Eliminate Long Delays at Immigration Promenada, 26/9 For additional information, contact Nancy Lindley, CEC President 080 494 5573 Info@ChiangMaiE Web Version Eliminate Long Delays at Immigration Promenada, 26/9 CM Governor Suriya Prasatbandit addresses Japanese residents at a meeting in 2014. For additional information, contact

Nancy Lindley, CEC President

080 494 5573

Info@ChiangMaiExpatsClub.com For several years, the Japanese long-stay community has enjoyed the special privilege of Immigration officials coming once a month to a meeting of their Chiang Mai Long-stay Life Club (CLL) to take care of immigration business. They've done this in several venues, most recently the Grandview Hotel. However, this practice was discontinued once Immigration moved to Promenada for several reasons. Immigration says they want to process at least forty "items" per sessions and some months the workload was less than this and also they state that they now need to take a photo in the office using the camera on their computer for visa extensions and re-entry permits. Local consular officials at the start of the Chiang Mai International Health Conference, Sept. 4. Currently, the various foreign consuls in Chiang Mai are engaged in discussions about conditions at Immigration Promenada based on feedback they're receiving from their nationals. They've had several opportunities to network with government officials at events like the recent Long-Stay Conference and have had meetings with Promenada management. Also, the CEC Expat Ambassadors who took the weekend tours in August and attended the conference had a chance to meet CLL members. Our days of waiting this at Immigration Promenada are over! All this explains why CEC members have been invited to join in a rather hasty reviving of of the special privilege that Immigration extended to the Japanese long-stay community. Only now the scenario is a little different: Apparently, everyone has to go out to Promenada for a mug shot. (It's not clear if that's the case for a 90 day report.) So, rather than having the event in a swank hotel ballroom, it will be at Immigration Promenada on Saturday afternoon, 26 September, 1 pm.. Here's what you need to do to participate: Services offered:

* 90-day reports

* re-entry permits

* extension of retirement visas

* extensions of tourist visas

These are the only four services offered. Processing fee: 200 baht per "item" (service), so if you obtain an extension of your retirement visa and then a re-entry permit, your processing fee is 400 baht. Processing fee is due at the time of document check and submission, 1 - 3 pm, September 22 at the CLL office and there is no receipt for this fee. Standard government fees will be paid at the time of your interview at Immigration: 1900 baht for visa extensions, 1000 baht for single re-entry permit, 3800 baht for multiple re-entry permit. No gov't fee for 90 day report. When you come to Immigration at 1 pm on Saturday, September 26, you'll present your passport and find that they've already reviewed your documents. Processing will be quick and you'll receive a re-entry permit soon after your visa extension. Your total time at Immigration should be short. You must come to the CLL office on Tuesday, 22 September, between 1 - 3 pm for document check and submission. That's because the Japanese submit all documents in advance to Immigration! Bring all forms, copies, photos, etc. If you don't have copies, they have a copy machine -- 2 ฿ each. If you don't have a photo, you can go to Kad Suan Kaew basement photo shop, close to their office. !00 baht, for 4 - 4 cm x 6 cm photos. Here is a download for the forms: http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php?page=download For a Visa Extension, use TM 7

For a Re-entry Permit, use TM 8

For a 90- day Report, use a special Chiang Mai version of TM 47 Don't worry, I'll be at the CLL office on Tuesday afternoon and we'll have plenty of forms. The key thing is for you to bring photos and copies of your passport pages if you don't want to pay them for copies. And your consulate/embassy documents or bank letters if you're planning to do a retirement visa extension. You can do a retirement extension up to 45 days in advance in Chiang Mai. To do this, you'll need to bring either an Income Letter from your Consulate/Embassy that will be less than 30 days old on 26 Sept. demonstrating income greater than 65,000 baht per month or a letter from your Thai bank that you have a bank account(s) balance greater than 800,000 baht. The letter should be less than 7 days old on 26 Sept. Also, you'll need copies of your bank book to demonstrate the funds have been in the bank for at least 90 days. There will be a couple of "visa gurus" at the CLL office on Tuesday afternoon to answer your questions. Yeah, I know it's in Japanese, but study it long enough and it begins to make sense. Or just read the written instructions on how to find Srithana II condo. If you want to go to Immigration Promenada on Saturday afternoon, 26 September, your documents MUST be submitted in advance. Please come to Japanese Long-stay Life Club, 1 - 3 pm, Tuesday, 22 September at Srithana II Condo,

just off Huay Kaew Road. It's on the same side as the Shell petrol station, first soi on the left, walking from Shell Oil, toward the mountain. At the end of the soi. The office is on the ground floor of the condo, just right of the main entrance. I'll be there to help. Please email or call if you plan to participate. I will try to co-ordinate group transport from Le Méridien Chiang Mai after the CEC General Meeting. Nancy Lindley

info@ChiangMaiExpatsClub.com

080 494 5573 In the future....

If there appears to be sufficient interest, we'll look at having the document inspection and submission done during Breakfast Club at River Market and consider if it would be better to go to Promenada on a different Saturday than the General Meeting each month.

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