Chiang Mai Immigration 20 September 2016

[elgordo38]

1 minute ago, evadgib said:

Yet seemingly Samui is?

Sorry you have lost me on this one. Take things with a grain of salt not a pound of flesh. 

[NancyL]

6 hours ago, stephenterry said:

I did my 90 day report on Tues 13th Sept. I've found (the last two times) that afternoon visits are quicker - but I could have been lucky. Took the missus  for a lunchtime meal at an empty Mixx at 12.30 Along the passage the Italian Ragu restaurant was choc a bloc with (presumably) Immigration customers. A rustic crowd. Mixx offers first-class cuisine at modest prices, so I was a bit surprised it didn't have any other customers. 

 

After lunch at  around 2.15 I went downstairs to Immigration, filled in the new form, including my CM address which was duplicated on the TM form, and sat waiting in a small queue of around 15-20 before me (can't remember the exact number). Two lady officers were processing - one entering computer details, the other doing the paperwork - and it took just over 40 minutes to get to my number.  The first officer took my new form, scribbled her signature on the top, and filed it in a work basket full of them behind her desk. Didn't even read it. 

 

(The busiest section seemed to be the tourist visa crowd of around 40 people waiting. No idea whether there was a retirement queue, sorry.) 

 

Done and dusted in less than five minutes. Piece of cake. Finished up shopping in Rimping and back home before the school traffic.

555!   You happened to come by Ragu Italian Restaurant on the day that CM Expats Club was having a lunch there!  Went to a special discounted showing of "Sully" at the SF Cinema afterwards.  Perhaps some savvy CEC members also managed to work in a visa extension or 90 day report the same day, also.

 

Ragu really put on a great lunch -- offered eight special set menus for just 205 baht net and managed to keep everybody's separate checks straight.  Theater gave us 50 baht discount vouchers.  Will probably do a similar outing again when the right film comes along.  Now if we can just get Immigration-Promenada to do a similar "CEC Special Day" -- 555, that's dreaming!. 

 

[onlycw]

This is now my 3rd attempt at getting a B-Visa converted. 

 

Few people were at the Airport Immigration place in the afternoons, so it looked so deceptively good. Then I was asked to return "at 6 am" for a queue ticket. <deleted>?

 

• Can't they hire more staff?
• Respond to customers' needs and numbers, (also at BKK airport, where not every booth is manned even during peak hours)
• raise prices if money is the problem?

Doubt that I will want to continue this hassle for lousy 25 grand. And if I can't get it "sorted" today, I might resign. 

^^^

 

Apparently, they have hundreds of applications there with numbers but the people are no longer hanging out for hours and hours at the Airport Immigration? Yesterday, I counted just about 4 when they returned to their desks at 1 pm.

[flossie35]

On 9/21/2016 at 9:02 AM, NancyL said:

Were the lights on and the toilet open when you arrived at Promenada or did you have to stumble around in the dark and "hold-it" until the cleaning/grounds crew arrived at dawn?

The lights were off. I didn't check the toilet until later but the notice outside gave an opening time of 6.30.

[flossie35]

On 9/21/2016 at 9:05 AM, CMBob said:

Just out of curiosity, you indicated you were finished by 10:15AM.  By finished do you mean that you got your passport back with the completed extension?  I ask as I understood that only the head dude could sign those and he didn't do that until either he came to Promenada around lunchtime or they hauled the passports to him at the old Immigration Office near the airport.

 No, I meant that my interview was completed. I did then have to wait a while to get my passport back, but only half an hour or so.

[flossie35]

On 9/21/2016 at 9:11 AM, maewang99 said:

it's quirky. but 5 am is a fairly late queuing time to show up for the CM Promenada..... last year I did this about the same as you but was there about 3 am.  made it out quicker though.  with my passport.  it seems to be getting spotty.  sometimes you have to be very early....  sometimes not.  and it's not just a before and after holiday rush versus no rush thing.  just quirky. 

It probably varies from day to day. Maybe I was just lucky. I could probably have made the queue that day at 6am.

[flossie35]

23 hours ago, stephenterry said:

I did my 90 day report on Tues 13th Sept. I've found (the last two times) that afternoon visits are quicker - but I could have been lucky. Took the missus  for a lunchtime meal at an empty Mixx at 12.30 Along the passage the Italian Ragu restaurant was choc a bloc with (presumably) Immigration customers. A rustic crowd. Mixx offers first-class cuisine at modest prices, so I was a bit surprised it didn't have any other customers. 

 

After lunch at  around 2.15 I went downstairs to Immigration, filled in the new form, including my CM address which was duplicated on the TM form, and sat waiting in a small queue of around 15-20 before me (can't remember the exact number). Two lady officers were processing - one entering computer details, the other doing the paperwork - and it took just over 40 minutes to get to my number.  The first officer took my new form, scribbled her signature on the top, and filed it in a work basket full of them behind her desk. Didn't even read it. 

 

(The busiest section seemed to be the tourist visa crowd of around 40 people waiting. No idea whether there was a retirement queue, sorry.) 

 

Done and dusted in less than five minutes. Piece of cake. Finished up shopping in Rimping and back home before the school traffic.

I agree - late morning or afternoon should be fine for 90 days and re-entry. Visa extension is the only one requiring pre-dawn arrival, as the procedure takes much longer, though less than the 30 minutes shown on the notice if you've got all the documentation right. Two or three of those in front of me had to go off to get more photo copies during their interviews.

[stephenterry]

TWIMC - my suggestion re 'retirement extension visa' at CM is as they manage in Pattaya. No need to arrive early morning, more than one officer processing. BUT there is a lady who is PROPERLY trained and senior enough to be trusted to review every application prior to the officer seeing it. She ensures ALL paperwork is correct, that all necessary copies are  obtained, and that the photo meets requirements before signing it off and passing to the officer for processing. This weeds out time-wasting applicants while they get their act together. Takes a few minutes when all present and correct, then applicant is told to return PM to pick up passport with new visa included.

 

That way, they can process a lot more than one hundred a day, if necessary. and all in normal working hours for both staff and applicants.  Really, that is all CM need to do. It's not rocket science and it's not necessary to pay for an agent to do the checking - whether IMM would consider cutting off the gravy-train is another matter, though. 

 

 

 

[BritTim]

23 hours ago, evadgib said:

Has anyone tried to do anything about the silly o'clock queuing in CM? Having to arrive @5am for a Govt service @ 70+ strikes me as ridiculous & could be eliminated by timed appointments as per passport renewals in bkk.

 

Chiang Mai used to have a limited appointment system. The few slots available were always snapped up in the couple of hours after midnight after applications were opened online. For whatever reason, this system was scrapped. Probably, they decided misery should be shared equally.

[NancyL]

On 9/21/2016 at 11:36 AM, evadgib said:

Has anyone tried to do anything about the silly o'clock queuing in CM? Having to arrive @5am for a Govt service @ 70+ strikes me as ridiculous & could be eliminated by timed appointments as per passport renewals in bkk.

 

This entire thread should be part of the pinned thread in the Chiang Mai forum where us CM residents gather daily to learn what's happening at CM's two Imm offices and to support (or throw brickbats) at each other.  

 

Of course the problems could be eliminated by timed appointments or having a qualified person(s) at the upfront Info desk.  Duh.

 

Of course the problems could be eliminated by having enough Immigration personal, representative of the official gov't fees that CM expats have paid over the past several years that have surely gone to Bangkok.  

 

And yes, of course we've filed reports/complaints/requests to our Embassies and Consulates.  They tell us how they can't impose "western values" on Thai society.  

 

So, come on people, as say on this forum, TIT.  It's not our place to try to change the situation.  All we can do is point out the problems with local Immigration and note that it appears to be a very specific problem -- not something experienced anywhere else in Thailand.  

 

Despite all the efforts of various government and commercial groups to encourage foreigners to retire in Chiang Mai province, they are still going to have to deal with the worst Immigration office in the country and the worst seasonal air quality,  

 

In the past year, the U.S. Consulate Chiang Mai has taken to posting the local PM10 Air Quality readings with an explanation of why this is important.  They know they can't advocate change, but simply educate people about why they should stay indoors or avoid CM entirely during certain times of the year.  I'd like to see them also list how many queue tickets were distributed each day for retirement extensions and how many people were turned away to also highlight another important consideration  about settling in Chiang Mai.

 

P.S.  If any of you are still reading this post and are wondering  why this problem has been allowed to exist as long it has it has, I suggest you visit the Chiang Mai forum.