simplify it: He is impoverished.

This reason is just abused by immigration to deny people who they suspect of working even though they have zero evidence.

Exactly, it is their way of saying we think you work here but cannot prove it.

As I said, you can see the reasoning, a young bloke who is spending large amounts of time in Thailand, how is he supporting himself etc. 

As far as immigration are concerned, the means to stay in Thailand in cases such as this is provided for by the Elite program, I am not saying this is right or wrong, but you can see the logic.

 

To add to this, the pattern of denials are mostly visitors who make serial visits to Thailand and are under the age of 50.

Edited September 26, 2019 by Mattd

[sillyfool]

9 minutes ago, Tayaout said:

You would fly anywhere warm if you ever survived a canadian winter. 

so my house in eastern ontario won't help much then ? i put 2 new wood stoves in it before i rented. hope the tenant can survive this winter thing you speak of. 

eh.

[Tayaout]

1 minute ago, sillyfool said:

so my house in eastern ontario won't help much then ? i put 2 new wood stoves in it before i rented. hope the tenant can survive this winter thing you speak of. 

eh.

I actually enjoy the Canadian winter but not 6 months. ????

[sillyfool]

Just now, Tayaout said:

I actually enjoy the Canadian winter but not 6 months. ????

come plow my driveway then. it's huge but my guy takes treats as part of the payment. 

[ChipButty]

2 hours ago, BritTim said:

If they believe Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff in embassies are issuing visas improperly, they should take it up with the MFA. It is just not reasonable that they override the decision of the embassy to issue the visa, and simply state that you are denied entry because you should not have been issued that visa. That is really precisely what they are doing.

That exactly what happened to my friend, he went to the embassy in Australia and asked whats the best visa for a couple of months stay, nope wrong visa, fined 4000 Baht

[bbi1]

8 hours ago, mduras01 said:

Seems like brand new passports don’t help anymore.

What about a passport from a 2nd country where you are a dual citizen (eg. in the EU) and hold two passports?

[bbi1]

7 hours ago, jsmith22 said:

I'm 31. It was a man in the booth but he quickly summoned his supervisor who brought me to the table with 3 women.

Was the IO man young or old, had glasses, or any other distinguishing features so others here may try to avoid queueing up in that line when they enter?

[bbi1]

3 hours ago, stevenl said:

They do want him here, but on the right visa. People living here should be on non-immigrant, not on tourist visa.

Please explain which non-immigrant visa is suitable for a person under 50, isn't married to a Thai, doesn't work in a company here and only stays here for long-term holidaying?

[Mattd]

1 minute ago, bbi1 said:

Please explain which non-immigrant visa is suitable for a person under 50, isn't married to a Thai, doesn't work in a company here and only stays here for long-term holidaying?

The only options are the Elite program, an ED or an investment visa.

[bbi1]

9 hours ago, elviajero said:

It looks like you were denied under section 12.2. That is for not having the appropriate means of living in the country.

 

Having 20K satisfies 12.9 and doesn't stop you being denied under 12.2.

 

You are not banned.

 

You could try again, but given your history you have a high chance of being denied again.

Would it help the OP if he had a Thai gf and if she was waiting at the airport to pick him up?

[jackdd]

3 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

Would it help the OP if he had a Thai gf and if she was waiting at the airport to pick him up?

If the Thai GF's father would an IO or a high ranking government official and willing to help then maybe yes.

[donnacha]

6 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

Would it help the OP if he had a Thai gf and if she was waiting at the airport to pick him up?

Quite the opposite, especially if female IO's are involved.

[Nyezhov]

3 hours ago, Tayaout said:

The requirement for METV are pretty steep including proving you have a job in your home country so it can be surprising to get denied entry after getting this kind of visa.

Im under the impression that a retired person can get an METV.

 

Not that it matters to me, I just write a letter confirming I have a job LOL

[bbi1]

7 minutes ago, donnacha said:

Quite the opposite, especially if female IO's are involved.

Because they'd be jealous they can't get a foreigner bf? lol

[BestB]

As mentioned a few times already , new passport is of no help any longer as immigration have records in addition to biometrics. 

 

I guess paying 2000 baht was a wiser choice to be able to go to neighboring country and cross over land instead of paying 30000 to fly back home . 

[donnacha]

21 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

What about a passport from a 2nd country where you are a dual citizen (eg. in the EU) and hold two passports?

That worked great for a long time, right up until earlier this year, but some claim that the new computer system has ended that loophole.

I'm not so sure, that is true - a lot of members here will state, as a fact, their guess about how they feel something should work - but I would be interested in hearing from members who do alternate their passports. Are IOs now querying this? Does it seem to alarm them? Or do they accept that using different passports is legitimate and base their decisions on the combined record?

[BestB]

1 minute ago, donnacha said:

That worked great for a long time, right up until earlier this year, but some claim that the new computer system has ended that loophole.

I'm not so sure, that is true - a lot of members here will state, as a fact, their guess about how they feel something should work - but I would be interested in hearing from members who do alternate their passports. Are IOs now querying this? Does it seem to alarm them? Or do they accept that using different passports is legitimate and base their decisions on the combined record?

In theory it should work but biometrics would pick it up I would guess as data on both passports would be the same , so as the fingerprints 

[bbi1]

1 minute ago, donnacha said:

That worked great for a long time, right up until earlier this year, but some claim that the new computer system has ended that loophole.

I'm not so sure, that is true - a lot of members here will state, as a fact, their guess about how they feel something should work - but I would be interested in hearing from members who do alternate their passports. Are IOs now querying this? Does it seem to alarm them? Or do they accept that using different passports is legitimate and base their decisions on the combined record?

I'd be interested in hearing that too by members here with dual citizenships & passports who do alternate it. Any issues with the IO when arriving? Does it help with the METV situation?

[donnacha]

2 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

Because they'd be jealous they can't get a foreigner bf? lol

Nope. Part of the current trend against westerners is driven by a feeling that we are taking advantage of Thai woman. Now that they have all our money, this is considered to be shameful, an embarrassment to the nation.

Young male IO's refuse westerners because it gives them a sense of power.

Older male IO's refuse westerners because they hope to get a bribe, or have a hangover.

Female IO's just hate us.

[bbi1]

2 minutes ago, donnacha said:

Nope. Part of the current trend against westerners is driven by a feeling that we are taking advantage of Thai woman. Now that they have all our money, this is considered to be shameful, an embarrassment to the nation.

Young male IO's refuse westerners because it gives them a sense of power.

Older male IO's refuse westerners because they hope to get a bribe, or have a hangover.

Female IO's just hate us.

So being an asian on multiple METV's but holding a western passport gives a good chance of not getting rejected as opposed to being a westerner?

[donnacha]

3 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

Any issues with the IO when arriving?

If the new computer system cross references ALL names and dates of birth against ALL other entry records for passports of ALL other nationalities, yes, they will get a match and may well query why you are travel on passports from different countries. It is entirely legal to do so, and accepted by pretty much all countries but, then again, T.I.T, in the current climate it could cause them to view you with more suspicion.

Personally, I have my doubts about whether they are throwing that much computing power at each entry, which is why I would like to hear from anyone with first-hand experience over the past six months.

 

8 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

Does it help with the METV situation?

It removed the need to get METVs. You could simply alternate between passports indefinitely, staying 89 days on an SETV and then flying out to get an SETV on the other one.

[Old Croc]

3 hours ago, Tayaout said:

Some wealthy people prefer to invest their money instead and take the risk. The requirement for METV are pretty steep including proving you have a job in your home country so it can be surprising to get denied entry after getting this kind of visa. The reason he was denied is not because he did anything wrong. He was denied because they asked for a bride and if he paid he would have been through without issues. This is Thailand and it can be unsettling paying a bride when coming from a country where you would get jailed doing so. 

A very funny malapropism in that post!

 

He was not denied because they asked for a "bribe" that he refused to pay.

The refused entry action had already been decided at that stage, read the OP again.

He was refused because, as a relatively young man, he was spending an inordinate amount of time in a country where he was forbidden to work on the visas he has held.  As he did not give proof of independent wealth (apart from the blazer), it can be reasonably assumed he must be working illegally or involved in some nefarious activity. 

Possibly unlucky to get singled out at the airport, but his thread title "It finally happened..." indicates he was aware his actions may come to notice at some stage.

Some advice for the OP,

paying bribes in a country where it is the norm can be advantageous even if it goes against the grain.

and, when discussing your situation on what you think is an anonymous forum, it is a good idea to not post a pic showing your passport number, as it does identify you to Immigration.  (there is probably a case number on that stamp anyway)

Edited September 26, 2019 by Old Croc

[donnacha]

7 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

So being an asian on multiple METV's but holding a western passport gives a good chance of not getting rejected as opposed to being a westerner?

No, increased chance of being rejected, but for different reasons.

[Langkawee]

While there are nice Thai people. Ive been fortunate to meet some . However generally farang is the scapegoat for all Thailand's ills and we farang get the brunt of it. Try the Philippines. Immigration officers respect the law and the people are so warm there. It may come a surprise to you, but, you don't need Thailand and they certainly prefer their own. 

Edited September 26, 2019 by Langkawee

[Chivas]

9 hours ago, mduras01 said:

Seems like brand new passports don’t help anymore.

Why on earth would they lol !

[bbi1]

16 minutes ago, donnacha said:

No, increased chance of being rejected, but for different reasons.

Why? They are more racist against asians with western passports than westerners with western passports?