Refused entry at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi from London Heathrow with visa - help returning

[MarkyM3]

36 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

Ok but you said this “IIRC, issue them if you are not permanently employed. Which would rule them out forpeople who are self-employed” 

a Real Estate agent is self employed , I’m one.  Not here to fight. I do find it strange EVA does not have a non stop London to Taipei route as Taipei being their hub so I was just being creative. For all it’s  worth you would not be in any trouble with a third SETV with several months between each one. You are getting caught up in the hysteria of posts for sure. Sorry but you just don’t fit the rejection model. Too bad you can’t get an METV from any other UK consulate London sounds stricter than most but there are way more British here than anyone else it seems. So they may have too many to process. You seem to never have even one back to back SETV as well. I just think you are over thinking. But you must do this in others ways as well. Did UJ say you should not do three in one year with several month gaps in between? 

Perhaps you didn't read my follow-up comments after my initial post? (and like you, not here to fight either????). In those, I accepted Ubonjoe's correction to my original post about self employed. So yes, does seems they can get an METV from London as well as company employees. Still they are tighter than some other places due to that requirement as I say - some embassies issuing the METV do not require any employment evidence, just proof of money in bank.

 

Not sure if other consulates in the UK issue can issue visas now - I thought that most/all were now supposed to go through the London embassy now it is being done electronically but no doubt Ubonjoe or someone else could clarify? At one time, places like Hull Consulate were mega easy to get long term visas from (I never used those btw - I used to come on visa exempt then branched out into METVs in the last couple of years now I'm engaged to a Thai lady). 

 

EVA flies east from the UK so we overfly the Middle East, India etc. and into Thailand first. They change crew at BKK at fly on to Taipei about 2 hours later. The flight code is BR68. It basically doesn't make sense for EVA to fly direct to Taipei in this case. If coming from the USA, you come down via Taipei first and if continuing to Bangkok you would likely be using one of the flights continuing back to Europe (including London) after leaving Bangkok. I guess I could fly all the way through on BR68 i.e. from LHR to BKK to Taipei and just be a transit passenger at BKK so that's food for thought but it would require some stopover in Taipei. I like EVA because the prem econ is good and I get a free upgrade to business every 6 flights which is a pretty good deal.  Also got lounge accesss now which helps.

 

I asked Elvajero (I think) about SETVs and he thought I would be OK with 3 SETVs in one year but advised me to keep my fiancee's contact number to hand in case I got stopped. But given how many stamps I have in my passport now, the climate of fear does worry me a bit - if refused, you are put back on your return flight which in my case will be to London, hence why others are now recommending flying into a nearby country from Europe. In the case of someone coming from the US on EVA, you would be returned to Taipei - a whole lot less hassle ???? 

 

I am reasonably sure I will be OK on my next trip because I have been out of Thailand since end of May - was due back this month but can't due to health reasons. Planning to come in January for about 50 days on SETV, then further 2 similar trips. As I say, it just worries me a bit. If I get grilled in future then I'll look at plan B for future trips i.e. fly to Malaysia first.

 

I work in IT for a bank in the UK and can prove my salary history etc. but seems IOs are not interested in looking at evidence. 

 

Cheers. 

 

Edited October 25, 2019 by MarkyM3

[alex8912]

4 hours ago, MarkyM3 said:

Perhaps you didn't read my follow-up comments after my initial post? (and like you, not here to fight either????). In those, I accepted Ubonjoe's correction to my original post about self employed. So yes, does seems they can get an METV from London as well as company employees. Still they are tighter than some other places due to that requirement as I say - some embassies issuing the METV do not require any employment evidence, just proof of money in bank.

 

Not sure if other consulates in the UK issue can issue visas now - I thought that most/all were now supposed to go through the London embassy now it is being done electronically but no doubt Ubonjoe or someone else could clarify? At one time, places like Hull Consulate were mega easy to get long term visas from (I never used those btw - I used to come on visa exempt then branched out into METVs in the last couple of years now I'm engaged to a Thai lady). 

 

EVA flies east from the UK so we overfly the Middle East, India etc. and into Thailand first. They change crew at BKK at fly on to Taipei about 2 hours later. The flight code is BR68. It basically doesn't make sense for EVA to fly direct to Taipei in this case. If coming from the USA, you come down via Taipei first and if continuing to Bangkok you would likely be using one of the flights continuing back to Europe (including London) after leaving Bangkok. I guess I could fly all the way through on BR68 i.e. from LHR to BKK to Taipei and just be a transit passenger at BKK so that's food for thought but it would require some stopover in Taipei. I like EVA because the prem econ is good and I get a free upgrade to business every 6 flights which is a pretty good deal.  Also got lounge accesss now which helps.

 

I asked Elvajero (I think) about SETVs and he thought I would be OK with 3 SETVs in one year but advised me to keep my fiancee's contact number to hand in case I got stopped. But given how many stamps I have in my passport now, the climate of fear does worry me a bit - if refused, you are put back on your return flight which in my case will be to London, hence why others are now recommending flying into a nearby country from Europe. In the case of someone coming from the US on EVA, you would be returned to Taipei - a whole lot less hassle ???? 

 

I am reasonably sure I will be OK on my next trip because I have been out of Thailand since end of May - was due back this month but can't due to health reasons. Planning to come in January for about 50 days on SETV, then further 2 similar trips. As I say, it just worries me a bit. If I get grilled in future then I'll look at plan B for future trips i.e. fly to Malaysia first.

 

I work in IT for a bank in the UK and can prove my salary history etc. but seems IOs are not interested in looking at evidence. 

 

Cheers. 

 

Got it. You are totally fine and none of us really know how the handful of people being rejected present themselves etc. I’ve been doing an METV for 5 years now. Once a year and I’m here about 6 months + or minus. I decided to be less paranoid for my entry last week and it was a piece of cake! I’m going to post my last 8 year history soon on TVF because I am a strong believer that the METV was made for people like myself staying say 5 to 7 months a year in Thailand and repeating. There are some on here saying I’m not a tourist etc and some saying it was never meant for that but I strongly disagree. It’s called a 6 month multiple entry tourist visa. I have even had posts removed by some complainer for this which I find insulting. I think a lot of snowbirds do the same and I’d love to hear from them. I don’t see any reason whatsoever to seek any other visa for my history. An METV fits me like a glove. Cheers as well.  I hope you choose EVA in Jan lol. I also thought there were several city choices for this is England but I guess not. My first METV was in Boston. I made an appointment , showed up with some papers and MO for $200 we chit chatted a little  while she hand wrote out my visa and put my papers aside and I timed my entry and exit into Boston’s honorary consulate to be EXACTLY 9 minutes!! That was only in 2015. I can go to NYC now about a 4 hour drive and drop off papers and payment at Noon on a Monday and pick up my visa at 1:30pm on a Tuesday which I’ve done before but now I do it by mail and always get my visa back in 6-8 days. I do think it’s much easier in NYC than London still and I’m glad for that but I really miss being able to do it in Boston. I can still do a SETV same day there but it doesn’t fit my 6 months schedule and I have no interest in getting one single entry in a Boston and another in Asia. I like to come and go as I please from Thailand knowing each entry gives me a minimum 60 days. Good luck and if it’s worth anything I do firmly believe going to a male IO upon arrival is really great advise. Many have mentioned that. 

[bristolgeoff]

also they take your picture and your record will come up of visits.maybe away from bkk u do have a chance,but with fingerprints if they use now and face u could be refused still.they are getting tuff now that is what i have being told recently

[TaaSaparot]

Is it really true that they charge you 200 baht and hour to keep you in the detention centre if you appeal?

[Salerno]

On 10/25/2019 at 9:55 AM, donnacha said:

You get what you pay for. If you need a good gym & pool, and want to be in clean, pleasant, quiet environment away from budget tourists and their mental problems, roughly $1K per week is a not so much to pay.

If, by the time you hit your 40s, your assets are not generating enough to make that easily affordable, well, you have seriously mismanaged your finances. The world is awash with money these days, what is the point of slumming it?

Think you and the guys at TAT use the same math formulas 

[donnacha]

25 minutes ago, Salerno said:

Think you and the guys at TAT use the same math formulas 

I was responding to a member who stated that 4-star hotels are not used by travelers staying long-term in Thailand. My experience has been that people will often spend more money on accommodation if they have it and, these days, a lot of people do, particularly by the time they hit middle age.  

That does not mean anyone should be expected to do that. Some of my happiest days were spent in a 3K per month dorm in Chiang Mai, but my needs were simple and I was not trying to impress anyone.

[BuckBee]

On 10/26/2019 at 6:30 AM, bristolgeoff said:

also they take your picture and your record will come up of visits.maybe away from bkk u do have a chance,but with fingerprints if they use now and face u could be refused still.they are getting tuff now that is what i have being told recently

fingerprints and pictures make no difference as they get same history record purely from passport system history, all face recognition and fingerprint do is make it harder for someone else take the place of person the passport for .
The desk terminals do not show all history and that why still browse passports manually and unfortunately many IO's don't fully look at dates so some people get grief even if long gaps out country as IO's missed that .
When I got question at swampy it took them 20 minutes print out history and even then it was missing details and interpreted wrong, I had old passports and was able show missing entries on Visas and fact I out of country over 10 months .

Between the IT system and staff it a complete farce . I was very polite and middle aged female officer did have a brain so all got sorted, amazing thing too is had 4 officers involved at one point and between 4 of them english was impossible option, I speak thai but how people manage with poor english and poor or no thai is frightening thought lol .
It a very difficult country have problems in, great fun when running smoothly but issues can turn into nightmares in less than 30 minutes in land of smiles hiding incompetence and ignorance .

Edited October 27, 2019 by BuckBee

[BritTim]

On 10/26/2019 at 7:47 AM, alex8912 said:

I am a strong believer that the METV was made for people like myself staying say 5 to 7 months a year in Thailand and repeating. There are some on here saying I’m not a tourist etc and some saying it was never meant for that but I strongly disagree.

I believe at the time the METV was introduced, people such as yourself were viewed as one of the use cases, against the wishes of a minority of senior immigration officials. Today, while there remains disagreements within Immigration, support for long stay tourists has declined, and senior officials at some entry points are feeling justified in denying entry to long term tourists. Their actions do not accord with the spirit of the current laws, but it is unwise to ignore the reality that does exist. Long term tourists on METVs can continue to spend extended periods in Thailand until they hit the wrong officials at the wrong entry point at the wrong time.

 

I hope your luck holds, as I do not think you are doing anything against Thailand's interests.

[alex8912]

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

I believe at the time the METV was introduced, people such as yourself were viewed as one of the use cases, against the wishes of a minority of senior immigration officials. Today, while there remains disagreements within Immigration, support for long stay tourists has declined, and senior officials at some entry points are feeling justified in denying entry to long term tourists. Their actions do not accord with the spirit of the current laws, but it is unwise to ignore the reality that does exist. Long term tourists on METVs can continue to spend extended periods in Thailand until they hit the wrong officials at the wrong entry point at the wrong time.

 

I hope your luck holds, as I do not think you are doing anything against Thailand's interests.

Ok thanks. I just haven’t seen someone who consistently stays out of Thailand 5-7 months and consistently stays in ( of course  with a visa trip or two ) 5-7 months year after year denied yet. Every person I’ve seen on TVF who says they were just out say 5 months even and denied ALWAYS has a history going back 2-3-4-5 years etc with a VERY different entry history. I’m not bragging or anything but if I was ever denied with my entry history I would be able to go over my entire history ( not with the IO I meet at airport ) but with  someone higher up and be allowed to enter. I’m quite positive about this. On the other hand even the IO I meet should not see my about 6 months in and 6 months out ( approximately) as “ spending too much time “ as tourist in Thailand. With an METV , not SETV.  There are just a handful of “experts” on here that disagree with me but NEVER have I seen my type of entry’s year after year denied. A triple entry visa was replaced with a METV. I firmly stand by about six months in and six months out year after year is just fine. I would be interested in your comment on this. And I’ll post my 8 year history on a thread here soon I’ve just been lazy. Thanks for your post. 

[TaaSaparot]

15 hours ago, BuckBee said:

fingerprints and pictures make no difference as they get same history record purely from passport system history

But how can they do this, when every time you get a new passport, its a new number?

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, TaaSaparot said:

But how can they do this, when every time you get a new passport, its a new number?

By cross referencing name, date of birth and nationality.