CW Monday Oct 12 - Non O - Extension of Stay Based on Marriage

[Jake72]

I applied for a 12 months extension of stay based on marriage on Sept 14, as I didn't think there would be any additional extension of the amnesty and I wasn't ready to risk everything going any closer to the Sept 26 deadline. Back then I left with the "Under Consideration" stamp and told to come back today (Oct 12). 

 

Considering the circumstances (covid, amnesty and all) I didn't expect there would be much people at CW today, but I was very wrong, it was absolutely packed. I arrived at around 10:30 AM and wasn't finished until 3:30 PM (including the 1 hour lunch break). I think that's the longest I've ever spent at CW. 

 

I had 2 minor issues, I was told when I got the "under consideration" stamp that I just had to bring my passport and my updated bank book, however they do require a transaction on the same day, my last transaction was 2 days ago from the 10/10 sale, and they also wanted copies of the bank book. This did however only cause a 10 minute delay as all the banks are available on the floor below.

 

A slightly unusual detail is that I got 2 extensions of stay at the same time, first one until 26 Sept 2021 as expected, but they had me fill out an additional form for an extra month, so I got another extension until 31 Oct 2021, both are stamped in my passport and signed.

 

My next 90 days report is Dec 11.

 

Anyway, just thought I'd share for anyone wondering what CW is like these days.

 

Cheers,

Jake

[Pib]

 

Yeap...ditto for me today at CW....got the full year "plus" stamp today.  By plus, I mean although I applied for a change from retirement to marriage on 15 Sep 2020 at CW which was several weeks before my retirement extension was would expire after 2 Oct, I was expecting the marriage extension approval to be good thru 14 Sep 2021. 

 

Normally it would have been to 2 Oct if I was doing another "retirement" extension (i.e., you don't lose any time by applying for renewal early) but "when changing the reason for extension" (i.e., retirement to marriage) which I was doing then the application date will be the start date once approved.  So, I was expecting a final approval stamp good from 15 Sep 2020 thru 14 Sep 2021.  However, what I got was different. 

 

When first showing up at CW and showing the under-consideration stamp in my passport which said come back on 12 Oct (today) for the hopeful final approval stamp, I was first asked to sign a form saying the govt was going to extend me to 31 Oct 2021.  The immigration officer told me that in English and it said the same thing on the form I had to sign.  Pretty much everyone was being told the sign the same form....that is, all of us showing up for our final approval stamp....I'm assuming the great bulk of us were there for the marriage extension approval stamp as most everyone queuing were couples....but I went alone as the Thai spouse does not have to show-up for the final approval stamp.

 

Signed the form...was told to wait one hour.....a little over an hour latter I was given my passport back with "two", repeat, two approval stamps. First stamp was dated today/12 Oct and said I was permitted to stay until 26 Sep 2021.  And then right below that stamp is another stamp dated today/12 Oct and said I was permitted to stay until 31 Oct 2021.

 

So, I did not lose any time off my current extension by undergoing this retirement to marriage extension and due to amnesty policies regarding visas/extensions I ended up actually getting a 12 month, 29 day extension referenced to my retirement extension which expired close of business 2 Oct 2020.

 

 

[RotBenz8888]

Did you have any immigration officers visiting you in your home, during the consideration period? 

[Jake72]

4 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

Did you have any immigration officers visiting you in your home, during the consideration period? 

No home visit for me, I guess they either didn't find it necessary as we've lived in the same place for 10+ years or perhaps because they were quite busy during the last month.

 

[Pib]

No home visit for me.  Maybe because I had 11 retirement extensions of stay under by belt at my current address....maybe CW was too busy...maybe CW only does a home visit for X-amount of marriage applications when certain criteria apply...maybe CW had zero concerns the wife and I have really been married for over many years and are living together....etc.  Who knows...I sure don't. 

 

Would be interesting to know the percentage of time CW does home visits for new and reoccurring marriage extension of stay applications and what is CW's criteria to trigger a visit, but that info is probably official policy not available to the public...info that is treated like a state secret.  And I expect the criteria triggering a home visit varies among immigration offices which generates all kinds of varying tales on ThaiVisa.

 

[RotBenz8888]

I was at CW yesterday for extension of stay, based on marrige and kids. They didn't mention anything about home visit, remains to be seen if they show up during the coming weeks. As Pib says, it's impossible to figure out their criterias, but my thought is that they might have put the home visits on hold during covid19 panemia. 

 

 

[Pib]

At CW on the day I applied for my marriage the IO giving back my passport with the under-consideration stamp only pointed out to return on the date shown on the under-consideration stamp and provide my updated passbook on that return date.  Never said anything about a home visit....just pointed out the return date and updated passbook requirement. 

 

So, I then asked "will there be a home visit" and the IO responded with a simple one word answer of Yes. 

 

But as I already posted, no home visit occurred.  I expect the IO that responded with a Yes to my home visit question was just giving their standard answer to such a question although a more accurate answer is probably, "Yes, there might be a home visit."

[kotsak]

The "updated bankbook" evidence rule on the pickup date has been in place since last year, I had that experience back in Sept 2019. I was lucky on that day because it happened I was carrying my bankbooks with me so I can update them downstairs where most of the bank have a branch (SCB closed shop there btw).

 

So this year got prepared with a photocopy of my updated bankbook in hand, which they require.

 

[RotBenz8888]

I thought we had a complete application, but no. They wanted a copy of the Tm30, just before their lunch break.... 

[rkidlad]

I just did my marriage extension today in CW. Every year I say it gets easier for me but this time was by far the easiest.

 

I got my ticket just before 9 and was done by 10:15. As per usual, the IO was only really concerned with my bank book and letter. She went through my documents very quickly not looking in any great detail. Before I'd even paid, she'd already stamped my 'under consideration stamp'. She told me to wait again and they called my name literally 5 mins later. Different lady handed back my passport and just told me to bring my bank book back in 4 weeks and update it. 

 

Absolute piece of p***. 

 

 

Edited October 14, 2020 by rkidlad

[Pib]

3 hours ago, rkidlad said:

I just did my marriage extension today in CW. Every year I say it gets easier for me but this time was by far the easiest.

 

I got my ticket just before 9 and was done by 10:15. As per usual, the IO was only really concerned with my bank book and letter. She went through my documents very quickly not looking in any great detail. Before I'd even paid, she'd already stamped my 'under consideration stamp'. She told me to wait again and they called my name literally 5 mins later. Different lady handed back my passport and just told me to bring my bank book back in 4 weeks and update it. 

 

Absolute piece of p***. 

 

 

Good to hear....must have been a slower than normal day at CW.  When I did my marriage extension at CW a month ago it took about 2 hr 45 mins....but the place was very busy.  And when I went back on 12 Oct/this past Monday per the under-consideration stamp it took about 2.5 hours to get the final stamp....once again, very busy/crowded....no issue in getting the final stamp other than it taking a while due to a lot of people there for the same thing.   And maybe since 13 Oct/Tuesday was a holiday maybe all of us folks showing up on 12 Oct/Monday was actually two days worth of people due to the holiday.

 

It can be luck of the draw on which days are fast or slow.

Edited October 14, 2020 by Pib

[rkidlad]

1 minute ago, Pib said:

Good to hear....must have been a slower than normal day at CW.  When I did my marriage extension at CW a month ago it took about 2 hr 45 mins....but the place was very busy.  And when I went back on 12 Oct/this past Monday per the under-consideration stamp it took about 2.5 hours to get the final stamp....once again, very busy/crowded.  

 

It can be luck of the draw on which days are fast or slow.

It wasn’t too busy in the L section. But even so, the lady rifled through my paperwork quickly. That took less than 10 mins. 
 

I was there last month as well to transfer my extension stamp from my old passport to my new one. Had to queue up in the L section the same as if I was doing a yearly extension. That whole affair took more than 4 hours (including lunch break).

[Pib]

8 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

It wasn’t too busy in the L section. But even so, the lady rifled through my paperwork quickly. That took less than 10 mins. 
 

I was there last month as well to transfer my extension stamp from my old passport to my new one. Had to queue up in the L section the same as if I was doing a yearly extension. That whole affair took more than 4 hours (including lunch break).

Good example of luck of the draw....one day the CW crowd may be small and things go fast; next day the CW crowd is large and things go slow.

[sanook 1]

On 10/13/2020 at 9:40 AM, RotBenz8888 said:

I thought we had a complete application, but no. They wanted a copy of the Tm30, just before their lunch break.... 

How common is it that they asking for the tm30 for marriage extension/chaeng wattana? 

[RotBenz8888]

8 minutes ago, sanook 1 said:

How common is it that they asking for the tm30 for marriage extension/chaeng wattana? 

I have a feeling they'll check your Tm30 whatever your business is at at Chaeng watana immigration. In my case, I had done my Tm30 report online in August, but they requested a paper copy. 

[userabcd]

18 minutes ago, sanook 1 said:

How common is it that they asking for the tm30 for marriage extension/chaeng wattana? 

They have requested mine everytime since 2019. We just include it now by default in the paperwork and carry it along everytime we need to visit CW.

Edited October 15, 2020 by userabcd

[Pib]

41 minutes ago, sanook 1 said:

How common is it that they asking for the tm30 for marriage extension/chaeng wattana? 

I can't really say....I did not include a copy of my last TM30 in my marriage extension application package last month, but the TM30 I had to do in 2019 when renewing my retirement extension was clearly stapled in my passport in case they did ask for it.

 

In 2019 when renewing my retirement extension of stay for the 11th time out of the blue the IO required a TM30 or confirmation a TM30 was not required before she would continue processing my retirement extension application.  Wasn't just me....everyone was getting asked to show a TM30.  Remember, this is last year when TM30 compliance was a big issue with Thai immigration....then a few months later with all the public pushback it didn't seem to be a big issue for immigration anymore. 

 

I entered Thailand in late 2008 and never did a TM30 at that time...heck, didn't even know what a TM30 was...never heard of it.  I haven't left Thailand since that 2008 entry...continued to do retirement extensions year after year where a TM30 was never asked for.  But on that 11th extension last year "when TM30 compliance was the big thing with immigration" they wanted to see my last TM30. 

 

Since I didn't have one they sent me over the the CW section that handles TM30s for me to get clearance from them.  Since I had never filed a TM30 before that section fined me Bt800....lots of people getting the same fine.  I completed a TM30 during that setting....and then with TM30 in-hand I went back to the extension L1 section and they finished processing/approving my retirement extension. 

 

 

Edited October 15, 2020 by Pib