Corruptions at Immigration? or What?

[parrot]

why the two threads..makes me feel like a traitor if I write here, and not on the other thread, and vice versa, when I dont even like to choose sides..

anyway, my 2 baht worth.
My lovely Isaan beauty had to go to Imm Office for stuff pertaining solely to her alone, and she got skimmed 1000, and no receipt, so everyone is tarred with the same brush. She was just as miffed as us lot for the hardship that the corruption in this country, puts on its own people..1000bt to a poor dirt farmer is a hell big dent in their wallet compared to us...Thailand never used to be this way.

Back before 1996 many of the VFW vets went to immigration loaded with a bottle of Johnny walker or carton of cigarettes. That pretty much ended when Udon Immigration was closed. I'm with rct on having 18 years of no issues and mostly friendly and professional service....... But I've been accused of wearing rose colored glasses on more than one occasion..... Although never by the folks at immigration.

[Brian Davis]

on having 18 years of no issues .

If absolutely accurate, that's impressive. What, you've never tipped, been asked for and paid more than the official fee, paid for a 'free' service, paid 100 baht for say two photocopies, always received a receipt for anything you paid etc?

[thalenoi]

14 years here on retirement extensions.
Some without issues, some with.
A few at soi Suan Phlu, Bangkok without, a few at Udon Thani and Nong Khai when they closed UTH, issues with "the nice man" That man was a disgrace to the immigration police. Then some more years without issues at UTH except the 500B no reciept for the residence certificate needed for drivers license.

Januari 2015 I was hit with the 1000B extra for avoiding the "come back in 30 days" That's a scam in my book, no receipt whatsoever. It is nothing else than an illegal money maker for UTH immigration office, a scam.

I did not ask anything, just listened to the blablabla from the officer and handed over 3000B, no change, no receipt.
They can get away with it, can you?

As for the dress code, why do you care what others wear?
Take care of yourself, that will do.

[pomps]

Going to wear socks with my sandals on my next visit ,will give up wearing slacks and a polo shirt
Hope her labour pains are short and sweet

[Zidane]

"You want HOW MUCH for Same Day Service ?"

[jai yen yen]

The thing about Thailand is a very few are very rich and the rest struggle to make it with very low wages, that is the way the rich and the powerful want things to stay. Corruption to some extent is sometimes part of survival for some, icing on the cake for others. Nothing will change until the standard of living improves for the majority and corruption curtailed. An honest elected government would be a start, but only a start if it ever happens. Until that time people will try when they can to make a little more however they can.

[bigsnake]

This has been discussed at length here,,,
http://www.udonmap.com/udonthaniforum/r ... 83-75.html

To be honest if they give you the visa when you return in 'x' days for the stated fee I can't see much about corruption being involved.
Getting documentation exactly when YOU want it has often involved an express service fee when dealing with Thai Government Departments.

OK, Bob, if this is the case then WHY not be HONEST and upfront let all Expats KNOW this<>we can decide if we wish to pay extra or come back or if it is the case then why some 3500 baht, some 1500 bt other 2000<>sorry sound FISHY<>CORRUPT to me<>"Walk like a DUCK, smells like a DUCK, Sound like DUCK, it is a DUCK".


The same is exactly true of the UK Government..
Want a new passport today, pay a higher price than if you get one in 3 weeks time.. Up to the individual concerned...

[BobHelm]

I am sorry bigsnake, if an Immigration Officer says
'Come back in 4 weeks & pick up your visa'
Then that would be what I would do. I don't see any coercion in that to extract money from me = corruption..

If I then say
'I don't want to do that, what do I need to pay to get it now'
Then that is opening negotiation to bend the rules for a price.
I would consider BOTH parties to be equally to blame for any 'corruption' as the result of any money then changing hands.
BUT no money needs to change hands, if the owner of the passport just goes back in a month...

I can't understand why people want to circumvent the (current) official position & then complain about getting ripped off.
The fact that, currently, applicants have to return for the visa as been on here for months, so should not come as a surprise & applicants should conduct their visit accordingly.

[Bandung_Dero]

<snip>
I can't understand why people want to circumvent the (current) official position & then complain about getting ripped off.
<snip>

(current) official position???? IMHO there is nothing official about it. Definitely not a gazetted procedure and only unique to the Udon office. It's in place to 'lure' the applicant into making a decision that could benefit them financially to lessen an unnecessary burden on the applicant.

OK for you Bob, just a short drive down the road next month but for some of us it's a lost day and 200 + kms of travel. Weigh the costs and inconvenience!

[Brian Davis]

Well, yes Bob,but why cannot the speedy service be official, as in the UK? Pay the extra money if you must have the visa in the passport quickly, get a receipt.

The Officers are taking the opportunity, if all of this waiting period is above board anyway, to use the fact there is no official fee laid down for a quick service. (Perhaps I should rephrase that? ) It's the same situation for other applicants' needs such as letters for driving licence,this and that, moving a visa from old to new passport. There's no official fee listed by the Immigration Service for that, it's free, but the Officers take money from applicants who don't know, or fear that by objecting, they won't get what they need.
Are these checks by a senior officer, apparently the cause of having to wait several weeks, done in a few minutes, or just ignored? If the latter, then it seems to me there's a danger of Immigration issuing visas incorrectly (applicants not married, not living at said address etc.) which apparently happened before and started all this.
Personally, I've no problem paying reasonable fees for currently free services, Just make sure it's official and I get a receipt. Use the extra income to top up Officers' salaries, but also make sure then any Officer still corrupt is thrown out. Ah, but maybe the corruption pays a lot more than an increase in salary.

[tataw]

What about the immigration official in Patong who was removed from his position (I believe it was mentioned in another post) because he was asking for "extra" money to expedite the issue of a retirement visa (I believe the person who was affected complained to the Phuket ombudsman who took it further). If you have time to wait for the one month then there is no problem, but then there will be people that need it sooner than that and they are being told that it will cost 1,000 which isn't "official". Why is it that in Chon Buri it is a same day service (and no I don't want to live in CB) with no "extra" charges?

[BobHelm]

& maybe it will become so BD.
Equally, maybe the opportunity to expedite the issue might be removed completely.
It is sometimes better not to shout too loud about paying to remove barriers & complaining afterwards about the cost.

I was led to believe that this is only a temporary situation unique to the current staffing position at Udon - hence it is not something being seen at any other office.
Maybe some officers have grasped that opportunity to enhance their pay, which would be disappointing but, realistically, hardly surprising.
However I still have to come back to if the applicant doesn't pay a cent over the 1,900 baht they still get their visa.

Yes, I understand that the journey & expenses might be greater for some than others & so that is up to the individual to calculate what that is worth to him, or refuse completely on moral grounds. But please don't pay & then complain about corruption - not aimed at anyone particularly, just, in general.

Paying 3,500 baht to expedite a visa costing 1,900 baht??? Not sure that they should have given someone who was willing to do that a visa at all - for his own safety...

[tamada]

Since the 'new order' are allegedly all about stamping out corruption, I think caution should be exercised here. There was a case a few months back in (I think) Bangkok where not only a cop gets banged for accepting a bribe but the Thai soliciting the bribe gets booked as well.

The way this new extra consideration thing has been hand-balled into the Udon Immigration retirement extension procedures where there's neither an official announcement about the new procedure, nor any stated fast-track UNLESS the applicant asks first, leaves people open to being confronted for 'soliciting a bribe'. Although I think that the 'money over matter' attitude will prevail when someone is impatient and is willing to pay the extra for same-day service, I wouldn't want to expose myself to that risk, regardless of how smartly dressed I was or if I can 'poot thai geng'.

Don't play silly buggers with silly buggers IMHO.

[maaka]

came thinking I would get a 60 day tourist visa at border, booked hotels and flights accordingly (6weeks holiday)..but only got 30 days, so went to Immigration UT to get a 14 day extension, got one month instead which didnt matter as I wasnt staying the extra, price 1900..no receipt, but what do I want a receipt for, inland revenue dept..if I had gone Lao it would have been the same or possibly more, and more time to boot.. Nice enough to me at Imm..

sorry for the somewhat confused and impatient US dude for kept butting into the middle of proceedings, and was finally told go Bangkok..

[Brian Davis]

Something to consider there, Tamada.
I suppose I wouldn't be surprised. The inability of Immigration to get organised for the benefit of its' 'customers' (proper, posted fees scale for a start), a "friendly, helpful, one stop! service" that quite often seems to mean slipping something under the table, a new procedure not that convenient to some applicants because somewhere before there was corruption or inefficiency etc. - excuse my wry smile, in this particular example,that it might be turned around to show I'm the guilty one!

[seagulls]

Not too sure that if one requested an "Express" service and did not wish to return in a month or did
not want an additional stamp in their passport how on earth could that be construed as Corruption on
the part of the "requester" regardless of what transpires on the other side .I just paid 1100 baht to UPS
to get a letter to the UK in three days or I could have waited 3 weeks .To each his own .

[wazza]

The issue is " Fastrack with additional costs and no government receipt issued "

UPS have a list of charges and issue receipts for those who use their services.

[novo58]

Cmon people ,

We all know what is going on at Udon Thani Immigration.

It is up to the individual whether or not they follow the " fasttrack " route or wait the month.

Thou it would be good to see some " official" notice stating that the 1 month delay actually is for more complete checking and vetting of applicants and not just an invention of the Udon office.

Does the 1 month delay happen in any other Immigration Office ????

[seagulls]

Of course the issue is "Fast track' .The same service exists at the Land Office and no my Wife has never
been issued a receipt at this venue either .If you want to sit there all day that is entirely up to you.

[747man]

Not too sure that if one requested an "Express" service and did not wish to return in a month or did
not want an additional stamp in their passport how on earth could that be construed as Corruption on
the part of the "requester" regardless of what transpires on the other side .I just paid 1100 baht to UPS
to get a letter to the UK in three days or I could have waited 3 weeks .To each his own .

I've just sent A Parcel to the U.K ( Registered Mail ) at the Post Office.....It Took 3 DAYS to get there & cost 450 Baht .....So UPS Just " Ripped You Off "