immigration officer: you stayed too long

[Jeremy]

Hi, I would like to share my experience at the Thai immigration several days ago and looking for some advice.

I am a Chinese national but I have a residency in the UK, and I have been living in the UK in recent years. I entered Thailand with a 60-day TR e-visa last November, had an extension of thirty days, and left Thailand for the UK on Feb. 25 this year. 

Honestly, when I went to The UK several years ago, I felt it was like a beautiful paradise of freedom and civilization compared to my own country, but as I stayed longer in The UK I also began to be fed up with its miserable weather, high prices and food. So I applied for a Thai TR E-visa again and arrived in Bangkok again on 13 April.

At the immigration, the officer asked me how long I am going to stay in Thailand this time. I said 58 days, as the return ticket I booked was 57 days later. The officer then asked me why I stayed in Thailand so long last time, why I came back so soon, and why I am going to stay for a long time again. He spoke English very well so I was able to explain to him that I when I stayed in Thailand, I enjoyed the sun on the island beaches, I had local food and Chinese food with a reasonable price, and I also went to massage parlours very often, and these are the things I am going to do this time. As far as I understand, I have been a legit tourist and I didn't work here in Thailand and I am not going to do so. I was completely honest.

But the officer kept reiterating that I stayed too long. He asked me whether I have friends here in Thailand, I said yes but I am mostly travelling alone. He also checked my hotel booking and finally got me in. However when he was stamping on my passport he said "You stayed too long" again.

 I do want to come to Thailand often in the future and I do want to stay a relatively long time each time to save the hassle of visa application and all and also the cost of long haul flights, but according to this officer, this is something that I should not do.

Now I understand that many Chinese nationals are illegally working in Thailand with work-prohibited visa types, so he may suspect that I am also doing this and this might be a cause for his interrogation. However, if you don't take that into consideration, just speaking from a Farang's point of view, what are the length of stay in Thailand and intervals between visits that are considered acceptable when you use the TR visa or visa exemption?

Thank you very much.

[Guest1]

That is the problem with the "discretion", the immigration officer has. Your visa means nothing, in case the officer don't like you. Next time, choose a different one, problem most likely gone. And just say : I miss my girlfriend so much . To much information is giving many/more reasons for "I don't like him". Aside, he may still have in mind what is/was the reason for the pandemic?

[Thaidup]

Did he ask for your phone number?

[Jeremy]

Thanks for the answer. Interesting though， I read in a facebook group that “I miss my girlfriend so much” is also a reason/excuse that another frequent visitor of Thailand used.

[Jeremy]

No he did not.

[Jeremy]

12 hours ago, Guest1 said:

That is the problem with the "discretion", the immigration officer has. Your visa means nothing, in case the officer don't like you. Next time, choose a different one, problem most likely gone. And just say : I miss my girlfriend so much . To much information is giving many/more reasons for "I don't like him". Aside, he may still have in mind what is/was the reason for the pandemic?

 

11 hours ago, Thaidup said:

Did he ask for your phone number?

just replied to both of you but I did not quote corrwctly