Are The Line Ups At Immigration Choko Blocked These Days

[mcgriffith]

Yeah, I second the comments above about Khun Atitaya from Genericnic.

She is by far one of the most pleasant, professional and efficient officers at CM Imm.

It has been my good luck to do my interviews with her the last 3 years.

I think there is some confusion here; she never was tagged the Dragon Lady.

That's the one who sits at the middle desk who does matrimonial extensions.

[Meetoo]

I went yesterday for a 90 day. Got there at 7:30 and was #30 on sign in sheet by the front door near the parking lot. Took an empty seat which happened to be by the back door (near coffee shop). They open that door at around 8 and the Immigration Officer instructed us to enter and then take a sticker (which was a card with a number) and I got #12. Unbeknownst to me they were not using the sign in cue sheet. My number was called first and I was out by 8:30, 1 hr total time.

Have they stopped using the machine that issues numbers?

Yes they have stopped using them for 90 day report .. go after lunch time (After 2 PM ) and just immediately walk over go to the counter at the far end .. zip in and zip out ... no number required ... have done it many times before but for the 1 year visa renewal (RETIREMENT ONLY) it is nother story... but there is a way to avoid going there before the 6 am Sunrise rush to get on the list ... did the 90 day report today in a flat 3 minutes and I went at 2.45 Pm/// I played the fool a bit though as I arrived at 2.45 and of course no ticket machines were working at this time, but some people had tickets .. I asked them where did you get your ticket and one nice guy said middle counter which was inundated with people from Burma.. Lost all hope BUT anyway 10 min later I pushed forward a little and said "Excuse me but I need a number for a 90 day report and also another one for Retirement Visa renewal " .. Short story = was out of there with both the 90 day and the 1 year extension of retirement visa by 4.15 PM /// Sorry don't mean to brag but :-))) Hell it was so easy ... and the longest part of the wait was to get my passport back along with 100 Baht change .... ( 35 Minutes ) Yahoo !! No problem and was happy to wait ... Done and can relax a bit for a year !!

[Meetoo]

Hi all. Just did my extension of my permission to stay (OA retirement - first renewal - income based) today and it went well, though it did take a bit longer than I thought it would.

I had done the online cue to secure my spot at 10:00 a.m. and the appointment got started around 10:15. I'd like to thank Lopburi3 for the heads up back in August about the online appointment queue. As a note, the appointment can only be made up to 100 days in advance and they do fill up quickly. I checked today and there are only a few spots left in February 2013. Just as a related note, if you need to schedule something with the U.S. Consulate online, they also have signup window which, I believe, is 60 days from the date you make the reservation. Plan ahead.

The appointment itself went smoothly and took around 10 minutes. I would like to offer a special thanks to Khun Atitaya, the sergeant that handled the extension for me. She is the officer that sits by the window behind the officer handling the 90-day reports. Khun Atitaya was both pleasant and efficient. In addition to processing the extension, the noted that I had a prior multiple entry stamp and an upcoming 90-day report due in about 2 weeks. She told me that I could take care of both of them today which saved me a trip back for the 90-day report.

Once Khun Atitaya took the paperwork to the back for processing, it took until just at lunch time to get my stamped passport back. I took a number at the multiple entry desk for after lunch and then went to get copies and have coffee while I waited. Shortly after 1:00 p.m. I got the 90-day report done and waited for the number to come up for the multiple entry stamp window. That window was a bit like a mini rugby scrum with way too many folks crowding around basically ignoring the officer telling them to have a seat and wait for their number to be called. Reminded me of why I would never want a customer service job. Finally made it to the window, paid the money, got the stamp and was on my way home a little before 3:00 p.m.

While it did take a bit longer than I had anticipated, it was not a bad trip. I managed to get 3 items taken care of instead of the 2 I had planned and got some reading in too. Overall a success.

David

That is who I got today and last year and as well as the year before ... she is great!! And even though I had made quite a few mistakes in filling in my form and saying to her "Oye! Kotod ..!" She kept saying ... in ENGLISH "Don't worry it will get done".. she is great ..She also kept saying "Thanking you very much" and is always so pleasant ... I really don't like the guy behind her ... he is not nice at all .. had him 4 years ago and he made my life miserable although I had all my docs in order // They are both counter 5 & 6 .. She is 5 & he is 6 if I remember correctly //.. Anyway was a breeze and I am thrilled to see that although there is an increasingly number of people there every year that although a bit of a zoo things get processed ... Last year I did the Sunrise thing and also got through but took a lot more time but I got through.. as I said before it's a once in a year thing so just live with it either way ... TV members = let's look forward to the New Year!!

[Meetoo]

Yeah, I second the comments above about Khun Atitaya from Genericnic.

She is by far one of the most pleasant, professional and efficient officers at CM Imm.

It has been my good luck to do my interviews with her the last 3 years.

I think there is some confusion here; she never was tagged the Dragon Lady.

That's the one who sits at the middle desk who does matrimonial extensions.

And who on a daily basis widely and openly accepts a lot of gifts from her Thai associates who come in with their Farang Customers to get them through quickly .. I see it every time I go there which is often but hell... what can you do .. It becomes quite a ceremony especially when The Katoy officer sitting right in font of her ( with his / her back to her ) is trying to over take the show by loudly calling in the numbers for all the Myanmar people to collect their passports ... I hear them laughing and saying Eu!Pen Katoy nee mai na?? ?? It's quite a scene there but as i said things moved on and people come and go somehow ..

[Mapguy]

Yeah, I second the comments above about Khun Atitaya from Genericnic.

She is by far one of the most pleasant, professional and efficient officers at CM Imm.

It has been my good luck to do my interviews with her the last 3 years.

I think there is some confusion here; she never was tagged the Dragon Lady.

That's the one who sits at the middle desk who does matrimonial extensions.

My bad !!

Yes, while not having had direct dealings with "SHE OF MARRIAGE VISAS WHO MUST BE OBEYED," except for one (unpleasant --- her!) but not important interaction, she might indeed be called the "Dragon Lady." I decided to observe( from the safety of the crowd) for an extended period. She seems a bit of a split personality, really. Actually, I saw her chatting in a quite friendly manner with one couple; then turn very sour with the next!

[Mapguy]

I went yesterday for a 90 day. Got there at 7:30 and was #30 on sign in sheet by the front door near the parking lot. Took an empty seat which happened to be by the back door (near coffee shop). They open that door at around 8 and the Immigration Officer instructed us to enter and then take a sticker (which was a card with a number) and I got #12. Unbeknownst to me they were not using the sign in cue sheet. My number was called first and I was out by 8:30, 1 hr total time.

Have they stopped using the machine that issues numbers?

Yes they have stopped using them for 90 day report .. go after lunch time (After 2 PM ) and just immediately walk over go to the counter at the far end .. zip in and zip out ... no number required ... have done it many times before but for the 1 year visa renewal (RETIREMENT ONLY) it is nother story... but there is a way to avoid going there before the 6 am Sunrise rush to get on the list ... did the 90 day report today in a flat 3 minutes and I went at 2.45 Pm/// I played the fool a bit though as I arrived at 2.45 and of course no ticket machines were working at this time, but some people had tickets .. I asked them where did you get your ticket and one nice guy said middle counter which was inundated with people from Burma.. Lost all hope BUT anyway 10 min later I pushed forward a little and said "Excuse me but I need a number for a 90 day report and also another one for Retirement Visa renewal " .. Short story = was out of there with both the 90 day and the 1 year extension of retirement visa by 4.15 PM /// Sorry don't mean to brag but :-))) Hell it was so easy ... and the longest part of the wait was to get my passport back along with 100 Baht change .... ( 35 Minutes ) Yahoo !! No problem and was happy to wait ... Done and can relax a bit for a year !!

Orderly queues are NOT the custom in Burma!

[zippydedodah]

Yeah, I second the comments above about Khun Atitaya from Genericnic.

She is by far one of the most pleasant, professional and efficient officers at CM Imm.

It has been my good luck to do my interviews with her the last 3 years.

I think there is some confusion here; she never was tagged the Dragon Lady.

That's the one who sits at the middle desk who does matrimonial extensions.

about 2 weeks ago i did my fourth extension on the basis of Marriage, and have always had the officer referred to above.... i have found her to be very tolerant of my mistakes (whether they were actually mistakes or not!), kind to me and my wife, full of funny anecdotes and overall just plain helpful.

Just my personal experience... i wouldn't change officers even if i could.

[hellodolly]

What a freaking mess CM immigration has become in the last few years. Used to be an easy in and out the door in no more than 3 hrs. Now it is a nightmare and every attempt to speed the process up fails.

Problem is lack of organization, small staff and small space for work and parking.

figure the solution yourselves....

BTW...another article now running on the Thailand news forum [under] states that the Thai immigration dept makes over 800mil baht per year.....where's it going????

To buy rice.

[hellodolly]

Hi all. Just did my extension of my permission to stay (OA retirement - first renewal - income based) today and it went well, though it did take a bit longer than I thought it would.

I had done the online cue to secure my spot at 10:00 a.m. and the appointment got started around 10:15. I'd like to thank Lopburi3 for the heads up back in August about the online appointment queue. As a note, the appointment can only be made up to 100 days in advance and they do fill up quickly. I checked today and there are only a few spots left in February 2013. Just as a related note, if you need to schedule something with the U.S. Consulate online, they also have signup window which, I believe, is 60 days from the date you make the reservation. Plan ahead.

The appointment itself went smoothly and took around 10 minutes. I would like to offer a special thanks to Khun Atitaya, the sergeant that handled the extension for me. She is the officer that sits by the window behind the officer handling the 90-day reports. Khun Atitaya was both pleasant and efficient. In addition to processing the extension, the noted that I had a prior multiple entry stamp and an upcoming 90-day report due in about 2 weeks. She told me that I could take care of both of them today which saved me a trip back for the 90-day report.

Once Khun Atitaya took the paperwork to the back for processing, it took until just at lunch time to get my stamped passport back. I took a number at the multiple entry desk for after lunch and then went to get copies and have coffee while I waited. Shortly after 1:00 p.m. I got the 90-day report done and waited for the number to come up for the multiple entry stamp window. That window was a bit like a mini rugby scrum with way too many folks crowding around basically ignoring the officer telling them to have a seat and wait for their number to be called. Reminded me of why I would never want a customer service job. Finally made it to the window, paid the money, got the stamp and was on my way home a little before 3:00 p.m.

While it did take a bit longer than I had anticipated, it was not a bad trip. I managed to get 3 items taken care of instead of the 2 I had planned and got some reading in too. Overall a success.

David

Always nice to hear good things being said by people using the immigration office here in Chiang Mai. I have never used the on line reservation but it does not worry me. I take a book and have met many nice people waiting for their number to be called

I only had one problem back in the day when you had to go in the back room after the papers are filled in out front. The fellow made a mistake of 6 days I backed down as it wasn't worth the trouble he could have caused. I went in the back room and just sat there while the fellow at the desk looked it over shaking his head and then hitting it with a stamp. He got up and went out side for a moment and the original interviewer came in and they talked. He looked at it shook his head stamped it and motioned for me to come over. He pointed to my new one year retirement visa and showed me where he had corrected the date. I thanked him and left. Never had a real problem with them.

In my opinion they do a hell of a good job considering the number of people they see day in and day out. Also the number of different languages they have to deal with. Even English dialects are hard for other English speakers to understand.

I think some people bring the problems on by their attitude.

[Tywais]

Yeah, I second the comments above about Khun Atitaya from Genericnic.

She is by far one of the most pleasant, professional and efficient officers at CM Imm.

It has been my good luck to do my interviews with her the last 3 years.

I think there is some confusion here; she never was tagged the Dragon Lady.

That's the one who sits at the middle desk who does matrimonial extensions.

Also agree regarding Khun Atitaya who has done my work extensions for the last few years. Always pleasant and cheerful and I suspect any references to "Dragon Lady" is the Master Sgt (senior officer) in the middle desk with the booming voice and intense personality.

[BB1955]

Yeah, I second the comments above about Khun Atitaya from Genericnic.

She is by far one of the most pleasant, professional and efficient officers at CM Imm.

It has been my good luck to do my interviews with her the last 3 years.

I think there is some confusion here; she never was tagged the Dragon Lady.

That's the one who sits at the middle desk who does matrimonial extensions.

I have had the Dragon lady for tha last two extentions . She is what I call the poster child for multitasking . She has always been helpful and very pleasent to deal with, this time she even made a couple of copies for me so I didnt have to go back outside . Like I said in a previous post overworked understaffed and Im sure under paid . She did say this time she had had about enough and is looking at retirement soon ......

[jackr]

There has very clearly been an influx of nervous retirees emigrating to Chiang Mai (and showing up on Thai Visa) over the past few years, some, I suspect, with little international experience beyond group tours and maybe a brief "scouting trip" or two.

At the same time, Thailand is still dealing with grey-haired, pony-tailed flower children (and ex-Special Forces --- they say!! --- from the late 1960s and 1970s). For this you can mainly thank the Americans., but the Brits, especially, thought Thailand would be heaven on their pensions when the bhat was 50:1 on the pound. Surprise! Surprise!

Add on to that the often younger ones sowing their oats cheating on education visas (or marriage visas), and the occasional pedophile. What do you get? You get a toxic mix of foreigners from rich countries (not just farang) looking for a cheap place to park their bodies until death do us part (or lately, until Myanmar "opens up," but the cheap Rangoon rates are GONE!) on limited pensions or other resources, and most people have no clue at all about Myanmar. The Costa del Sol, maybe Florida, used to be cheaper than today. Depends on when! Many retiring Americans headed for Mexico or Israel (Special legislation!!) ! New Zealand said "We don't want you" years ago! And so on!

There's always Afghanistan! Not much for a hamburger or a real "fry up" breakfast there, I suppose. If you can find either! (Actually you can !!! But you will pay through the nose!!)

So, what's with piling a bunch of sh*t on an overwhelmed staff at Chiang Mai Immigration??!! Just because you are inconvenienced a bit ? Yes (See above posts) there are indeed some things that would simplify things for their staff and NI-Os both. But the officer David refers to knows her business, and I do not believe she deserves the thoughtless sobriquet of "Dragon Lady," which you will find elsewhere on Thai Visa. None of them does!

Of course, Chiang Mai immigration in Chiang Mai (perhaps more broadly, I don't know) needs help becoming more efficient for privileged foreigners who have NO clue as to Immigration's real difficulties with the massive influx over several years of refugees and illegal immigrants looking for a peaceful place to live or a place to earn a minimum, minimum wage just to make some money to send home!

You mean the Brits thought Thailand would be heaven on 75 baht to the pound and your 'dragon lady', who I've never had a problem with, is the marriage girl? The errors in your post, together with the rant (overuse of exclamation marks, musings on Myanmar, Florida, and Afghanistan even (<deleted>)), suggest you had been drinking?

But why get so worked up and meekly defend them from the supposed 'bunch of sh*t' from folks on here? The job is by choice, no-ones making them do anything, but if you believe they are overworked, suggest aiming your tirade at the people in government who make up the dubious regulations which are causing all this extra work. I've personally never had a problem there, but there are a few in that office that look like they relish talking down to people. On several occasions I've seen them scream at customers. Was there recently and one of the older officers was shouting his lungs out at a calm, well-speaking, well-dressed chap and his pleasant daughter, then turned around and smirked at his buddies (I was in the office part) while everyone looked on. This is not appropriate behaviour no matter how overworked they might get. Surely you can understand folks on here putting forth their opinion and reminiscing the day when it was not like this? CM imm don't need you ranting on their behalf and just because some people have time to waste, doesn't mean we all do.

[Ulysses G.]

Yeah, I second the comments above about Khun Atitaya from Genericnic.

She is by far one of the most pleasant, professional and efficient officers at CM Imm.

It has been my good luck to do my interviews with her the last 3 years.

I think there is some confusion here; she never was tagged the Dragon Lady.

That's the one who sits at the middle desk who does matrimonial extensions.

I have had the Dragon lady for tha last two extentions . She is what I call the poster child for multitasking . She has always been helpful and very pleasent to deal with, this time she even made a couple of copies for me so I didnt have to go back outside . Like I said in a previous post overworked understaffed and Im sure under paid . She did say this time she had had about enough and is looking at retirement soon ......

I have dealt with her many times over many years and she has always been pleasant and professional. i have never seen her be nasty to anyone who did not deserve it and very few of those.

Edited December 1, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[anselpixel]

When I went in October, 7AM was far too late to do business that day.

Went back the next day at 6AM, and ended in 18th position. All paperwork (including 90 day report) finished by noon.

Are you saying you did your 90 day and got your yearly renewal on the same day.

Exactly right. After finishing the one-year extension process, I told the officer I also needed the 90 day check-in. They waved me through, basically. The office was already closed for lunch, and the guy at the desk stamped my papers as I was leaving. Two minutes.