immigration officer asked calling me - Non immigrant -O

[docinbangkok]

Hi 

I was applying for a visa exempt to non immigrant O for retirement purposes at CW . the immigration officer said my documents all look complete and fine . then asked to make a missed call to a printed  mobile number on a paper on her desk  "in case there is a problem "

sure enough ,a half hour later ( lunch time ) i get a call from that number but i did not pick it up . no text message . i have a feeling i know what she wants , but i want to try to ignore any further calls and see if she would move on to an easier target .has this happened to anyone before , and how did you deal with it ? any suggestions would be very  appreciated . thank you 

[digbeth]

so there's no possibility that she calls to tell you the application was successful and to come and pick up your passport? 

[couchpotato]

15 minutes ago, docinbangkok said:

Hi 

I was applying for a visa exempt to non immigrant O for retirement purposes at CW . the immigration officer said my documents all look complete and fine . then asked to make a missed call to a printed  mobile number on a paper on her desk  "in case there is a problem "

sure enough ,a half hour later ( lunch time ) i get a call from that number but i did not pick it up . no text message . i have a feeling i know what she wants , but i want to try to ignore any further calls and see if she would move on to an easier target .has this happened to anyone before , and how did you deal with it ? any suggestions would be very  appreciated . thank you 

So enlighten us..what does she want?

[docinbangkok]

i think she wants "tea money ".  I was told , like everyone else to come back in 14 days for the visa , so i do not think she would call me a half hour later to tell me my visa was approved .

 

[mokwit]

1 minute ago, docinbangkok said:

i think she wants "tea money ".  I was told , like everyone else to come back in 14 days for the visa , so i do not think she would call me a half hour later to tell me my visa was approved .

 

She might have been testing the number Imm will call you on to tell you when they are coming to do the home visit. I have never experienced or heard of a request for money from CW counter staff.

[Tod Daniels]

24 minutes ago, digbeth said:

so there's no possibility that she calls to tell you the application was successful and to come and pick up your passport? 

Nope there's no chance that happens because you don't leave your passport when you apply for an in-country non o visa art any office.

At Chaengwattana you apply you pay the 2,000 baht you get a receipt that says come back in 2 weeks and on that date you show up with your passport and they ink in a new 90-day stamp and a non-o visa

[Tod Daniels]

2 minutes ago, docinbangkok said:

i think she wants "tea money ".  I was told , like everyone else to come back in 14 days for the visa , so i do not think she would call me a half hour later to tell me my visa was approved .

 

You don't get told to come back in 2 weeks it should be on the blue green receipt for 2000 baht to come back on this date (two weeks out) for your results

[Tod Daniels]

1 minute ago, mokwit said:

She might have been testing the number Imm will call you on to tell you when they are coming to do the home visit. I have never experienced or heard of a request for money from CW counter staff.

That could be it, because they are doing home visits on initial non-o Visa applications out there, I know several people applying for both retirement and marriage non O visa who had home inspections during the two week under review period

[docinbangkok]

@mokwit . i have never had a problem with CW before either . i was very surprised by her request for a missed call on her private phone too. she specifically told me that no one will visit me because "my older age , and had worked in Thailand before ". 

[mokwit]

Just now, Tod Daniels said:

That could be it, because they are doing home visits on initial non-o Visa applications out there, I know several people applying for both retirement and marriage non O visa who had home inspections during the two week under review period

I don't really understand why such an intrusive visit is needed for a retirement application. You would already have confirmed your address via TM30. This obsession with verifying address for one year extensions while meanwhile all kinds of flotsam and jetsam flies in and stay in unregistered ST lets.

[docinbangkok]

thank you all for your answers . if the call was for telling me about IO  home visit , she could have easily also sent a text message . i am worried about answering the call and then opening the door for"tea money" request. i have already had a bad experience in jomtien office where they offered " extra service " for price  in person , face to face .

[BobBKK]

5 minutes ago, docinbangkok said:

thank you all for your answers . if the call was for telling me about IO  home visit , she could have easily also sent a text message . i am worried about answering the call and then opening the door for"tea money" request. i have already had a bad experience in jomtien office where they offered " extra service " for price  in person , face to face .

 Huh? Do you think they ask for money on their phones? Seriously? I doubt it 

[OJAS]

4 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

That could be it, because they are doing home visits on initial non-o Visa applications out there, I know several people applying for both retirement and marriage non O visa who had home inspections during the two week under review period

 

I am not aware of any other office which requires hand-drawn maps to your residence to be provided in support of - and, consequently, home visits to be performed in connection with - non-O visa conversion and annual extension of stay applications for retirement. So in this particular regard CW can justifiably be considered a rogue office IMHO.

[Liquorice]

55 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

I am not aware of any other office which requires hand-drawn maps to your residence to be provided in support of - and, consequently, home visits to be performed in connection with - non-O visa conversion and annual extension of stay applications for retirement. So in this particular regard CW can justifiably be considered a rogue office IMHO.

Not isolated.

My IO informed me 2 years ago they were now required to conduct home visits for Non O applications, retirement or Thai spouse/family.

[DrJack54]

13 hours ago, OJAS said:

 

I am not aware of any other office which requires hand-drawn maps to your residence to be provided in support of - and, consequently, home visits to be performed in connection with - non-O visa conversion and annual extension of stay applications for retirement. So in this particular regard CW can justifiably be considered a rogue office IMHO.

No.

For application for non O retirement from a visa exempt entry can require home visit.

No home visit would be required for 12 month extension based on retirement 

Re home drawn map....  required map is a long standing requirement at CW.

[Presnock]

15 hours ago, docinbangkok said:

thank you all for your answers . if the call was for telling me about IO  home visit , she could have easily also sent a text message . i am worried about answering the call and then opening the door for"tea money" request. i have already had a bad experience in jomtien office where they offered " extra service " for price  in person , face to face .

call the number, make sure it is recorded - if there is any call for "tea money" then a recorded conversation will support your charge when you go to the police and or the embassy!

[easydoor]

In case you want to know why Immigration was calling you, you don.t ask it here. Nobody knows it. If you wanted to know why they called you, you had to answer the call. Now they have two unanswered calls and you don.t know at all why calling you. You make Immigration even suspicious, without any proof, they want tea money.

Even, I don't believe one word of what you are writing here.

[Digitalbanana]

One cannot be expected to pick up a phone call on the whim of the caller. It may be inconvenient to speak or unsafe if driving. If the call was anything of importance they would have called again.

[mokwit]

13 minutes ago, easydoor said:

Even, I don't believe one word of what you are writing here.

I don't either. OP doesn't ring true.

[Hamus Yaigh]

19 hours ago, docinbangkok said:

i have a feeling i know what she wants , but i want to try to ignore any further calls and see if she would move on to an easier target

This seems like one of those "You know you've been in Thailand too long when..." memes.

[atpeace]

15 minutes ago, mokwit said:

I don't either. OP doesn't ring true.

Have to agree and he is not really telling us much.  Even his mention of being asked before for tea money in Jomtien is without details.  His application is probably questionable and the number is to an visa agency that will fix the issue(s).  Most likely the normal 800k issues.  He should have picked up the call but he might know what it would have been in regards to and would rather not.  

[CanadaSam]

I can't understand why the OP does not want to buy a cup of tea for a girl working at immigration LOL!

[Will B Good]

 

 

Answer it and record the conversation

[BobDobbs]

14 hours ago, Liquorice said:

Not isolated.

My IO informed me 2 years ago they were now required to conduct home visits for Non O applications, retirement or Thai spouse/family.

 

CW

 

As a general rule visits are not done for Bangkok. I've never been visited in 15 years

 

O Marriage

In fact, seems smoother now. I think when you get to a point on a marriage visa that you've done this a dozen or more times they are only looking for the paperwork and not looking to catch you out on some ridiculous little detail.

 

IO has never stated anything like pick a number and call to see if it's ready. Even seems like they're just doing last minute umteenth check even on the day I pick it up. I've never had it not ready.

 

None of the officials have ever even remotely ask me for the back hander.

[mokwit]

10 minutes ago, BobDobbs said:

As a general rule visits are not done for Bangkok. I've never been visited in 15 years

Perhaps you have not applied for a conversion to Non O in the last 15 years.............................

[BobDobbs]

2 minutes ago, mokwit said:

Perhaps you have not applied for a conversion to Non O in the last 15 years.............................

 

No I have not. Having said that even on my first extension of the O visa we didn't receive a visit either.

 

I think the op misread the situation

[mokwit]

1 minute ago, BobDobbs said:

 

No I have not. Having said that even on my first extension of the O visa we didn't receive a visit either.

 

I think the op misread the situation

Visits on conversion to Non O are a last few years thing. Never did it before.

[Will B Good]

16 hours ago, OJAS said:

 

I am not aware of any other office which requires hand-drawn maps to your residence to be provided in support of - and, consequently, home visits to be performed in connection with - non-O visa conversion and annual extension of stay applications for retirement. So in this particular regard CW can justifiably be considered a rogue office IMHO.

Required every year at Chaiyaphum IO, even though our address never changes......they never visit though....three hour round trip.

[kingstonkid]

Color me confused. My retirement extension is done while I sit there and takes about an hour. There is no coming back in two weeks; it is all done at one sitting.

 

What is there to check on a retirement visa

[mokwit]

5 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

Color me confused. My retirement extension is done while I sit there and takes about an hour. There is no coming back in two weeks; it is all done at one sitting.

 

What is there to check on a retirement visa

This is for the original conversion to a Non O from VE or TR. In the last few years for this CW have been giving a two week extension during which they visit you at home. Didn't used to be a thing before they became "Freudian" about tying people on one year extensions to their address while criminals fly in and stay in unregistered accommodation.