Immigration Address Check On Saturday For Visa

[haymanpl]

Curious if anyone knows why the immigration police want to meet me at my rented villa on a Saturday to check where i live?

 

I have lived in Thailand for approx. 10 years on a marriage and retirement visa and they have never done this before.

 

Seems strange that they want to check on a Saturday.

 

They have kept my passport and told me they will return it on Saturday. Feel like they might ask for money to return it after showing them my bank statement when applying to renew my visa today.

[marcusarelus]

Retirement extension or Marriage extension?

[johng]

Its unusual for them to keep your passport...never had that happen to me...last year and this they want to come and interview my wife and I at our home...previous 6 years they didn't.

[Orton Rd]

Nobody is allowed to keep your passport without permission, are you sure they were genuine?

[haymanpl]

38 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Retirement extension or Marriage extension?

Retirement.

[haymanpl]

28 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Nobody is allowed to keep your passport without permission, are you sure they were genuine?

Yes, directly from the immigration office.

[elviajero]

2 hours ago, haymanpl said:

Seems strange that they want to check on a Saturday.

 

They have kept my passport and told me they will return it on Saturday. Feel like they might ask for money to return it after showing them my bank statement when applying to renew my visa today.

Visits are nothing unusual but rare for retirement applications. Immigration work seven days a week even though the offices are usually only open for five.

 

It’s been known for the visiting officers to try to scam some “petrol money”!

[marcusarelus]

Did they come?  Did you get your passport?

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Did they come?  Did you get your passport?

You are a day early asking that question. It is not Saturday yet.

 

[JimSaints]

What Immigration Office do they come from ?

[holy cow cm]

<removed>

My 2 questions are still, plus one newly added one:

1. Was it a man or woman who took the passport in the application interview?

2. What office?

3. Are you still married to the Thai man?

 

Edited March 16, 2019 by ubonjoe
removed off topic comment

[ubonjoe]

19 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

My 2 questions are still, plus one newly added one:

1. Was it a man or woman who took the passport in the application interview?

2. What office?

3. Are you still married to the Thai man?

I see no where in the OP where there is any mention of being married to a Thai.

[ubonjoe]

A post with quotes and no replies to them have been removed.

[soalbundy]

On 3/14/2019 at 12:26 PM, haymanpl said:

Yes, directly from the immigration office.

Unusual that they kept the passport. By my extension (retirement) 2 years ago I had an 'extension renewal under consideration' remark made on a slip of paper in my passport which was given back to me, 5 days later they visited me at my house and after some paperwork there they told me to bring my passport to the IO for the extension. Nothing like that has happened since.

[EricTh]

Maybe they suspect something is amiss with your application.

 

do tell us what happened after.

[holy cow cm]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

I see no where in the OP where there is any mention of being married to a Thai.

Here is  y reply UBJ. No post of a quote this time, only reply. It was stated 10 yrs on marriage and retirement visa. 

 

 

Edited March 16, 2019 by holy cow cm

[RJRS1301]

On 3/14/2019 at 2:57 PM, Orton Rd said:

Nobody is allowed to keep your passport without permission, are you sure they were genuine?

The passport belongs to the issuing country. I understand there are times you have to surrender it to have visa entry stamps put in it. Do you have a certified copy of the bio page?

were you issued a receipt for the passport?

 

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, holy cow cm said:

Here is  y reply UBJ. No post of a quote this time, only reply. It was stated 10 yrs on marriage and retirement visa. 

 

 

But no mention of what kind of extension they meant by marriage.

Since they mentioned retirement it might be calling an extension as a spouse of a person that has an extension based upon retirement, Many people incorrectly call them marriage extensions..

[holy cow cm]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

But no mention of what kind of extension they meant by marriage.

Since they mentioned retirement it might be calling an extension as a spouse of a person that has an extension based upon retirement, Many people incorrectly call them marriage extensions..

Yeah know what you mean. I hope she returns with the IO visit update and replies to my questions which would clarify what way she was talking. 

[JimGant]

Ask them when they come if they wouldn't mind if you had your cell phone motion picture option going............. Better yet, don't ask, just do -- might get a more interesting result. (But not sure about laws regarding filming without permission.........).

[NoshowJones]

On 3/14/2019 at 1:53 PM, elviajero said:

Visits are nothing unusual but rare for retirement applications. Immigration work seven days a week even though the offices are usually only open for five.

 

It’s been known for the visiting officers to try to scam some “petrol money”!

It certainly is, give them nothing.

[4MyEgo]

On 3/14/2019 at 3:42 PM, haymanpl said:

I have lived in Thailand for approx. 10 years on a marriage and retirement visa and they have never done this before.

 

Seems strange that they want to check on a Saturday.

1) From my experience, getting an extension based on marriage to a Thai, they have to visit and take photos with you and them to put in the application, that was my experience, never done on the extension based on retirement when I originally did one.

 

2) Keeping your passport, well that's a new one, maybe they want to make sure you will be home, as opposed to them showing up and you not being there.

 

3) Now depending on how far they have to travel they might as someone else suggested ask you for some tea money, or petrol money as was the case with me, a 3 hours return trip, 1,500 baht, I didn't argue with them

 

As many others have requested, please give us an update once they have come over.

[skytrooper70]

The past two years, I submitted my US pp, on a Friday morning, for retirement visa extension. Both times, I was told to return, with a picture of me in front of my house, on Monday afternoon, to pick it up. No real choice but to relinquish the pp.

[haymanpl]

17 hours ago, EricTh said:

Maybe they suspect something is amiss with your application.

 

do tell us what happened after.

He came and went very quickly, Only 1 person, who was the same guy as the one who stamped the application at the Phuket town immigration office. He took 3 photos of me and him, of me alone and of me and my partner, all in front of my villa.

 

He never asked to look inside the villa and didn't ask any questions at all.

 

He then got me to sign a blank form and then gave me my passport back and then left. He told my Thai partner he never wanted to come and do the check but that he was ordered to by the big boss and was checking 4 applicants in the same area.

 

He also stated some foreigners where breaking the law which is why he was ordered to do these checks.

 

At the end of the day, nothing intrusive or anything to worry about. Now i think he'll remember us and next year should be a quick and easy process to renew my visa at the office.

 

The fact they kept the passport was probably because i applied on a Thursday so rather then make me come back to Phuket town, they delivered it on Saturday.

[haymanpl]

18 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

I see no where in the OP where there is any mention of being married to a Thai.

1. Man

2. Phuket town

3. Still married but i applied for a retirement visa as easier than marriage visa, which was granted.

 

Update : Everything went fine and no money was requested. 3 minute job. See my extended reply.

[marcusarelus]

5 hours ago, haymanpl said:

He came and went very quickly, Only 1 person, who was the same guy as the one who stamped the application at the Phuket town immigration office. He took 3 photos of me and him, of me alone and of me and my partner, all in front of my villa.

 

He never asked to look inside the villa and didn't ask any questions at all.

 

He then got me to sign a blank form and then gave me my passport back and then left. He told my Thai partner he never wanted to come and do the check but that he was ordered to by the big boss and was checking 4 applicants in the same area.

 

He also stated some foreigners where breaking the law which is why he was ordered to do these checks.

 

At the end of the day, nothing intrusive or anything to worry about. Now i think he'll remember us and next year should be a quick and easy process to renew my visa at the office.

 

The fact they kept the passport was probably because i applied on a Thursday so rather then make me come back to Phuket town, they delivered it on Saturday.

What blank form? 

[marcusarelus]

5 hours ago, haymanpl said:

1. Man

2. Phuket town

3. Still married but i applied for a retirement visa as easier than marriage visa, which was granted.

 

Update : Everything went fine and no money was requested. 3 minute job. See my extended reply.

If you don't mind as it is not clear to me.  You changed from a marriage extension to a retirement extension?  Did your husband go with you to the IO when you changed to a retirement visa? 

[rickb]

I've been on a retirement extension for seven years now (four years before that I was on a marriage extension).  Shortly after my annual extension last year in August, I received a phone call from an IO officer advising me that he would be visiting my home on the next Saturday and he wanted to confirm that I would be home.  I agreed to his visit.  When he came, he advised that he and his colleagues had a plan to eventually visit all farangs that were living in Suphanburi province just to get to know them and to understand where they lived.  He also asked why I did not have a marriage extension.  I advised him that I elected to use the retirement extension as it was easier to obtain annually.  He accepted this explanation.  He was very polite, never asked for money, took a few pictures of my wife and me in front of the house, and wished us well as he departed.  So, at least in Supahburi province, visits to farangs at their homes are now common and don't imply that there is anything wrong.  I, however, never had my passport taken from me by an IO.

[Mavideol]

they want to know if you do still live there, lately it happens very often, maybe they got information saying the contrary, with IMO anything (lately) it's possible as for keeping the passports, because IMO  very surprised with some answers because the IMO office keeps one's passports while investigating or on suspicion of something, it happen to me, my wife, 2 of my neighbors last month, as for the passport return in exchange for the "envelope" be prepared for anything, they will come up with some shitty stuff to extort, unfortunately see it happen very often

[Mavideol]

20 hours ago, JimGant said:

Ask them when they come if they wouldn't mind if you had your cell phone motion picture option going............. Better yet, don't ask, just do -- might get a more interesting result. (But not sure about laws regarding filming without permission.........).

JAIL time or veryyyyyy long JAIL time