Bank book update and letter

[recom273]

Due to COVID, our local immigration, Hat Yai no longer offer a walk-in service. Appointments are booked via LINE messenger.

We were offered a 10.00 am slot, which is fine. Following the message there was a request that the bank book was to be updated on the day.

In the past we have got to the bank before opening and even though they know me and what is requested, it always causes seems to cause confusion, the letters always need to be corrected.

The Immigration checklist says “bank letter no later than 7 days” and we overheard a conversation yesterday telling an applicant that he needed to collect a letter from the bank the day prior.

I have never had an issue when getting all the paperwork and bank book update on the morning of the appointment apart from getting to the office by 10.00 am.

Is this normal procedure to request an book update on the day? Just wondering if I was to chance getting the letter the day prior and following their request of update the book on the day, if that would end in a refusal.

[recom273]

FYI for those in Songkhla

[Speedo1968]

Yes, for the Khon Kaen office I have been told must be on day of application, as I don't have my own transport from Banphai so I would go early to KK and be at my bank when it opened.    They had a simple standard letter - always accepted at Immigration.

My local branch in Banphai were confused on my request and it took over an hour to cobble something together even when I showed the one from KK.

An ATM receipt is not permitted.

[KhunBENQ]

1 hour ago, Speedo1968 said:

Yes, for the Khon Kaen office I have been told must be on day of application

Never had this in nine years. Always from the day before (fixed deposit with no transactions except interest).
In October I will learn.

[DrJack54]

OP, every immigration office is different. Most would accept bank letter dated day or 2 prior. Yes it does state up to 7 days but I would ignore that. Why didn't you make appointment for later in the day and obtain your bank letter along with making token deposit on day of application. As for obtaining letter day prior and updating on the day of application that certainly would be ok at CW. However as I stated, be familiar with their particular requirements and you won't have any issues.

[recom273]

21 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, every immigration office is different. Most would accept bank letter dated day or 2 prior. Yes it does state up to 7 days but I would ignore that. Why didn't you make appointment for later in the day and obtain your bank letter along with making token deposit on day of application. As for obtaining letter day prior and updating on the day of application that certainly would be ok at CW. However as I stated, be familiar with their particular requirements and you won't have any issues.

I prefer to do this stuff in the morning, over and done with, but there was no option to specify a time or day. We visited yesterday, arrived after 10.30, and watched the morning appointment walking out at 11.15, so you can presume they only process 2 visas a day, HY isn't really a hive of expat activity, but still. I guess if we are running late, it will be 10.30 at the worst, there were no waiting people waiting yesterday, so I think our appointment is safe - it may turn out in our favour, the IO will be wanting to stop for lunch at 11.30, she might pull her finger out.

For sure every office is different, every IO has a different opinion either side of lunchtime. I need to contact them, which is a bit easier now they have LINE and ask them if that applies to the bank letter too, I was just wondering anyone else experienced this.

[Surelynot]

Chaiyaphum ......on the day of application.

[natway09]

Letter & if required 12 bank statements day before OK,

Then deposit made on morning & passbook updated has always worked for me

[DrJack54]

8 minutes ago, natway09 said:

Letter & if required 12 bank statements day before OK,

Then deposit made on morning & passbook updated has always worked for me

Immigration office? What method. Money in bank or income

[chilly07]

At Jomtien letter confirming 13 mths credit advices day before at my branch then confirmation of account including 100bht deposit on day of application

[swissbie]

OP, it wouldn't end in a refusal, but they would send you to the bank to get what they ask for. About three years ago i was asked the first time for a statement (3 month) in addition to the bank letter (HY). I went to the bank, got the statement, back to the IO and everything was done in a few minutes. Last month i was asked for a one year statement, which the banks here in Hat Yai can't do (would take another few days to get it from Bangkok), but the IO said it was ok, as i had hardly any movements on this account. I use the money in the bank method. Good luck with your extension.

[DrJack54]

4 hours ago, swissbie said:

the IO said it was ok, as i had hardly any movements on this account. I use the money in the bank method.

I don't understand your post. So you use money in the bank method. Why would immigration require one year bank statement. So initially they wanted 12 months of bank statements for your account then they skipped it because the account was not used often?

[OJAS]

On 3/18/2021 at 8:51 AM, recom273 said:

Due to COVID, our local immigration, Hat Yai no longer offer a walk-in service. Appointments are booked via LINE messenger.

Which presumably means that, unless you're the proud possessor of a smartphone with a suitable app downloaded on to it, your only option now is to go on overstay if you live within the catchment area of the Hat Yai immigration office.

Presumably ditto in the case of the Songkla office if the ability to scan the QR code to which you subsequently referred is now a prerequisite to getting anything done there. ????

[recom273]

1 minute ago, OJAS said:

Which presumably means that, unless you're the proud possessor of a smartphone with a suitable app downloaded on to it, your only option is to go on overstay if you live within the catchment area of the Hat Yai immigration office.

Presumably ditto in the Songkla office if the ability to scan the QR code referred to by @recom273 is now a prerequisite to getting anything done there. ????

Actually, they initially offered the use of an IO phone outside the building, we would have then taken photos of my passport which would have been zapped 3M to a desk and then a reply with a date and time would have presumably appeared.

Why not just walk to the door with a clipboard?

im sick of this LINE culture, I’m paying an architect 5.5% of the building cost of the house and initially he sent images via LINE to my wife (until I blocked him) despite my request that all correspondence should be through my email so they can be filtered and addressed in a proper and timely manner - he replies “.. err .. err .. I don’t really check my email”.

[cooked]

Don't worry about the fact that something seems to change every year, this has become normal in our case. 

Immigration accepted all our papers  and documents, I paid the fee, and then had to go to the bank that day to get my bank book updated, despite having all bank statements for the previous year at their disposal. 

I suppose it would be possible to forge bank statements, so....

 

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, cooked said:

then had to go to the bank that day to get my bank book updated, despite having all bank statements for the previous year at their disposal

Requirement to have bankbook update on the day of application is very common. In addition some offices want to see "activity" on the day, meaning small deposit or withdrawal. Very easy to do. Don't understand your reference to "all bank statements from previous year...". Irrelevant to updating BB on day of application.

[cooked]

57 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

. Don't understand your reference to "all bank statements from previous year...". Irrelevant to updating BB on day of application.

I don't understand either, I just do what they tell me to do.

[foreverlomsak]

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

In addition some offices want to see "activity" on the day, meaning small deposit or withdrawal.

I arrive at the bank just before the queue starts for opening time, use ATM to withdraw 1,900 Baht (Imm Fee), update the book, same machine.

[OJAS]

3 hours ago, recom273 said:

Why not just walk to the door with a clipboard?

Or why not simply replicate CW's online booking system, which seems to work well on the basis of several reports on here? Or are CW likely to charge them copyright fees for the "privilege"?

[swissbie]

15 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

I don't understand your post. So you use money in the bank method. Why would immigration require one year bank statement. So initially they wanted 12 months of bank statements for your account then they skipped it because the account was not used often?

Yes, that's what happened. The girls in front of the IO asked for a 12 months statement, the officer herself was alright with 3 months. I was also told, that i would need an appointment to get the extension, but could finally do it without one (that happened after the officer came out of the IO because i had several disagreements with the girls in front of it). I didn't ask further questions as i was just happy to get the extension directly..

[recom273]

30 minutes ago, swissbie said:

Yes, that's what happened. The girls in front of the IO asked for a 12 months statement, the officer herself was alright with 3 months. I was also told, that i would need an appointment to get the extension, but could finally do it without one (that happened after the officer came out of the IO because i had several disagreements with the girls in front of it). I didn't ask further questions as i was just happy to get the extension directly..

This is due to the chaos that is (Songkhla) immigration - the girls at the moment seem to be university work experience girls, obviously with little training, and limited English language skills.

Anyway, to put this thing to bed - we just heard back via LINE - It’s possible to get the letter and update book the day before (Monday) which takes the pressure off in the morning.