New immigration boss vows deep investigation of expats

[YetAnother]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

people who are requesting a long-stay permit will be thoroughly investigated for the safety of the community and the nation, he said.

what ?! what in the world does the fact that i am thoroughly investigated (whatever that means) have to do with the security of thailand; ; people saying/thinking like this in authority is stunning (stunningly bad)

[transam]

Perhaps the guys team is going to walk around all the bars and take photos of farang birds and blokes that are obviously doing Thai jobs.....The writing perhaps is on the wall, he don't take tea money...

[steven100]

Alot of worried TV farangs 

[Thai Ron]

Predictable cries of innocence from the unimpeachable farang expat set every last one of whom has a genuine marriage to a Thai national as the basis for his marriage extension or genuinely has the 800k seasoned for 3 months in a Thai account every time he applies for his retirement extension.

 

I've no idea how all those dodgy "agents" are still in business because no farangs needs to use them.

 

[MichaelJohn]

How about starting with the Airbnb tourists who live "illegally" in condo's and don't register their address with immigration.

 

[Spellforce]

Maybe they will introduce what they are requiring for the married farangs < 50 years old without kid: the presence a thai witness WITH a Tabian Ban in the same district of application... and every year !

 

Such witness is not that easy to find in Pattaya/Jomtien: Tabian Ban in Nongprue = that thai witness owns a condo/house so he has a good job. Then you'll have to find a "middle class" thai witness that will agree to quit his job 2-3 hours to be interviewed in Jomtien.

Edited July 7, 2017 by Spellforce

[mogo51]

2 hours ago, SoFarAndNear said:

How about controlling the officers in charge not to take anymore bribes?! You want only good and honest foreigners, how about start being honest yourself? 

Well said.

[uptoyoumyfriend]

it translates to  : more money for them more hassle for us.

[Chicken George]

2 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Interesting, back in Oz when I applied for my Mrs to get a permanent residency visa, she had to provide police checks from back in Thailand, this was again carried out when she applied for her Citizenship.

 

Perhaps they are catching with the rest if the world, no doubt if it isn't BS, we will have to provide them with some more paperwork, oh, dear, oh my...

 

 

Well I get what you are saying but..  Perminant residency is so different from a yearly visa extension.. 

I do wonder if the checks when entering Thailand on passports is actually done?  So many crimes seem to be hanging out here. 

I wish he would say in future all payments to imergration officers will be confirmed by the issuing of a receit. 

[Psimbo]

1 hour ago, Lupatria said:

It is said a former Pattaya Police chief paid 1 million baht for his chair...

I think you will find its an awful lot more than that.

[Psimbo]

23 minutes ago, FinChin67 said:

New immigration boss vows deep investigation of expats

=

The bribes are going to increase

Why? I've been dealing with Immigration for nearly 14 years and never paid a bribe. 

 

I don't deal with agents and do everything face to face.

Edited July 7, 2017 by Psimbo

[ThailandLOS]

I suppose half of Pattaya is trembling now

[Dexlowe]

Don't panic. It's just another self-important little big man trying to prove that he's an important little big man. As others have indicated earlier, it's what you say not what you do, because if you don't do what you say, no one is going to criticise you under the rule of krieng jai.

[cyberfarang]

44 minutes ago, pumpjack said:

wow ,  they really are fuc****g  themselves over ...good bye thailand

And have no doubts if immigration get serious about investigating the activities of long stay westerners in Thailand, you`ll have plenty of company on your flight out.

[KKr]

Good idea.
a statement from the country of Nationality and the country of latest residences' police that the person is not wanted, and is not on a list of offenders to the best of their knowledge.
Compulsory in all places where I stayed before ! 

Wonder why many posters are pre-occupied with bribes, would be easier to just get your docs in order.

Or, maybe there is some perverted pleasure in paying money when it is not required, or trying to solicit bribe taking ?

[Jimbo2014]

Well that should help eliminate about 0.0001% of serious crimes.  Im sure every tourist will feel much safer and sure to encourage much needed foreign investment (not).  Yet another CRACKDOWN!  Saddle up.

[spidermike007]

Let us continue to give the ex-pat community a warm and fuzzy feeling. Let us continue to improve their lives and make sure they stay, and remain happy and fulfilled.

 

One wonders what these guys are thinking. Are they thinking? Do they want us out? Are they deliberately trying to discourage us from living here? Sooner or later many of us will move on. A lot of foreigners who live her, bring alot to the table. They contribute to their communities on alot of levels. Whether it be through business, a different perspective (that this place so desperately needs), or just the income they spend here, they are enriching Thailand with their presence, in my opinion. And a smart, forward thinking, and visionary government would take that into account, and make things easier, not harder. Granted there are some here who are undesirable. But, there are ways of screening them, without putting the burden on most of us, who are hard working souls, or retired individuals, who lead good, honest lives, and do not bring harm to anyone in the process.

 

To the new commissioner, I have this to say: Get a life, and try to peer outside of that ridiculously tiny box of convention that you live within. There is a whole world out there. Repeat after me 100 times. Thailand is not the center of the universe. 

[mikosan]

When I applied for my original Non-Immigrant O-A visa in Australia I had to provide a police report.  Since then I've lived here, so they can check their own records to see if I'm good or bad.  I have no fears about them doing that whatsoever.

 

[transam]

Just now, mikosan said:

When I applied for my original Non-Immigrant O-A visa in Australia I had to provide a police report.  Since then I've lived here, so they can check their own records to see if I'm good or bad.  I have no fears about them doing that whatsoever.

 

Records....Does LOS have those...?

[kcpattaya]

New position - new ambition

[David Walden]

All it needs for retirement visas is some consistency.  Just be able to prove you have Bt800,000 in a bank in Thailand or in your home country and access to your personal data from your home country or if for a tourist visa like in Malaysia where you front up to immigration look at the camera put your thumb on the spot place your passport on the machine and 30 seconds later you have a 3 months tourist visa don't even need to tell them your coming.  And "have a nice holiday from the officer."

 

You fool around for 2 months to get a Thai Tourist visa, you can only get them in your home country it can take up to 3 weeks, some Consuls have different rules and when you wish to extend it to 3 months in Thailand it can take a whole day of stuffing around.  Getting more passport photos 3 copies of everything spending up to 3 hours at immigration, traveling up to 100km ( yes each time)...and what do they tell you we need more tourists...what a joke. 

 

All this palava with different immigration offices and Thai embassies with different rules.  Even different consuls in the same country have different rules as is the case in Australia...what a wast of time for honest tourists who just want to spend money, love Thai people and want to help the Thai economy.  They really need to pull their finger out...TIT  

Edited July 7, 2017 by David Walden

[phitsanulokjohn]

3 hours ago, DeeMak9 said:

So much problems they cause those legal expats with legal long term visas!!

I can well understand the aggravation,but if as you say" you are a legal expat"then there's nothing to fear either.

[hgma]

3 hours ago, Dogmatix said:

He added that illegal immigrants and international criminals will also be a priority.

 

This looks to be nothing more than a reafirmation of existing policy.  International criminals are already given priority, as long as they can pay, e.g. the boiler room gangs that have been allowed to operate out of Pattaya and occasionally murder each other in turf wars.  Tony Kenway was allowed to operate a criminal enterprise employing a number of boiler room boys in Pattaya for many years without so much as a work permit for the lot of them.  He didn't even bother to register a company.  I would guess that is par for the course for well heeled criminals willing to pay.  

 

Perhaps the policy will actually be stated as  good crims in, bad crims out.     

 

* Definitions: good crims = those who pay generously; bad crims = those who pay very little or not at all.  

 

 

This brings shivers down my spine, believing i can bring up a family in this country without a hassle.......so in my case....no hustles or bustles in tis country!

[DerekMarshall]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Part of that will be ensuring that those on long-term visas are safe to have in the country. Therefore, people who are requesting a long-stay permit will be thoroughly investigated for the safety of the community and the nation, he said

With Immigration being a department of RTP how about investigating some of the local Thai mafias and keeping tourist's and long term foreigners safe?. 

 

All them pesky foreigners get into trouble all by themselves don't they? All that crime in Chonburi is all them white folks fault! 

 

 

[Thai Ron]

1 hour ago, pumpjack said:

wow ,  they really are fuc****g  themselves over ...good bye thailand

How so?

By making sure that foreigners are genuinely married and living with their wives?

By making sure "retirees" actually have the 65K monthly or 800K annual funds?

If deep investigation's gonna cause you a problem, you might as well go now because if your income can't meet the soft-touch criteria, frankly you're no use to Thailand anyway, mate.

[ukrules]

Thailand generally doesn't offer long term visas, the most that you normally get is 1 year which is DEFINITELY NOT long term using any definition of the word.

 

A long term visa would be 5 or 10 years. Strangely enough you can buy one of these from Thailand Elite at which point there are only basic checks. As you need to buy the TE visa it's not a generally available visa for anyone to apply for, it's issued outside of the regular immigration service.

[FredNL]

So Pattaya will become a ghost town in the future as they will get rid of all foreign criminals.

Thai criminals don't like competition...

[bbi1]

Retirement visa holders, student visa holders, &work permit holders beware. You're on his watchlist :)

[bbi1]

1 hour ago, pumpjack said:

wow ,  they really are fuc****g  themselves over ...good bye thailand

See ya buddy. Which country are you going to?

[greenchair]

Good bye pattaya.

Hello huahin.