Immigration Promenada One Stop Service 2016-2017

[Konini]

Historically, the 'trained staff' at immigration will give different answers to the same question on requirements.  They have steadfastly refused to print off a document telling you exactly what is required for extension of stay.  I have fallen victim to this myself, with 2 different officers on the same day 6 hours apart giving me 2 different answers; as it turns out, neither was correct.

[NancyL]

2 hours ago, Konini said:

Historically, the 'trained staff' at immigration will give different answers to the same question on requirements.  They have steadfastly refused to print off a document telling you exactly what is required for extension of stay.  I have fallen victim to this myself, with 2 different officers on the same day 6 hours apart giving me 2 different answers; as it turns out, neither was correct.

How true.  Some of this may be deliberate on the part of Imm. to push the customers into using agents, some just may be due to lack of time or English language skills, some may be due to the higher ups changing the rules and procedures so often that the lower level Imm. employees aren't up-to-speed.  

 

The people staffing the "information desk"  at Imm. Prom are college interns and not the best source of information.  And as Konini says, Imm. Prom. has steadfastly refused to produce a document of sufficient detail to explain EXACTLY what is needed for common reasons to visit Immigration.  

 

I understand the Imm. officers in other provinces are kind, caring and take the time to answer questions properly.  Not so here in Chiang Mai.

[true blue]

22 minutes ago, NancyL said:

How true.  Some of this may be deliberate on the part of Imm. to push the customers into using agents, some just may be due to lack of time or English language skills, some may be due to the higher ups changing the rules and procedures so often that the lower level Imm. employees aren't up-to-speed.  

 

The people staffing the "information desk"  at Imm. Prom are college interns and not the best source of information.  And as Konini says, Imm. Prom. has steadfastly refused to produce a document of sufficient detail to explain EXACTLY what is needed for common reasons to visit Immigration.  

 

I understand the Imm. officers in other provinces are kind, caring and take the time to answer questions properly.  Not so here in Chiang Mai.

And why is that.pray tell me.there must be a compelling reason.why they are so indifferent apart from executive reasons.ive always found Thai people to be reasonable accommodating and pleasent.

[cusanus]

3 hours ago, true blue said:

And why is that.pray tell me.there must be a compelling reason.why they are so indifferent apart from executive reasons.ive always found Thai people to be reasonable accommodating and pleasent.

My apology for my enormous mug getting posted twice. Anyway, I am in Chiang Mai and I guess different people fare differently, because they've ALWAYS been top notch for me in every way here at Immigration. I winced a bit at having to pay the 1600 baht fine for the TM30, but that problem isn't unique to Chiang Mai and a very trivial inconvenience. I went through a lot of confusion when first arriving 11 years ago, but the language barrier was the biggest problem. Yes, I could have really used somebody to steer me through everything, there was a lot of trouble and I ended up getting skinned for about $10,000 with nobody to help, but I can't blame immigration for that.  My wife and I have helped several people get things ironed out when having a serious problem. She's Thai and an English teacher so everybody is lucky to know her. I've seen Immigration go through periods when it was terribly understaffed and watched them suffer a lot, but things are much better now. Perhaps the way to have the best possible experience is to avoid getting a critical attitude and try to be patient. I get a lot of answers here and other links via Google. One of the best is donslifeinthailand.com. 

[NancyL]

1 hour ago, cusanus said:

My apology for my enormous mug getting posted twice. Anyway, I am in Chiang Mai and I guess different people fare differently, because they've ALWAYS been top notch for me in every way here at Immigration. I winced a bit at having to pay the 1600 baht fine for the TM30, but that problem isn't unique to Chiang Mai and a very trivial inconvenience. I went through a lot of confusion when first arriving 11 years ago, but the language barrier was the biggest problem. Yes, I could have really used somebody to steer me through everything, there was a lot of trouble and I ended up getting skinned for about $10,000 with nobody to help, but I can't blame immigration for that.  My wife and I have helped several people get things ironed out when having a serious problem. She's Thai and an English teacher so everybody is lucky to know her. I've seen Immigration go through periods when it was terribly understaffed and watched them suffer a lot, but things are much better now. Perhaps the way to have the best possible experience is to avoid getting a critical attitude and try to be patient. I get a lot of answers here and other links via Google. One of the best is donslifeinthailand.com. 

This is EXACTLY what I was writing about.  Other parts of Thailand aren't enforcing TM30s, or if they are, they aren't fining 1600 baht.  And other parts of Thailand don't make it frustrating for the newly arrived.  See, Casuanus you got "skinned" for $10,000 -- to whom?  A visa agent.  Guess where part of that fee went?  It is in the interests of Imm. to stonewall newcomers, to give them incomplete information, to throw up roadblocks so that they go to see visa agents.

 

As for E/S saying he was well treated by the smiling college interns.  All they had to do was look at his passport or even the general way he conducted himself and know this wasn't his first rodeo in Chiang Mai.  And when he asked the directions to the new G4T office, they knew he was part of the "in crowd".

 

Why does Chiang Mai seems to be different than the rest of Thailand -- that's a good question, and one that we'll continue to ask as we transition on our way to a 10 year retirement visa in Sabah state, Borneo, Malaysia.  There are several reasons we're going, but the unchecked conditions at the CM Imm. office, i.e. the question of "indeed, why is it so much different than the rest of Thailand" is one of the reasons.  

[evenstevens]

2 hours ago, Thailand said:

 

And probably not too difficult for the students to point you in the direction of the visa agency with the very good cheap service?

the college girls  from Promenada Immgr Dept, absoulately in  no way ,flogged The G4T  visa agency services to E/S, in fact the late Northern John alluded me to their services, and he was on the money, when he posted, we all end up with the same stamp,which ever course we take
its a nice Troll evening to you

49 minutes ago, NancyL said:

 

 

As for E/S saying he was well treated by the smiling college interns.  All they had to do was look at his passport or even the general way he conducted himself and know this wasn't his first rodeo in Chiang Mai.  And when he asked the directions to the new G4T office, they knew he was part of the "in crowd".

 

 

check my activity file posts on G4T visa agency thread ,and other posts etc etc and show E/S  and members and guests in black and white,where i  ever, have asked for directions to,

G4T visa agency, via Promenada ,Immgr Dept  college girls, ,during my 2 visits there,  you just doing your usual stunt ,  twisting posting  situations,  around  to suit your dismal beleifs,which  are in  this case , fantasy land stuff

the Promenada Immgr Dept college girls,assisted E/S questions, in a very nice cordial manner,and they were under the pump, that particular morning too

a lovely evening to all

[Lizard2010]

7 minutes ago, evenstevens said:

the college girls  from Promenada Immgr Dept, absoulately in  no way ,flogged The G4T  visa agency services to E/S, in fact the late Northern John alluded me to their services, and he was on the money, when he posted, we all end up with the same stamp,which ever course we take
its a nice Troll evening to you

check my activity file posts on G4T visa agency thread ,and other posts etc etc and show E/S  and members and guests in black and white,where i  ever, have asked for directions to,

G4T visa agency, via Promenada ,Immgr Dept  college girls, ,during my 2 visits there,  you just doing your usual stunt ,  twisting posting  situations,  around  to suit your dismal beleifs,which  are in  this case , fantasy land stuff

the Promenada Immgr Dept college girls,assisted E/S questions, in a very nice cordial manner,and they were under the pump, that particular morning too

a lovely evening to all

ES

You do realise that there has been many changed at Immigration

This a fact

You may not know this AS you use G4T

Everyone to there own choice

Always had been always will

Unless things change in Chiang Nai immigration

So stop going on flogging the dead horse

This would put anyone of coming to Chiang Mai After reading all this bickering

This a true fact

Hopefully in future people can state Their experiences

This a New Year

Hopefully not to many complainers

I see a pattern going on now

IMHO

[true blue]

35 minutes ago, Lizard2010 said:

ES

You do realise that there has been many changed at Immigration

This a fact

You may not know this AS you use G4T

Everyone to there own choice

Always had been always will

Unless things change in Chiang Nai immigration

So stop going on flogging the dead horse

This would put anyone of coming to Chiang Mai After reading all this bickering

This a true fact

Hopefully in future people can state Their experiences

This a New Year

Hopefully not to many complainers

I see a pattern going on now

IMHO

Going Wednesday to imm for my one year sabbatical.see what all the fuss is about.

[evenstevens]

2 hours ago, NancyL said:

 

 

Why does Chiang Mai seems to be different than the rest of Thailand -- that's a good question, and one that we'll continue to ask as we transition on our way to a 10 year retirement visa in Sabah state, Borneo, Malaysia.  There are several reasons we're going, but the unchecked conditions at the CM Imm. office, i.e. the question of "indeed, why is it so much different than the rest of Thailand" is one of the reasons.

Sure,   if you   feel,   that  Cmai  Promenada Immgr Dept,  policys  etc etc, are giving you and hubby,   a raw deal, (  as  posted above )

go for it, !!!  and  may E/S,   wish  the  very best of luck,   to both of you.s    on your new retirement, in  Malaysia

Edited February 6, 2017 by evenstevens

[Mapguy]

ENOUGH,  ALREADY !!!!!  

 

Hey!   IMHO there is a big problem with this thread that has become more serious recently due to some personal grudges, individual poster rancor, and useless argumentation.  Far too few recent posts in the preceding "discussion"  are helpfully advancing others' (and especially newcomers') knowledge of Immigration requirements plus other helpful well-documented accurate practical experience.  Constantly berating the Chiang Mai office of the department is NOT useful, especially the kind of overt attacks one can read above.  

 

That certainly does not mean that my personal experiences at Promenada (and before --- I go way back) haven't been annoying or difficult from time to time.  I do happen to be among those who have never had a problem with staff or requirements, but the latter has taken some careful preparation including a lot of time spent and computer printer ink !!  Who ever loved a bureaucracy implementing the law and enforcing it ?!  I am not absolutlety saying that the department can't improve.  It certainly can --- and absolutely should ---  improve its performance.  On the other hand ---  after reading posts over more than ten years on this topic --- I believe that too many foreigners can't handle  ambiguity well or deal with practical difficulty without boiling over, and,most unfortunately seem to visit Chiang Mai Immigration with a misplaced sense of entitlement and/or appallingly rude dispositions and behavior, especially by Thai standards of behavior.

 

This thread needs to be continued.  Frustration and inconvenience are understood very well, but please be practical and constructive, not to just register complaints, enter into personal tit-for-tat argumentation, or launch vendettas.  Not helpful!

 

Cheers!   

Edited February 6, 2017 by Mapguy

[metisdead]

Insulting posts, troll posts, inflammatory posts and replies have been removed.

[balo]

8 hours ago, NancyL said:

This is EXACTLY what I was writing about.  Other parts of Thailand aren't enforcing TM30s, or if they are, they aren't fining 1600 baht.  And other parts of Thailand don't make it frustrating for the newly arrived

 

Exactly , that's why I do my 90 day report in Pattaya , even if I live in C.M now  , I have a 2nd address in Pattaya I can use and I just keep my mouth shut and avoid CM immigration .

 

No fees to worry about , no TM30 , everything is smooth . 

 

 

 

 

 

.  . 

 

 

[evenstevens]

4 hours ago, balo said:

 

Exactly , that's why I do my 90 day report in Pattaya , even if I live in C.M now  , I have a 2nd address in Pattaya I can use and I just keep my mouth shut and avoid CM immigration .

 

No fees to worry about , no TM30 , everything is smooth .

 

 

 

 

 

.  .

 

 

E/S could ,nt put enuff money on ,that if , you were caught by the Immgr  Dept,  doing the above sham,and fined accordingly ,you would be first, to scream blue murder

over the years ,these type of shams, etc etc to beat the Promenada Immgr  Dept, sadly  make the law abiding expats  life,  at the Promenada Immgr Dept far more difficult, to do business with, simple as that

a nice morning to all

 

[Sparkles]

7 hours ago, balo said:

 

Exactly , that's why I do my 90 day report in Pattaya , even if I live in C.M now  , I have a 2nd address in Pattaya I can use and I just keep my mouth shut and avoid CM immigration .

 

No fees to worry about , no TM30 , everything is smooth . 

 

 

 

 

 

.  . 

 

 

Boasting that you circumvent the Immigration system is not smart.

 

To follow the rules,albeit at times frustrating, takes very little effort especially when you can do 90 day reporting by mail, as most of us do.

One visit to Immigration  every 12 months is hardly a massive burden.

 

Most of us agree that CM Immigration needs an overhaul and that is an issue that one day may be achieved but not by foreigners deliberately breaking the laws.

Edited February 7, 2017 by Sparkles

[true blue]

Slightly digressing.any knowledgeable person let us know what exchange rate mechanism imm use for income letter ext of stay.as rate are varying daily.

[Lizard2010]

1 hour ago, true blue said:

Slightly digressing.any knowledgeable person let us know what exchange rate mechanism imm use for income letter ext of stay.as rate are varying daily.

I just use the Bangkok Bank link as below

I believe most Banks rates are within a few baht

 

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/WebServices/Rates/Pages/FX_Rates.aspx

 

[true blue]

3 hours ago, Lizard2010 said:

I just use the Bangkok Bank link as below

I believe most Banks rates are within a few baht

 

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/WebServices/Rates/Pages/FX_Rates.aspx

 

Cheers for info.i use Bkk bank as guide.but I wondered what imm use do they have a fixed figure or go by a daily rate.suppose will find out tommorow.im okay up to 42 baht but it's hovering around that now.could get branch letter but bit late for that.

[EricTh]

On 2/6/2017 at 0:35 PM, NancyL said:

 

 

The people staffing the "information desk"  at Imm. Prom are college interns and not the best source of information.  

 

Their college interns change from time to time. Most of them, if not all, have very poor English understanding other than the very basics taught in schools which is insufficient.

 

Many times, I get answers irrelevant to my questions and yet they don't know how to say 'I don't understand what you are saying'. It is that bad.

 

In those times of difficult communication, I switch to whatever basic Thai language skills I have.

 

 

 

[opalred]

what country are we in and they don't speak English proppper

are the forms in English or Thai

maybe they all  need to enroll in trump university  

 

 

[EricTh]

I am not sure whether the interns are paid by the government or not.

 

If it is entirely voluntary, perhaps it is better for some kind-hearted foreign retirees who can speak good English to help other English speaking tourists/residents just like what NancyL is doing but at the immigration information desk in Promenada. These foreign retirees can rotate the days among themselves. 

 

I am sorry to say that the level of English is better in other South East Asian countries. My basic Thai is better than their basic English.

 

 

Edited February 7, 2017 by EricTh

[briley]

15 hours ago, true blue said:

Cheers for info.i use Bkk bank as guide.but I wondered what imm use do they have a fixed figure or go by a daily rate.suppose will find out tommorow.im okay up to 42 baht but it's hovering around that now.could get branch letter but bit late for that.

They use Bangkok bank rate.

[NancyL]

10 hours ago, EricTh said:

I am not sure whether the interns are paid by the government or not.

 

If it is entirely voluntary, perhaps it is better for some kind-hearted foreign retirees who can speak good English to help other English speaking tourists/residents just like what NancyL is doing but at the immigration information desk in Promenada. These foreign retirees can rotate the days among themselves. 

 

I am sorry to say that the level of English is better in other South East Asian countries. My basic Thai is better than their basic English.

 

 

The Consular Corp has floated the idea of foreign retirees offering their services to help explain procedures, fill out forms etc at Imm. Prom.  Not just English speaking, but also German and Japanese.  This is done with great effect in Phuket.  This idea has been proposed several times over the years and also met with indifference or outright rejection by CM Immigration, when a well-developed serious proposal was presented. I've come to realize that they don't want foreigners getting too close to observe what's really going on.

[EricTh]

2 hours ago, NancyL said:

The Consular Corp has floated the idea of foreign retirees offering their services to help explain procedures, fill out forms etc at Imm. Prom.  Not just English speaking, but also German and Japanese.  This is done with great effect in Phuket.  This idea has been proposed several times over the years and also met with indifference or outright rejection by CM Immigration, when a well-developed serious proposal was presented. I've come to realize that they don't want foreigners getting too close to observe what's really going on.

 

Oh! Thanks for the history.

 

Is it because CM immigration staff are xenophobic or do they fear that the 'agents' such as GT4 will lose business if the customers are no longer confused.

 

I went last week to Promenada and noticed one Thai intern trying very hard to explain to a Chinese tourist. 

 

Edited February 8, 2017 by EricTh

[sappersrest]

3 hours ago, NancyL said:

The Consular Corp has floated the idea of foreign retirees offering their services to help explain procedures, fill out forms etc at Imm. Prom.  Not just English speaking, but also German and Japanese.  This is done with great effect in Phuket.  This idea has been proposed several times over the years and also met with indifference or outright rejection by CM Immigration, when a well-developed serious proposal was presented. I've come to realize that they don't want foreigners getting too close to observe what's really going on.

What really is going on? 

The idea of foreign retirees helping at immigration is ludicrous , going by a large percentage of posters on here , they would be telling immigration we don't do it it like that in our own country!!

ps I don't have a problem with immigration and yes I do use an agent for our annual extensions  works great for me

[chuang]

15 hours ago, EricTh said:

I am not sure whether the interns are paid by the government or not.

 

If it is entirely voluntary, perhaps it is better for some kind-hearted foreign retirees who can speak good English to help other English speaking tourists/residents just like what NancyL is doing but at the immigration information desk in Promenada. These foreign retirees can rotate the days among themselves. 

 

I am sorry to say that the level of English is better in other South East Asian countries. My basic Thai is better than their basic English.

 

 

No they are not paid..waiting for their uni results..

[EricTh]

22 minutes ago, chuang said:

No they are not paid..waiting for their uni results..

 

I think they might be taking this opportunity to practise their English.

 

 

[EricTh]

2 hours ago, sappersrest said:

What really is going on? 

The idea of foreign retirees helping at immigration is ludicrous ,

 

There is nothing 'ludicrous' about this. They are there to help out fellow foreigners.

 

Some foreign retirees who has been living in Thailand for umpteen years like NancyL has tons of information and can explain the procedures better than those interns and with shorter time.

 

Of course, immigration must choose suitable retirees carefully. Maybe they can have the same benefits as the interns.

 

[true blue]

5 hours ago, EricTh said:

 

There is nothing 'ludicrous' about this. They are there to help out fellow foreigners.

 

Some foreign retirees who has been living in Thailand for umpteen years like NancyL has tons of information and can explain the procedures better than those interns and with shorter time.

 

Of course, immigration must choose suitable retirees carefully. Maybe they can have the same benefits as the interns.

 

Ye but would they give u a work permit.after taking a job of a Thai

After a visit to imm today.with all that flotsam walking around its a wonder they give out visas to half of them.there is plenty of notices in view explaining in detail all the necessary criteria for each application one needs.thats of course if one can read english.

[opalred]

wake up where are you living as a guest

there country there rules

you want to go into there workplace and tell them what to do now

don't tell me to help them

and make better for the work  place

or your own interests

would you like Thai people coming into the USA immigration

telling you  how to run your country's immigration

as for the spokesperson for the English cec  club

do you want Chinese japan es Indian and other country's here to

 

we can have a real circus and sell tickets 

 

 

[NancyL]

6 hours ago, EricTh said:

 

I think they might be taking this opportunity to practise their English.

 

 

Or maybe find a nice Sugar Daddy to be their mentor.  And I don't mean from among the customers.