Do immigration offices vary in services they provide?

Is every immigration office fully featured in regards of issuance different kinds of visas and extensions?

How in general, an office in the sticks would compare to a more populous or urban area?

 

Edited July 14, 20205 yr by unheard

Immigration offices have a certain degree of autonomy. In principle, they are governed by instructions they are given, but often have some official discretion and (depending on how well connected the senior official at the office is) may well have more extensive unofficial discretion.

 

Different offices, and different individual officials, can vary greatly in their attitudes to applicants. They can be really friendly (especially if you are polite and agreeable) or downright hostile. Some will be reluctant to do anything without you submitting to corrupt practices.

 

For many services, there is sign off required at the regional headquarters (there are five regions). The top brass of these regions have extensive control over the services requiring their sign off. They can mandate conditions that prevent those services being provided without agent assisted processes. Thus, for instance, you may find that conversion from expired visa exempt entries to retirement visas is possible at offices in some regions, but require a hefty bribe using agent intermediaries in other regions.

 

You cannot predict the attitude of offices based on their location. All you can say is that, generally, you will find more English spoken at offices that deal with many foreigners.

Someone has mentioned the other day that the smallest, in the sticks, offices don't offer the full range of services, e.g. extensions based on marriage.

As far as I know, that is incorrect...

Can you confirm?

2 hours ago, unheard said:

Someone has mentioned the other day that the smallest, in the sticks, offices don't offer the full range of services, e.g. extensions based on marriage.

As far as I know, that is incorrect...

Can you confirm?

As far as I know, all offices can provide extensions based on marriage (with confirmation from the regional headquarters). In the past, certain services were not available at smaller offices. An example was the conversion from tourist entries to Non Immigrant visas allowed for certain reasons. Possibly, that may be true for some obscure reasons today, but I am not aware of any.

6 hours ago, unheard said:

As far as I know, that is incorrect...

It is incorrect for provincial offices. They can all offer every service.

There are few sub offices such as Patong in Phuket that only do certain services such as 90 report and etc.

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

It is incorrect for provincial offices. They can all offer every service.

There are few sub offices such as Patong in Phuket that only do certain services such as 90 report and etc.

Could you please point me to a list of sub offices if available?

Particularly in the North.

36 minutes ago, unheard said:

Could you please point me to a list of sub offices if available?

Particularly in the North.

There is not list of them.

I think the office in Chiang Rai city functions as a sub office of Mae Sai. But does extensions and non immigrant visas on certain days. I am not aware of any others in the North of the country.

In Chiang Rai there is one more, in a city called "Chiang Saen", i don't know what services they provide, but in Google reviews somebody wrote he did a 90 day report there:

http://chiangsaen.immigration.go.th/index.php/th-th/

 

Afaik all other northern provinces have just one immigration office.

Edited July 15, 20205 yr by jackdd

Yet to find one that does a soapy massage.

6 minutes ago, Krataiboy said:

Yet to find one that does a soapy massage.

Do your 90 day report while you get a soapy massage ... could be good ...

 

8 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

There is not list of them.

I think the office in Chiang Rai city functions as a sub office of Mae Sai. But does extensions and non immigrant visas on certain days. I am not aware of any others in the North of the country.

Joe,

 

You are correct.  In Chiang Rai city they only do extensions on Mondays and Wednesdays.  When I switched my tourist visa I could not do it in the city.  I needed to go to Mae Sai, which does everything.