Thread: Visa passport change

Teerak has just received a new visa supplied by Australian Embassy Bangkok ( not from CC Tower) .
Things have changed, the visa label is no longer imprinted in the passport - a letter accompanied the passport saying in effect that new electronic scanning techniques render this unneccesary ? also suggests you carry this letter headed "Visa Grant Notice" in case airport staff are not aware of the changes.
Having had a run in at the Melbourne Jetstar checkin a year ago because the operator was not aware that I did not need a return ticket if I had a visa , it was fair to assume airlines would not be aware of changes.
I phoned Jetstar many times and got the full run around for 4 days with no one prepared to accept or deny knowledge of the changes?
Could not be given number for Jetstar BKK ( nobody knew ? ) rang Savanabhumi twice eventually found a Jetstar agency in Udon Thani who thought she had heard of this ( please send email and copy of letter ) - 4 emails and 3 calls later still no positive result. ( Teerak rang direct and was assured everything ok , yeah right?
Sure enough came departure and Jetstar checkin at BKK queried passport - made teerak wait while they checked in many others ahead of her - she rang me and as we were talking suddenly the check in decided to get some advice ( lucky they did because I was about to go off big time which I know does not work to well in the land of endless smiles etc).
Finally someone did enough checking to decide to let her board ( or probably decided it wasn't their problem ? )
Moral of the story is : if you have a new visa approval get stuck into the airline first to avoid hold ups - Embassy are not interested they will only advise you take it up with the airline.
Hope this helps someone else to avoid a delay.

I deal with the Immigration Dept on a daily basis. The "no label" scenario has been around for a while now (though not for all countries). It has not been particularly well-publicised and it's no surprise, therefore, that airline staff are very often unaware of this.

Frankly, I always advise people to get the Oz visa evidenced in the passport if at all possible, but if not, to definitely carry the "visa grant" email/letter and be prepared for a possible confrontation at check-in.

Of course the bigger issue is the real threat "electronic monitoring" represents to freedom and privacy, and this is only the beginning. Makes me glad I'm in my 50's. Not much of a World for my grandchildren.

Originally Posted by peter000

I deal with the Immigration Dept on a daily basis. The "no label" scenario has been around for a while now (though not for all countries). It has not been particularly well-publicised and it's no surprise, therefore, that airline staff are very often unaware of this.

Frankly, I always advise people to get the Oz visa evidenced in the passport if at all possible, but if not, to definitely carry the "visa grant" email/letter and be prepared for a possible confrontation at check-in.

Good to know someone else is aware of this but how can you give the airlines a belt across the ear to get them to lift their game and train their staff to acknowledge update requirements?.
My lady was in the queue with another Thai female who had a recent visa with the label in the passport - she went through an agency , is there a delay in the type of visa method used between Embassy and agency visa issue styles?

I think it's quite likely not to be the fault of the airlines. How are they to know if they aren't told? To be frank, I find this situation more than likely to be a failure of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to advise interested stakeholders (this tends to happen almost every time there is a major change in DIAC procedures):

The following is taken from the VFS Thailand website (VFS provides visa application services in Thailand as a "service delivery partner" of the Australian Embassy and specifically of DIAC) -

"Effective 08.02.2010, Label free evidence for non-permanent visas:
Australia's modern electronic visa system does not require you to have a visa label placed in your passport to confirm your immigration status and entitlements in Australia. When you check in to fly to Australia, the airline staff will electronically confirm that you have authority to travel to Australia prior to you boarding the aircraft.The visa is linked to the passport number that you provided in your application. If you obtain a new passport after visa grant, you should advise the department of the new passport details. If you do not provide us with the details of any new passport, you may experience delays at the airport and may be denied permission to board your flight to Australia. "

The other Thai lady's visa may well have been approved before the new system came into play on 8/2/10?

No doubt this "confusion" will get sorted-out over time, but that's not much of a consolation for the "label-less" Thais who sit in a queue whilst a check-in clerk dithers.

Originally Posted by BobR

Of course the bigger issue is the real threat "electronic monitoring" represents to freedom and privacy, and this is only the beginning. Makes me glad I'm in my 50's. Not much of a World for my grandchildren.

Too true, the proliferation of CCTV in the UK, for instance, was something almost inconceivable not so many years ago.

Originally Posted by peter000

Originally Posted by BobR

Of course the bigger issue is the real threat "electronic monitoring" represents to freedom and privacy, and this is only the beginning. Makes me glad I'm in my 50's. Not much of a World for my grandchildren.

Too true, the proliferation of CCTV in the UK, for instance, was something almost inconceivable not so many years ago.

Indeed. All those nice criminals getting caught on camera just isn't cricket.

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Indeed. All those nice criminals getting caught on camera just isn't cricket.

True, true . . . and in this vein . . . simply don't give visas to certain nationals like Thais, Filipinos, Nigerians . . . do they really enhance the country they will be living in?

Problem solved

If you obtain a new passport after visa grant, you should advise the department of the new passport details. Which department ? surely the Dept of Immigration knows who they grant visas to ? If you do not provide us with the details of any new passport, you may experience delays at the airport and may be denied permission to board your flight to Australia. "

There was no such advice in the letter we received!
The other Thai lady's visa may well have been approved before the new system came into play on 8/2/10?

That was my thought also

No doubt this "confusion" will get sorted-out over time, but that's not much of a consolation for the "label-less" Thais who sit in a queue whilst a check-in clerk dithers.[/quote]

Jetstar totally pissed me off with endless b/s about nothing and did nothing to avert the problem or advise staff of new visa listing. - I sent my complaint to Jetstar customer service but at this time no reply.

DIAC always makes you work hard for the result and it generally throws the onus back on the visa holder to inform them of material changes. This is SOP and not at all likely to change.