Korat Immigration Bank letter, must be addressed in a specific way.

[Ken]

There have been recent reports that Korat Immigration now requires bank letters for "money in bank" for extensions to be addressed in a specific way. Indeed this past Monday a friend doing his yearly marriage extension went to his bank in the morning, got the same type of letter he has always received, and proceeded to Korat Immigration. It was busy so he got his "number" and was told to return in the afternoon.

That afternoon as the officer reviewed his papers, when he got to the Bank Letter, my friend was informed that the letter was not addressed correctly and he would have to get another letter from the Bank. The officer wrote in Thai on the letter, how it should be addressed and the officer did apologize and said it was new rules from "the boss". The friend was also told not to come back until the next day with the new letter (busy office) and that he would have to queue again.

Might note that Korat immigration is not located in Korat City, but some 20 to 25 km outside Korat City. And my friend lives another 85 km from Korat City. Yes his Bank is located in Korat City. Oh well.

Anyway, just a forwarning for those doing extensions in Korat. Am also wondering if other immigration offices are doing the same? I do not recall seeing any reports of this on Thaivisa.

Attached are the addressing of the Old and New Bank Letters.

[KhunBENQ]

The old letter is specifically adressed to "Office Staff of Immigration Police Nakon Ratchasima Province".

The new letter is (more generalized) adressed to "Head/Commander (?) of Immigration Police (Region?) 4".

Head/commander: in Thai it is: ผู้บังคับการ

Dictionaries literally say: person to command; direct; control; govern

"Region" is not written in Thai, just digit 4 appended.

All or most of Isan is region 4, so its a very generalized form and would adress the "head of immigration police region 4".

And this is NOT the first report in Thaivisa that I have read about such nitpicking.

For reference I typed both adresses in Thai:

old: เจ้าหน้าที่สำนักงานตรวจคนเข้าเมืองจังหวัดนครราชสีมา

new: ผู้บังคับการตรวจคนเข้าเมือง 4

Edited November 8, 2014 by KhunBENQ

[ThaiLife]

Ken

Thanks for the info and copys of the Old and New Bank Letters , its appreciated .

TL

[Ken]

The old letter is specifically adressed to "Office Staff of Immigration Police Nakon Ratchasima Province".

The new letter is (more generalized) adressed to "Head/Commander (?) of Immigration Police (Region?) 4".

Head/commander: in Thai it is: ผู้บังคับการ

Dictionaries literally say: person to command; direct; control; govern

"Region" is not written in Thai, just digit 4 appended.

All or most of Isan is region 4, so its a very generalized form and would adress the "head of immigration region 4".

And this is NOT the first report in Thaivisa that I have read about such nitpicking.

For reference I typed both adresses in Thai:

old: เจ้าหน้าที่สำนักงานตรวจคนเข้าเมืองจังหวัดนครราชสีมา

new: ผู้บังคับการตรวจคนเข้าเมือง 4

Thank you for typing it out in Thai for us. Works a little better than my attachments.

I certainly don't read every thaivisa thread, and if this has happened in other regions, I haven't seen it. I tried doing a search, but my search words came up with nothing relevant..

Thanks again.

[ThaiLife]

The old letter is specifically adressed to "Office Staff of Immigration Police Nakon Ratchasima Province".

The new letter is (more generalized) adressed to "Head/Commander (?) of Immigration Police (Region?) 4".

Head/commander: in Thai it is: ผู้บังคับการ

Dictionaries literally say: person to command; direct; control; govern

"Region" is not written in Thai, just digit 4 appended.

All or most of Isan is region 4, so its a very generalized form and would adress the "head of immigration police region 4".

And this is NOT the first report in Thaivisa that I have read about such nitpicking.

For reference I typed both adresses in Thai:

old: เจ้าหน้าที่สำนักงานตรวจคนเข้าเมืองจังหวัดนครราชสีมา

new: ผู้บังคับการตรวจคนเข้าเมือง 4

Thanks for this

TL

[ubonjoe]

It would be division 4 immigration not region. http://division4.immigration.go.th/index.php/en.html

[KhunBENQ]

Just checked my Bangkok Bank letter for Khon Kaen immigration from September.

In English it says: superintendent of the immigration police division.

ผู้กำกับการกองตรวจคนเข้าเมือง

So it uses a different word for "head", seems to be an official title (ผู้กำกับการ, superintendent / chief of police).

No region division number appended. So even more "generalized".

Looks like "the boss" must be adressed

Edit: superintendent of the immigration police office -> superintendent of the immigration police division.

Edited November 8, 2014 by KhunBENQ

[KhunBENQ]

It would be division 4 immigration not region. http://division4.immigration.go.th/index.php/en.html

Looking at the site, I see that the "new" version for Korat is indeed the correct title for the head of immigration.

His title is:

ผบก.ตม.4 สตม.

ผบก.-> ผู้บังคับการ as seen in the "new" version.

[OJAS]

Looks to me very much like the Head Of Immigration Police Division 4 (or whatever he likes to call himself in Thai) - at whose behest this change has presumably been ordered - has a super-inflated ego.

Is he similarly fussy about the addressing of Embassy income confirmation letters? And is he now insisting on such letters being written solely in the Thai language?

Edited November 8, 2014 by OJAS

[Ken]

Looks to me very much like the Head Of Immigration Police Division 4 (or whatever he likes to call himself in Thai) - at whose behest this change has presumably been ordered - has a super-inflated ego.

Is he similarly fussy about the addressing of Embassy income confirmation letters? And is he now insisting on such letters being written solely in the Thai language?

Since I use the Embassy income letter method, that thought also crossed my mind. So far there has been no change reported in how the Embassy letters are addressed and English language is still accepted. Hope it stays that way. Someone else has said "Really what difference could it possibly make "who" the bank letter is addressed to as long as it is an official letter from the bank.". Really!

[Maestro]

It would be division 4 immigration not region. http://division4.immigration.go.th/index.php/en.html

The office of immigration division 4 seems to be in charge of several immigration offices and border checkpoints. Does this division office itself also directly issue extensions of stay? Or is it that the applications for certain types of stay, eg marriage extension, must be forwarded to the division office, hence the 30-day period under consideration?

The Immigration Act and regulations and rules based on it frequently make reference to "the Director General", for example as follows in the paragraph of Section 35 of the Immigration Act related to extensions of stay:

If it is deemed necessary that the aliens have to stay in the Kingdom Longer than the period of

time prescribed in the paragraphs (1) (2) (3) and (4) the Director General shall consider granting the

aliens extension of stay for a period not exceeding one year for each time. After granting permission , the

Director General shall report to the Commission for their information , with the reason , within seven days

from the date of granting.

"Director General" is defined in Section 4 of the Immigration Act as "Director General of the Police Department" (อธิบดีกรมตำรวจ)

I wonder whether the Korat immigration office would reject a bank letter addressed, in Thai using the terminology of the original Thai text of the law, to "The Director General of the Police Department" or alternatively to "The competent official (พนักงานเจ้าหน้าที่), Immigration Office of Nakhon Ratchasima".

Immigration Bureau Order 327/2557 does not say to whom the application for extension must be addressed.

The application form TM.7 addresses the application to the "Commissioner – General, Royal Thai Police" (ผู้บัญชาการตำรวจแห่งชาติ)

[ubonjoe]

Division 4 is over the northeastern region of the country.

My extension of stays based upon marriage have all been approved by division 4.

Immigration divisions by region are 3 for central (Bangkok) , 5 north (Chang Mai), 6 south (Hat Yai).

See: http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php?page=orgchart click on the divisions for their websites.