Under review 30 days, late return.. Overstay..

[Bob A Kneale]

19 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

19 hours ago, Bob A Kneale said:

Where was that confirmed?

it hasn't been confirmed. We do not even know what will be required next month.

I know.  He was posting nonsense, that was my point!

Edited June 8, 2020 by Bob A Kneale

[LivinLOS]

20 hours ago, blackcab said:

Remember that the report back date does not have to be exactly one month. The officer has the discretion to change this date. I have had my report back date extended by up to 2 weeks before now for various reasons. Try explaining the situation and asking the officer for a slightly later date. It can be done.

Sadly the 2 officers I dealt with were unhelpful (on multiple ways but such is the job) no matter how subserviant and polite we tried to be, and were adamant that it HAD to be 30 days, they were not allowed to make anything other than 30 days, and I HAVE to be there on that date, with no possibility of any other. When I explained its possible I would be on quarantine due to travel they first said there was no longer any quarantine (until a more senior officer told them that yes there can still be) and that 'if theres a problem you must phone'.. 

But even worse, and why the process is doomed to fail, is they are setting up a house inspection. Never had to do one before, and despite 17 years together and 10 years married, with at least 3 or 4 extensions in Chiang Mai and an equal amount on Phuket, because I am extending a new visa entry, they need to send someone, to a house where we wont be !!!

 

We did explain that day after tomorrow we are leaving, her suggestion was the officer would call so just reschedule, but we wont return until late July !!! Only returning because of the +30 date.. This just descended into catch 22 logic where she kept saying we must be there, and I kept (politely, gently) saying we cannot be, asking so what happens in that situation ?? You must be there !!!

This is exactly why I dont bother with extensions !! I am not waiting around on house arrest for someones inspection when they cant even tell me what date it will be.. If they gave me a date I might fly back from Samui for 24h but I get the idea they want to call and drop in.. Not happening, so what happens next ??  

I have +30 to July 17th, maybe the borders are open by then and I can just leave, or even local borders and hop for another +30, or make use of the amnesty.. Been here since March and its time to get gone anyway.  

[blackcab]

10 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

I have +30 to July 17th, maybe the borders are open by then and I can just leave, or even local borders and hop for another +30, or make use of the amnesty.. Been here since March and its time to get gone anyway.  

 

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I'm not sure if I read your post correctly, but Thailand's air borders have never been closed for people who wish to leave. Assuming you can find a flight out of Thailand, you can leave by air any time you want. At the minute, however, there is no way back in unless you have a work permit.

[LivinLOS]

Just now, blackcab said:

 

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I'm not sure if I read your post correctly, but Thailand's air borders have never been closed for people who wish to leave. Assuming you can find a flight out of Thailand, you can leave by air any time you want. At the minute, however, there is no way back in unless you have a work permit.

I know.. There's logistics of the wife tho, we cant yet get a schengen (shes eligible for a 3 year this time) so european borders need to open for her, to enable 'us' to travel.. 

 

I expect a lot of that to drop over the next month.. And see a perfect exit for us being mid august, being back Dec, by which time I can get another easy 1 year multiple entry and never have to bother with incountry immigrations whims. 

I am just counting down the next 3 years until I am 50 when I can get a O-X and have years without ever thinking about them. 

[PST]

@LivinLOS how did the application go in general?, ive got mine soon.

[LivinLOS]

1 hour ago, PST said:

@LivinLOS how did the application go in general?, ive got mine soon.

 

The CNX office is way better than it used to be, and covid means its actually operating at a tolerable / reasonable level.. There's smart switched on volunteers and 'pre check' checkers.. and in general, its working quite pleasantly at this volume, I cant imagine how it would be operating at regular volume, chiang mai is just way under staffed and under resourced for the non Thai population of the province. You could even gamble on a late lunch arrival and likely not busy, if you didnt have fixed tight deadlines to your planning. 

It was kind of weird on one aspect.. We were processed by a younger officer, who didnt appear to speak or understand english, which seems an occupational drawback.. My Thai is rough, and so she was doing it all via the wife, either she was acting to be difficult or she really didn't seem to follow careful slow english, when I asked questions or brought up issues, which seems a little hard to believe. She also had to ask and refer to an older lady next table, which is my guess why I think there was no leeway on anything. 

 

One pain point. They now demand a bank book update, on the day of the application.. So if your going there at 6 or 7am, you need to go to an ATM and update the book, making copies when you get there, not an update the previous day and being prepared. That was a double pain for me as my bank book is old (who uses them with phone apps and net banking any more ??) and mag stripe wrecked, so I cant update from an ATM, so I had to run off, going round the city, looking for an open branch despite having done exactly this yesterday. Luckily there is a branch of my bank not far that opened at 8:30. 

I find the whole thing frustrating, the arbitrary changes, issues thrown up like needing a house check and the expectation you have to be totally available for whatever thier whim is but the processing and office itself was as good as its ever been in Chaing Mai. 

[PST]

1 hour ago, LivinLOS said:

 

The CNX office is way better than it used to be, and covid means its actually operating at a tolerable / reasonable level.. There's smart switched on volunteers and 'pre check' checkers.. and in general, its working quite pleasantly at this volume, I cant imagine how it would be operating at regular volume, chiang mai is just way under staffed and under resourced for the non Thai population of the province. You could even gamble on a late lunch arrival and likely not busy, if you didnt have fixed tight deadlines to your planning. 

It was kind of weird on one aspect.. We were processed by a younger officer, who didnt appear to speak or understand english, which seems an occupational drawback.. My Thai is rough, and so she was doing it all via the wife, either she was acting to be difficult or she really didn't seem to follow careful slow english, when I asked questions or brought up issues, which seems a little hard to believe. She also had to ask and refer to an older lady next table, which is my guess why I think there was no leeway on anything. 

 

One pain point. They now demand a bank book update, on the day of the application.. So if your going there at 6 or 7am, you need to go to an ATM and update the book, making copies when you get there, not an update the previous day and being prepared. That was a double pain for me as my bank book is old (who uses them with phone apps and net banking any more ??) and mag stripe wrecked, so I cant update from an ATM, so I had to run off, going round the city, looking for an open branch despite having done exactly this yesterday. Luckily there is a branch of my bank not far that opened at 8:30. 

I find the whole thing frustrating, the arbitrary changes, issues thrown up like needing a house check and the expectation you have to be totally available for whatever thier whim is but the processing and office itself was as good as its ever been in Chaing Mai. 

Hope i get a similar result at Phuket. Many thanks for the information.