I received a phone call today from an unknown number telling me that he is an immigration officer and will be visiting my house tomorrow at 10 AM to recheck my non O marriage visa. However, the immigration officer was just at our house 2 months ago when my 1 year extension was approved. Has anyone else experienced this? Is this a scam?

 

Thanks

5 minutes ago, rxr said:

I received a phone call today from an unknown number telling me that he is an immigration officer and will be visiting my house tomorrow at 10 AM to recheck my non O marriage visa.

sounds like the perfect time to nip out for a coffee! ???? 

Yes, I have had visits for no apparent reason...............????

Give the IO a call and ask what time they are coming, tell them you forgot. You’ll get your answer on the call

42 minutes ago, rxr said:

However, the immigration officer was just at our house 2 months ago when my 1 year extension was approved. Has anyone else experienced this? Is this a scam?

Did you give them a "tip" or offer refreshments 2 months ago? If so, they might simply want to come back for more.

Ad hoc house calls by immigration are rare, but not unknown. I had an unannounced visit about 3 years ago. Just go with the flow and if you're happy that you have no issues then you've no need to be concerned.

 

It would be good of you if you'd let us know the outcome of the visit.

 

I think good idea to reconfirm with immigration office direct to protect yourself....would u be able to tell is he were a real immigration officer or just pretending...official looking uniforms are cheap and easily avail along with a deputy dog badge that will all be in Thai...

 

What will u do if he demands a pile of baht for some BS reason that requires u to go to immigration with pile of new forms etc to make it go away?  Sure sounds like it could be a great scam to run as most farangs would prob pay up and if they didn't then they just go to next farang if they can get tel and address which prob not all that hard to get ....

Agree with Novacova, if you have doubt just call to check. Unfortunately, the na redo wells out there trying to game the system opens is all up to immigration rechecking randomly. 

Had them going down the road kicking doors down (joking) looking for Chinese a few months ago.

I had a home visit in September after getting an in-house O visa, around 6 months later had a surprise visit.

 

 

16 hours ago, Caldera said:

Did you give them a "tip" or offer refreshments 2 months ago? If so, they might simply want to come back for more.

????

51 minutes ago, wwest5829 said:

Agree with Novacova, if you have doubt just call to check. Unfortunately, the na redo wells out there trying to game the system opens is all up to immigration rechecking randomly. 

Use an agent and you can guarantee you wont be getting random visits! 

2 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Use an agent and you can guarantee you wont be getting random visits! 

How do you know....?

 

I had a visit on a multi-O...............

1 hour ago, Jenkins9039 said:

Had them going down the road kicking doors down (joking) looking for Chinese a few months ago.

Therein lays the answer.

 

I did my non o ext  renewal a few days ago and had lots of problems.   It seems there is a lot of pressure from head office making it difficult for honest expats but due to corruption among officers and the Chinese you speak of.  Usually my renewals go through like a breeze after doing them for over 10 years, but this year the (new) officer tore mine to bits finding all sorts of things to pick on.  I firmly believe he was not being an <deleted> but following orders under pressure.  He was not happy with the pics around the house, picked on the angles taken, the house number was not permanant and had to be burnt into wood or made of steel etc etc.  Just too damn fussy.  Also had to have two attempts at the bank letter even with telephone instructions from the imm officer and the bank.  The map had to be precisely from our front door step to the Imm Office front door.

 

Maybe the unusual visits are due to the same pressure from above.

Always possible of course that you may be out of the country when they call.  I guess they would want to know when you are coming back and follow-up again.

53 minutes ago, transam said:

How do you know....?

 

I had a visit on a multi-O...............

Why? 

4 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Why? 

Ask immigration, not me...........

1 minute ago, transam said:

Ask immigration, not me...........

Thats what your agent is for, didnt you pay him? 

6 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Thats what your agent is for, didnt you pay him? 

I have never used an agent..................????

Always possible of course that you may be out of the country when they call.  I guess they would want to know when you are coming back and follow-up again.

6 minutes ago, transam said:

I have never used an agent..................????

 

1 hour ago, transam said:

How do you know....?

 

I had a visit on a multi-O...............

 

1 hour ago, Olmate said:

Use an agent and you can guarantee you wont be getting random visits! 

Then why answer me as above,,,? 

1 minute ago, Olmate said:

 

 

Then why answer me as above,,,? 

Because I had a visit when I had a multi entry O visa obtained from outside the country...

In other words, you never know if they will come a knocking, even using an agent............

2 hours ago, wwest5829 said:

the na redo wells out there trying to game the system

Never seen ne'er-do-wells spelt like that!   ????

you can get a random sample visit , just to check you live really on that address regularly and not only because renewing staying permit / any  visa

2 minutes ago, transam said:

Because I had a visit when I had a multi entry O visa obtained from outside the country...

In other words, you never know if they will come a knocking, even using an agent............

No logic there at all. Agent versus Consulate! Lol.

2 hours ago, Olmate said:

Use an agent and you can guarantee you wont be getting random visits! 

As I used an agency, that is a comfort.

59 minutes ago, CanadaSam said:

Never seen ne'er-do-wells spelt like that!   ????

Oops ... fat fingers, sorry.

If the visitor then asks for a donation for retired civil servants or something similar, then be careful. I experienced it once. I then complimented the man and didn't pay anything!

All the posts here on latest non-o extensions with random follow up visits are very disturbing. Its like the cops own your ass for Christ sake. Exactly another reason why I am way more content to deal with an embassy/consulate instead and just do the Non-O ME route. Too many unknowns dealing with these clowns in-country nowadays. 

7 hours ago, ThaiFelix said:

 It seems there is a lot of pressure from head office making it difficult for honest expats but due to corruption among officers and the Chinese you speak of.

True. I had huge aggravation getting my Marriage extension at Kalasin, not long after several members of staff there were arrested for being too helpful to the Chinese. I asked the friendly and helpful IO who dealt with it all if it was because of the arrests, and he said it was and the new boss was making things difficult for everyone.