Surprising phone call by immigration officer

[thecaveman]

My next 90 days report will be due on December 25th.

 

Today I received a phone call by a person, who identified herself as an immigration officer at the local immigration buereau. She asked me very politely if I could show up at the immigration bureau tomorrow in order to do my 90 days report more than a week earlier than it's due date.

 

Has anybody ever had a request like that and what could possibly be the reason?

Edited December 16, 2019 by thecaveman

[ubonjoe]

I have never heard of that being done. Seems very strange.

I cannot imagine why it would be requested.

[thecaveman]

Thx Joe!

 

Yes, it seems very strange to me too. I will do the report tomorrow (no big deal). Perhaps she will tell me the reason tomorrow. 

 

Perhaps she called me only in order to remind me and the real meaning of "can you come tomorrow?" was "the time frame for your next report is open already".

Edited December 16, 2019 by thecaveman

[AlexRich]

Immigration Xmas party ... they are just offloading the client list.

[thecaveman]

2 minutes ago, AlexRich said:

 ... they are just offloading the client list.

That's usually a very short list here in Mukdahan. I have rarely seen more than 2 or maximum 3 other clients in the waiting room. Many times I was the only one. 

[NE1]

Make sure your house doesn't get robbed while you are away .

Cynical I know.  But if somebody I don't know invites me to be away from my house on a specific date , I become suspicious.

[elviajero]

51 minutes ago, thecaveman said:

Has anybody ever had a request like that and what could possibly be the reason?

Never. Probably just a curtesy call as a reminder.  

[KhaoNiaw]

I did my 90-day report online for CW a couple of weeks ago and got a call from a very polite lady telling me that I'd missed out one box on the form. She told me she would reset it and asked me to submit it again. No complaints about immigration from me!

 

[FarFlungFalang]

Might be part of the be nice to falangs as we need their money plan mentioned previously.

[MeePeeMai]

1 hour ago, thecaveman said:

what could possibly be the reason?

 

Got any warrants in your home country, are you possibly on Interpol's Red List? ... if so, they might have a welcoming party there waiting for you complete with banners, billboard, photographer and numerous Officer's for the photos which will make the rounds after the party is over.  555 Good luck!!

[moontang]

1 hour ago, MeePeeMai said:

 

Got any warrants in your home country, are you possibly on Interpol's Red List? ... if so, they might have a welcoming party there waiting for you complete with banners, billboard, photographer and numerous Officer's for the photos which will make the rounds after the party is over.  555 Good luck!!

They did that in DC more than once...Had an event at the convention center for all the winners of 500 dollar prizes...got 300 felons, the first time.

[tonray]

1 hour ago, moontang said:

They did that in DC more than once...Had an event at the convention center for all the winners of 500 dollar prizes...got 300 felons, the first time.

Only 300 ? 535 total Members of Congress and only 300 showed..ha ha

[Banana7]

Whenever a competent official calls, always ask for their full name, their job title, phone number, department within the office and badge number.

 

As previously stated, it could be a set-up for a burglary. It has happened to many.

[sunnyboy2018]

16 hours ago, NE1 said:

Make sure your house doesn't get robbed while you are away .

Cynical I know.  But if somebody I don't know invites me to be away from my house on a specific date , I become suspicious.

Good point

[jacko45k]

8 minutes ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

Good point

Yeah, don't post the fact you will be away to all and sundry. Like Tamara Ecclestone. 

[Sumarianson]

Ring the IO and ask. Simple.

[jingjai9]

I had this  happen to me but not over the 90 day report. I was in the middle of teaching a class and I got a call. I did not answer the call, I rejected it. A minute later I got the call again so I answered. It was immigration and they wanted to know where I lived. They actually came to my school and took a picture of me and my passport and work permit. One of the senior officials at my work knew the immigration officer and chided him for scaring the forieign teachers. We learned we had just gotten a new head officer at our local immigration office and she was checking  on foreigners to make sure they were none overstaying or undesirables as she wanted to start off clean and firm. 

 

The immigration officer who came to my school I had seen before when doing my 90 day report.

[petedk]

10 minutes ago, jingjai9 said:

I had this  happen to me but not over the 90 day report. I was in the middle of teaching a class and I got a call. I did not answer the call, I rejected it. A minute later I got the call again so I answered. It was immigration and they wanted to know where I lived. They actually came to my school and took a picture of me and my passport and work permit. One of the senior officials at my work knew the immigration officer and chided him for scaring the forieign teachers. We learned we had just gotten a new head officer at our local immigration office and she was checking  on foreigners to make sure they were none overstaying or undesirables as she wanted to start off clean and firm. 

 

The immigration officer who came to my school I had seen before when doing my 90 day report.

Strange really.

 

If they had your phone number, then they also had all details of your Visa and 90 day report in their database.

 

Maybe just need a photo to show they were checking foreigners. Easier to find someone in the database than randomly check schools.

[Caldera]

I have an easy solution for any kind of unsolicited call: I never answer my phone, unless the number is one of my contacts.

 

It has served me well. In the rare event that anyone else has anything important to bring to my attention, they can send an SMS to suggest that I call back. Or call an acquaintance of mine.

 

That's not primarily to fob off immigration officers and other criminals. Too many people simply have the wrong number or want to sell some crappola.

[shady86]

You must be super lucky, normally nobody from immigration bothers to pick up phone calls so getting a phone call is a miracle!

[tom in bangkok]

OP what happened? Did you go today?

[Beerburi]

Got the same call from Mukdahan Imm two weeks ago. Wanted me to come a week early for my 90 day report so she could show me how to do it online. All went smoothly and nobody broke into my home while I was away????

[thecaveman]

39 minutes ago, Beerburi said:

Wanted me to come a week early for my 90 day report so she could show me how to do it online. All went smoothly

That's exactly what happened to me today. The person, who had called me, is not an officer but a (probably a little bit over enthusiastic) trainee. She answered my question by telling me, that she wanted to explain how to do the 90 days report online next time.

 

Then she said: "It's Christmas time so we have a little present for you" and gave me a chocolate bar and a pen.

 

Everything went very smoothly (as usual) and the whole process was completed within less than 5 minutes. 

 

  

[memooz]

I had an experience more complicated than that. Received a phone call mid. November, she told me that my 90 days report was in 3 days time, which was not true, it was on December, though I was overseas and returned Thailand on early November ; so my 90 day report stretched to early Feb. She doesnt have any clue where we are and our movements. This shows that computer contact from to Airport and Immig office is LOST. This experience was at Mukdahan.

[ICELANDMAN]

2 hours ago, Caldera said:

I have an easy solution for any kind of unsolicited call: I never answer my phone, unless the number is one of my contacts.

 

It has served me well. In the rare event that anyone else has anything important to bring to my attention, they can send an SMS to suggest that I call back. Or call an acquaintance of mine.

 

That's not primarily to fob off immigration officers and other criminals. Too many people simply have the wrong number or want to sell some crappola.

 

I also use the same technique but I don't know why my girlfriend always rushes to answer my phone????

 

[JHolmesJr]

3 minutes ago, ICELANDMAN said:

I don't know why my girlfriend always rushes to answer my phone????

 

Really?

[NoshowJones]

21 hours ago, elviajero said:

Never. Probably just a curtesy call as a reminder.  

What I would like to know is will the next 90 days start as the OP says, tomorrow when he reports, or will it start from the day next week when he is supposed to do his report?

[Chazar]

wow, you  must be very handsome!

[Mansell]

I moved to a new house and told my landlady to go and register me so she didn’t get fined....I planned to go in later that day to register new address.....I got a call from Immigration telling me I don’t have to come as it’s all taken care of. Appreciated that as it saved me a journey. Did my 90 day a month a later and everything was kosher. In fact you used to have to fill out a page before for 90 day, this time it was just a slip with my address....very nice.

[NoshowJones]

11 hours ago, Banana7 said:

Whenever a competent official calls, always ask for their full name, their job title, phone number, department within the office and badge number.

 

As previously stated, it could be a set-up for a burglary. It has happened to many.

I wonder if the OP lives alone and it is well known.