Immigration logic

[robertson468]

I am constantely amazed at how out of date and the wanton waste of paper mandated by the Thai Immigration Authorities.  It is high time they committed all the individual's data onto the computerized system, which could then be called up and updated when needed, particularly for Foreigners on long term Visas.  I frequently read how Thailand wants to become a hub for IT, but they really need to start looking at their outdated and inefficient procedures and I am sure if they did computerize their Immigration systems, they could save on staff salaries.

[KhunBENQ]

No repeated fingerprinting at our office. Just picture from "webcam".

Can't remember when there was fingerprinting. Pre-Covid for sure.

 

[IvorBiggun2]

10 minutes ago, robertson468 said:

I am sure if they did computerize their Immigration systems, they could save on staff salaries.

And there may be part of the answer. Senior officers justifying their jobs. 15-16  years ago Korat, Surin and Buriram had in total 1 immigration office for 3 districts. Today they have 4 offices in total for the 3 districts. If you  ask me the IO is grossly overmanned.

The more you become computerised the less staff you need.

Edited September 18, 2021 by IvorBiggun2

[david555]

20 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Why do a fingerprint scan when they already have you logged in on facial recognision?

Just in case you would loose your head ....., so at least they know the farang body belongs to who if found somewhere ...????

Edited September 18, 2021 by david555

[david555]

25 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

No repeated fingerprinting at our office. Just picture from "webcam".

Can't remember when there was fingerprinting. Pre-Covid for sure.

 

Years ago (9 ) entering Cambodia by air  the Cambodian immigration at airport  fingerprinted whole fingers and thumb .... next time  no eed as they could see in file it was done already ....Cambodia seems more advanced on that ..... 

 

Oh wait ! ???? ...., probably  because all those (naughty )  "barangs "ones moved that time from Patts to PPhen...????

Edited September 18, 2021 by david555

[Misty]

16 hours ago, FlorC said:

So we got our own immigration office in the province , but in 2020 I noticed they wanted my hand/finger print , once . I pretty sure I didn't have to do that at the other province' office.

Not really a fan of that .
This year they had 2 fingerprint machines , and I had to do it at each one. What ??
It's a strict office , and every 90 days you have to show your bankbook , have a copy ready or they will make one.
At my last extention , I bring in the usual bankletter and copies of the whole year , like I do for the last 6 or 7 years ( so much for privacy on how much I spend) . Not only do they have them from the 90 days and the ones I give when applying , but they even make more copies and now tell me I have to go back to the bank (3 km walk) to get a yearly statement  !! Again what the ??

I really hate banks and have to pay another 200 B for a printout of the last 12 months. That's 300 B for the bank.

The logic doesn't end here.

I fill in the TM7 , with a photo ( another 70 to 100 B) , then they print out the TM7 , after taking my picture just like the fingerprint , TWICE , with 2 different webcams AND the printout picture on the TM7 is theirs (from the webcam(s)) , not mine !

So I'm spending 300 B on the f..g bank , for data they already have twice or more , and 100 B for pictures they don't really use . Immigration office logic ?
They were nice and friendly though , so you docilely comply. What else can I do.
If I'm lucky ?? or unlucky , this may be my last or nearly last extention.

 

Yes I know 1900 B + 100 B picture + 300 B for f.g bank + 50 B hospital letter and some change for copies is still a low price to get a year extention. 

I wonder how all the personal data that's collected over the years is protected. Does Thailand's new Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) apply?

[clivebaxter]

My office samut prakan, want 5 copies of passport pages and tm30 print out for 90 day report, doing it online not needed. Where is the logic there?

[david555]

2 minutes ago, Misty said:

I wonder how all the personal data that's collected over the years is protected. Does Thailand's new Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) apply?

Check the backside of your 90 day slip  and probably you can see all I.D. from another person ....as i had once

Edited September 18, 2021 by david555

[sucit]

All I ask, and I do not think this is too tough a request, is each office put up a list of stuff you need, even if what you need may not be needed by everyone… put it on the list (eg witnesses). 
 

If u don’t have the stuff, you rejected. If you do, you get it.

 

Why that is so difficult to just tell people what they need to do I have no idea. I am not even joking when I say this, had a IO tell me “no smiling in photos”. That’s fine! I don’t give a <deleted>. But put that on the goddam list of requirements ie “no smiling in photos”

[Sheryl]

Except for the 90 day bankbook, sounds like what I have to do at my office every year. Plus photos of myself near my house and a map (new map each year, never mind that they already have umpteen maps on file and I haven't moved and they already know exactly where I live).

 

It is I think a reflex beaurocratic response: need to have a huge stack of documents each time to show they were "thorough", never mind that they already have most of these same documents already on file from prior years.

 

 

 

[soalbundy]

I've never had any of that BS in Surin, (Retirement visa extension) embassy letter, passport copies, lots of form filling that the student does, my wife has to sign a few forms as well, they glance through my bank book but don't make copies, no fingerprinting (up till now anyway) no hospital cert. it takes an hour usually and it's all done and dusted.

[TigerandDog]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

That depends upon where you are located. It takes about a week to get one at most locations. 

It has taken at least a week to get mine. This year it was a week and at a day from the day I requested it.

I get mine the same day I request it AND it's FREE. I go online and login to my bank account and print a 12 months statement myself. The only involvement my bank has is to stamp & sign it when I get my letter.

[l4ml4m]

what is this title ?

Immigration logic

 

it really means nothing.

 

[userabcd]

Deleted

Edited September 18, 2021 by userabcd
del

[FlorC]

4 hours ago, khunjeff said:

One of the main reasons for collecting biometric information is to make sure that the person in front of the desk is the same as the person in the computer record. They took your prints last year, and they take them again this year and the machine compares them and confirms that it's still the same guy. That's actually exactly how the system is supposed to work.

 

Why they scanned your fingers on two different machines is a separate question. If you applied for a reentry permit in addition to the extension, they probably would have fingerprinted you separately for that (that's what's done at CW anyway). If you only did the extension application and nothing else, I have no idea.

Yes because we all look the same to them ?

In some provinces they do take the fingerprints and some don't .

 

I only did the extention , nothing more.

 

I wonder whether they take fingerprints at the airport these days .

[FlorC]

2 hours ago, TigerandDog said:

I get mine the same day I request it AND it's FREE. I go online and login to my bank account and print a 12 months statement myself. The only involvement my bank has is to stamp & sign it when I get my letter.

Now that is clever !

I would try that too ... if I had online banking .

But then again , is it sure my bank would stamp and sign it without getting paid ?

[DJ54]

6 hours ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

So you think immigration officers have nothing better to do than read forum posters gripes? And then they hunt down the snitch that spoke bad about them? Give over. Name and shame.

You never know.... Example: US Embassy stops the income letter...  it was noted... don’t recall 

exact words.... the forum and the complaints about the situation.. Yes someone at the Embassy 

reads the forum ..

 

 

[1FinickyOne]

21 hours ago, FlorC said:

Yes I know 1900 B + 100 B picture + 300 B for f.g bank + 50 B hospital letter and some change for copies is still a low price to get a year extention.

then why all the whining? A Thai person going to my home country would have to pay far more just to submit the application and the average Thai would be denied...

 

we get off so amazingly cheap and then people complain about the cost... where is the logic indeed?

[xtrnuno41]

The new world.

On your computer, you get cookies. All sorts of data is collected, sold and abused.

So immigration is collecting data and maybe even sell it?.

Be aware in the future they want more data. It is all about data data data.

Collecting by computers and phones easy, but you can do also like this and then digitize it.

Saw a docu about AI this week and jeepers, it will not become a good future.

Hope USA, China or any country never find away to create an AGI, but guess it will come.

[Mansell]

22 hours ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Why do a fingerprint scan when they already have you logged in on facial recognision?

Because to many Thais we farang all look the same…..so they wouldn’t know it was you, it could be any farang.

[khunpeer]

surprised about 2 things: 

hospital bill? what for you need hosp bill?

fingerprints? never done this in imm off! only for new passport at my Embassy

by the way, the yearly bankstatement (bai rab rong) is normal, next to copies of all pages of yr bankbook(s)

I am due myself this week for my new year-extension!

[khunpeer]

sorry, I forgot to mention that at Imm off, there is no logic the way farangs know it... every year I have to copy the same bunch of papers related to my divorce, absolutely not a thing changed, but still must copy it all! after all these years that must be a whole tree that I have copied for them...????

then the bill is 1900 as we all know, I give 2000 and sometimes don't get the change back! I feel sorry for this petty-thievery, it just says a lot about their mentality...

[DrJack54]

1 minute ago, khunpeer said:

then the bill is 1900 as we all know, I give 2000 and sometimes don't get the change back! I

Slow learner? Take correct change 1900baht.

 

[IvorBiggun2]

6 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Slow learner? Take correct change 1900baht.

 Why are we so scared to ask for the change?

[DrJack54]

13 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

 Why are we so scared to ask for the change?

Incorrect assumption. 

Called forward planning. 

Same as when I obtain multi at airport. I have 3800 all on the ready.

However I recognize that it gives folk something to whinge about and start threads such as this one.

Edited September 19, 2021 by DrJack54

[WhiteBuffaloATM]

Fingerprinting & Photographing standard at thai intl airport entry points.

maybe supplemented by facial recognition technology matching photos held on data base with camera feeds in criminal investigations.

Forensic Police Clearance by Fingerprinting required for my Yellow House Book but not by Interior Ministry for my National ID here. Never seen my local Immi. use Fingerprinting though.

[TigerandDog]

21 hours ago, FlorC said:

Now that is clever !

I would try that too ... if I had online banking .

But then again , is it sure my bank would stamp and sign it without getting paid ?

my bank doesn't even charge me for the annual letter. BTW, not all banks have the option to print a 12 month statement online. I'm fortunate that mine does.

Edited September 19, 2021 by TigerandDog

[BritTim]

7 hours ago, TigerandDog said:

my bank doesn't even charge me for the annual letter. BTW, not all banks have the option to print a 12 month statement online. I'm fortunate that mine does.

Feel free to name the bank. any businesses offering good service deserve that kind of recognition.

[TigerandDog]

11 hours ago, BritTim said:

Feel free to name the bank. any businesses offering good service deserve that kind of recognition.

ttb. But it could just be my branch being this benevolent.

[Hamus Yaigh]

Hows this for logic? Last week I got an annual extension with the TM7 and each year my TM7 is filled in neatly by me on a PC using a PDF editor and I include my mobile phone number at the top of the page as they always ask for this.

 

This time they still asked for my mobile phone number! I pointed to it, but the IO said it should be written at the bottom of the page near my signature, not at the top.  So I wrote it in my barely legible handwriting again and then the IO proceeded to try and read this hand written version whilst transcribing it to her log.