Col Kathathorn told The Phuket News yesterday (Nov 7) that the system quietly went live online in September.
“This system went online about two months ago as a way to make it more convenient for foreigners and to reduce congestion at the immigration office,” said Col Kathathorn.
“It has helped noticeably in certain cases, such as when the expected end processing date of a visa permit-to-stay falls on a public holiday or long weekend, foreigners usually would have to come either the day prior the days off or afterwards, just to check the status of their application.
“This makes the immigration office lines especially long and busy,” he said.
“Furthermore, foreigners applying for long-term visa permits that must be approved by the Immigration Division in Hat Yai previously have had many problems of being unsure of what stage the application is at, or if it is even close to being processed.
“Now they can check the status of applications being processed in Hat Yai much more conveniently and pick up the visa as soon as it is ready,” he said.
“Also sometimes, the application is processed before the expected end date of the processing, in which case, it is very useful to have the option to know beforehand,” said Col Kathathorn.
“It really helps to reduce a lot of confusion and wasted time.”
“However, please do be aware that if there are complications and the application is ‘not approved’ or ‘approved with restrictions’, you will still need to come to the immigration office to speak with an officer,” he said.
The online system can be accessed directly by clicking here.