Very interesting post, this. What is funny (as in 'odd' or 'peculiar' or 'interesting') is that the question asked in the title never really gets squarely answered. I was teaching in Thailand for about five years, and never heard of this "waiver business". However, I can well imagine, given the inventiveness of Thai bureaucrats. I eventually got tired of the runaround and was able to escape back to the US. Here (in California) there are different requirements, and less "runaround" and jumping through hoops.
Well, I'm missing my point: What is this waiver business? Can someone (or several) explain, please?