Immigration woes —- Again?

[connda]

Moving out of Chiang Mai to Lamphun has made me a happy camper.  No more dealing with Chiang Mai immigration.  Lamphun is definitely life in the slow lane, and that has it's perks come extension time.  This year we walked into the immigration office at about 800am and I walked out with and one year stamp thirty minutes later.  And the average time for processing a 90 day report is about 5 minutes.   Happy, happy - joy, joy.   
Given the increasing traffic, congestion, urban-crowding, and the unique Chiang Mai immigration experience, I don't see why more retirees don't opt to bail out of the city and the province.  Especially when an optimist like FolkGuitar starts to bemoan that CM Immigration experience we all know and love! 

[Elkski]

What imagration office was op talking about?  CM?   I hate line sitters.  The first ran into this idea being used by the Uber  rich easterners who spend summers in their park city 4 million $ houses.   They have nice outdoor concerts at  the base of Deer valley ski area.   But it's mostly lawn seating, blankets or low chairs.   But here it's more like 1000 baht for some gen x line sitter ski bum.  Hate it!!  I wonder if that job in Thailand is reserved for Thai only?

[Wandr]

Can someone from the Chiang Mai area use the Lamphun office?

I live south of the city and Lamphun is not all that far. It may be the same distance as the CM office.

 

[moe666]

I have never figured out the drama about CM immigration, I have used both offices the Airport office and the shopping center. Not really a problem at either location, I have done it myself and hired agents as well. Even when Nancy was on it about immigration I had no problem getting the work done yes it took a few hours but I can read there as easy as home.

[edwarda909]

14 hours ago, pgrahmm said:

Flew back into the country on the 8th after 3 month holiday - visa renewal due by the 9th.....

 

Went to an agent = spent one hour at immigration was done & gone, complete with multiple entry.....

 

Didn't want to take the chance that I'd might have omitted something or a procedural/paper change took place while out of the country.....No wiggle room for a mistake....

 

Yes, there was a horde of people there.....Many were called to the desk for wrong or incomplete paperwork during the hour I spent there....

 

 

who was your  agent?

[naboo]

2 hours ago, Wandr said:

Can someone from the Chiang Mai area use the Lamphun office?

I live south of the city and Lamphun is not all that far. It may be the same distance as the CM office.

 

No, not possible. 

 

As a Lamphun resident, it's a great office. But outsiders are not welcome.

[likeke]

So, I guess we are talking about CM immigration, right? Because it was never stated. 

[connda]

9 minutes ago, likeke said:

So, I guess we are talking about CM immigration, right? Because it was never stated. 

I'm thinking that Chiang Mai immigration is the only office that has the dubious distinction of needing either an agent or a line-sitter to show up at 2am in order to get you a place in the queue so that you can process a visa extension.  Like, where else in Thailand does this happen?  I don't believe anywhere. 

[MyFriend You]

16 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

In by 8:00am -  out by 10:00am   Total cost: 300 baht

Back at my computer now so easier to give the full story. We hired a line sitter from a local travel agency. He got there at 2am but was only able to get seats 9 and 10 for my wife and me. There were eight people there before he arrived at 2am... We arrived at 8:00am and there were already 150 people lined up in the Visa Extension line. At 8:30 an Imm officer came out and handed out tickets... about forty of them. All the rest of the people left. By that time there were at least 175 queued up.  We went inside, waited until our numbers were called, sat in front of the officer for less than 10 minutes, had out photos taken, and told to wait. We waited about 10 minutes and our names were called and passports given back. We left.

 

The first time or two that I renewed, I used AssistThaiVisa as I didn't know the system. But these days, we simply make multiple photocopies of everything needed so we have a set to use the next time without fretting over what might be required. We add in the fresh bank book copies and bank letter (getting the bank letter took 10 minutes the day before,) and that's that. No stress. No worries, and no longer a need to spend 12,000 for two people to renew. We spent 300 baht. Instead of an hour with ThaiVisa, we spent two hours at Immigration. 

 

ThaiVisa does provide 90-day reporting service for 1,500 baht.  We just mail ours in for 35 baht EMS charge. Instead of driving to ThaiVisa to do it, we walk to the post office.  Choices.

 

There are perfectly valid reasons to use a full service Visa agent such as Assist Thai Visa. If you've never done it before and want to make sure that you've dotted all the t's and crossed all the i's, a service is great.  But once you've done it a few times, the only inconvenience of doing it yourself is getting to Immigration at zero:dark thirty.  A line sitter takes care of that very nicely.  As I said, in by 8, out by 10, and all's in order for another year in the Land of Smiles.

 

Sorry, I didn't see where this was, Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket????  Thanx and welcome back.

[pgrahmm]

4 hours ago, edwarda909 said:

who was your  agent?

I just went with Tian upstairs....Went with the closest one to the immigration office....

 

[bkk6060]

11 hours ago, connda said:

Moving out of Chiang Mai to Lamphun has made me a happy camper.  No more dealing with Chiang Mai immigration.  Lamphun is definitely life in the slow lane, and that has it's perks come extension time.  This year we walked into the immigration office at about 800am and I walked out with and one year stamp thirty minutes later.  And the average time for processing a 90 day report is about 5 minutes.   Happy, happy - joy, joy.   
Given the increasing traffic, congestion, urban-crowding, and the unique Chiang Mai immigration experience, I don't see why more retirees don't opt to bail out of the city and the province.  Especially when an optimist like FolkGuitar starts to bemoan that CM Immigration experience we all know and love! 

Well, you must be the luckiest person on TV living in Lamphun.  Congratulations!

Happy happy- joy joy........

[grin]

FYI to those that seem to have missed that they are browsing on the Chiang Mai forum, yes, we are talking about Chiang Mai immigration.

[FolkGuitar]

4 hours ago, TunnelRat69 said:

Sorry, I didn't see where this was, Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket????  Thanx and welcome back.

 

It's hard...  It's so hard.... But I'll be good.   LOL!

It was in Chiang Mai Immigration.

[FolkGuitar]

12 hours ago, connda said:

  Especially when an optimist like FolkGuitar starts to bemoan that CM Immigration experience we all know and love! 

 

Heck,  I'm so optimistic, I think yesterday can get better.

But 'bemoan?' Never!  Or was this just you using the wrong English word?

[Mansell]

I would guess the reason there is such a long slow wait in Chiang Mai is because there are supposedly 10,000 farangs living in that city. 365 days in a year, take out the weekends, the Thai holidays, and whatever that leaves for the days Immigration is open divided into 10,000 and there is the problem. Let's say 240 days into 10,000 and you have say 42 a day. But many days probably have many multiples of that number and there lies the problem.

Even Phuket was way better than CM, fastest 90 day report was under two minutes. And here in Korat probably ten minutes.....have the joys of the year extension in September, but don't see any issues as life is pretty laid back in this city.

[hml367]

Thursday, 11 May, I had an appointment to meet the agent at Immigration at 1:30 p.m. for annual extension of permission to stay and re-entry permit.   Before 2:00 p.m. the permission to stay was complete.  I walked to Rim Ping to meet my wife and as soon as I got to Rim Ping I got a call to meet the agent again for the re-entry permit.

 

All done, including a little shopping at Rim Ping, and driving home at 7 minutes after 2 p.m.

 

It is worth the price of the agency to me.... Don't ask me the price, call an agency and ask them.  There seems to be varying prices.

 

By the way, the Immigration office was not even near being full inside or outside.

[rumak]

12 hours ago, naboo said:

No, not possible. 

 

As a Lamphun resident, it's a great office. But outsiders are not welcome.

And insiders should keep some things to themselves .  Not that i fear much......Lamphun province is very dull  !     

[naboo]

4 hours ago, rumak said:

And insiders should keep some things to themselves .  Not that i fear much......Lamphun province is very dull  !     

 

Agreed. Nothing to do in Lamphun, as dull as dishwater. Stay in Chiang Mai.

[rumak]

14 minutes ago, naboo said:

 

Agreed. Nothing to do in Lamphun, as dull as dishwater. Stay in Chiang Mai.

please get khun connda to admit that Lamphun is definitely not the place to be.  I am afraid he is going

to give those cm folk the wrong impression    

[totally thaied up]

Not had problems with Immigration for years now.

 

No longer than an hour and 15 minutes a year at the most. 

 

As for Lamphun, it has changed a lot. I lived there for seven years once. I would go back to live in the city area again with ease. Decent food, plenty of places to drink if you wish and Lamphun girls are cute and in abundance. 24-hour coffee shops, BigC has what you need. Need to speak a basic form of Thai though.

 

Not as boring as most make it seem to be. 

[eyecatcher]

after reading this I am now trying to work out why The 90 day reporters ( in and out in 5 every time) are now all filling in customer satisfaction sheets.

earlier this week I was asked questions such as cleanliness in the receotion area, politeness and expediency of staff and were you satisfied with the waiting times.

 

For 90 day reporters the results of the survey are obviously going to impress someone.

 

But my guess is that those questionnaires are not being targetted at the whinging old bas...retirement extensions

[EricTh]

On 5/10/2018 at 9:15 AM, jeffandgop said:

I went yesterday (Wed) to try to process my retirement extension. I arrived at 0930 and was turned away as all que numbers had already been passed out. Anyone confirm that IMM is still doing 25 retirement extensions in the morning and 25 more in the afternoon (bring their self imposed limitations)?

Some poster said max was 40 for the day.

[ThaiPauly]

I will NEVER use an agent until I get turned away from an early start.

 

It's not that I can't afford it, it's the principle and those that know me know that this has always been my position

[CNXBKKMAN]

55 minutes ago, eyecatcher said:

after reading this I am now trying to work out why The 90 day reporters ( in and out in 5 every time) are now all filling in customer satisfaction sheets.

earlier this week I was asked questions such as cleanliness in the receotion area, politeness and expediency of staff and were you satisfied with the waiting times.

 

For 90 day reporters the results of the survey are obviously going to impress someone.

 

But my guess is that those questionnaires are not being targetted at the whinging old bas...retirement extensions

I filled out one of those questionaires earlier this week when i did my 90 day report which took 15 mins total at 16:00. Yes i scored them top marks on cleanliness and politeness, ticked the box that said i wasn't asked for a bribe but the last question, How satisfied are you with CM immigration? or whatever it was i scored them the lowest "very dissatisfied" and gave the reasons, too far from the city and online 90 day reporting doesn't work. The two staff agreed with me 100%.

[naboo]

If an agent can do it through an app, there's no reason why immigration can't do it through an app. I'll wait for the app from immigration.

[MyFriend You]

On 5/11/2018 at 3:36 AM, FolkGuitar said:

 

It's hard...  It's so hard.... But I'll be good.   LOL!

It was in Chiang Mai Immigration.

It's a hard raaaain thats a'gonna fall..

[amexpat]

On 5/11/2018 at 8:32 PM, CNXBKKMAN said:

and online 90 day reporting doesn't work.

You really should have said "I can't get 90 day reporting to work".

 

 

[FolkGuitar]

I have to give credit to my wife. She's remarkably organized.

Once a year she spends 30 minutes photocopying all our documents; the forms that we will need every 90 days for reporting plus the envelopes to mail them in, all the forms for the one-year visa renewal, etc.  Everything that will be needed for the upcoming year, without the dates on them. We haven't 'filled out' a form in years, only added dates and signatures, and the occasional departure card number.

 

Then... when the time rolls around, all we need to do is sign and date the forms, add what ever recent documents might be needed (TM-30, Bank Statements, etc.) and either drop them off at the post office or spend an hour or two at Immigration.

 

... and I don't even have to pay her 12,000 baht to do it!

 

 

[bkk6060]

10 minutes ago, FolkGuitar said:

I have to give credit to my wife. She's remarkably organized.

Once a year she spends 30 minutes photocopying all our documents; the forms that we will need every 90 days for reporting plus the envelopes to mail them in, all the forms for the one-year visa renewal, etc.  Everything that will be needed for the upcoming year, without the dates on them. We haven't 'filled out' a form in years, only added dates and signatures, and the occasional departure card number.

 

Then... when the time rolls around, all we need to do is sign and date the forms, add what ever recent documents might be needed (TM-30, Bank Statements, etc.) and either drop them off at the post office or spend an hour or two at Immigration.

 

... and I don't even have to pay her 12,000 baht to do it!

 

 

HA.  And not all of us need a Mommy to do it.......

[naboo]

My wife has been doing mine for years. Last time, a new bit of paperwork - she now needs a form of consent signed by me to do the report for me. The first time Lamphun immigration have introduced a silly idea.