BritTim

Even China is being wary about being seen to circumvent US sanctions against Russia's financial system (though, UnionPay is operating for the moment). I doubt Thailand would take the risk.

The stamp at the end of the under consideration period is just a basic administrative step, unless your extension has been denied (in which unlikely event you would already have been informed of this by phone). Immigration just needs your physical passport to affix the extension stamp, and anyone should be able to take in the passport to be stamped. To start trying to requalify you for the extension at this stage would be ridiculous (which in Thailand means possible but unlikely).

An explicit 90-day report is not required for a while. The new Non Immigrant entry from the Non O visa resets the clock, and the first one-year extension of the Non Immigrant entry is treated as a 90-day report in addition to an extension. Thus, the first 90-day report is not actually necessary until 90 days after you receive the one-year extension.

I am quite sure the agent is mistaken. I suspect he has never submitted a 90-day report by mail in his life. My assumption is that the agent is Thai. One of the defects of the Thai character (not exclusively Thai, though) is giving definite advice on something you know nothing about.

No. The e-visa system was introduced for, at least, China, the UK and France prior to the emergence of Covid-19.

Do you know when the e-visa system started supporting multiple entry Non O visas? When originally introduced, it only allowed single entry Non O visas which was a real problem for those used to getting multiple entry visas.

Please ignore the post below. I just saw the clarification above that this was not an extension. Can you, perhaps, post the extension stamp. It must be one of the officially allowed extensions of some description. Three month extensions are usually only urgent temporary work, medical or involved in a court case, as far as I know. The extension stamp should refer to one of the reasons given in Immigration Order 327/2557 (2014) such as 2.25 (receiving medical treatment) or 2.26 (litigation or court proceedings)

Officially, you only need to report if either (i) you change your permanent address; or (ii) you return to Thailand using a fresh visa (no new TM30 required if using a re-entry permit). However, many immigration officials do not know the current rules. This is irritating, but it is a mistake to argue, and you need to react to what the official erroneously believes to be the rules when necessary.

I think he is safe. Etihad does not have domestic carrying rights in Thailand, and those continuing on to Bangkok will all be international arrivals.

If this is without financial proof, I think it will be impossible. There are too many palms to be greased with a marriage extension. Presumably, you are aged under 50 and cannot go for the easier retirement extension.

The 25k extension is likely a highly dubious medical extension that I would stay away from unless you have absolutely no other option. I can imagine this being frowned upon to an even greater extent than the shady volunteer visa/extension. If the 40k option is for an informal school, be very sure the agent can really come through. As commented already by someone else, this option is normally not open past the 12 month anniversary of your arrival in Thailand.

Your hotel in Udon Thani should submit a TM30 that will allow you to apply for the Covid extension there. Good luck!

To some extent, your risk depends on where you live. If you are living somewhere like Bangkok or Pattaya, with many foreigners, it is likely to be a long time before anyone takes an interest in you (unless you go looking for trouble). If you are somewhere remote up country, you are more visible, and immigration might be in a habit of keeping tabs on foreigners in their area.

Back around 2019, when there was a crackdown on people staying indefinitely in Thailand on tourist visas, one of the safest approaches was flying to Yangon for a tourist visa, returning by land at Maesot (with an airport walking distance from the border to fly on to Bangkok if desired). This might become a recommended route again for those who are risk averse, but nevertheless want to press their luck as a perpetual tourist.

I have read several reports of people successfully doing 90-day report by mail to Bangkok Immigration, although their extension was issued elsewhere, and their residence is not in Bangkok. I do not recall reports of doing it in person in Bangkok when not living there, but maybe that is possible too.

Technically, some agents can obtain a highly dubious medical extension. However, you are of course correct that there is no normal 30-day extension of a Non Immigrant entry that an agent could get you.

However, you do it, a visa run is going to be expensive, and not particularly easy. Just maybe, you would be better off waiting out a couple of weeks in, say, Cambodia, not returning to Thailand except to transit to your April 6 flights. That would avoid the costs involved with the Test and Go system.

If your ego is more important than being nice, go ahead. It is unlikely to come back to bite you. However, if you "win", the official loses face, will not be happy, will remember you, and may be resentful. Thais (and Asians in general) tend to be more sensitive than Westerners. I will quietly and politely push back against officials when it is something important. In doing so, I recognise the downside. I would not dream of doing so just to feel I have put the official in his place. Actually, having "apologised" to the officer in the OP's situation, I am liable to ignore it and do absolutely nothing further.

With modern browsers, just opening the mail should not be a problem (though there has been malware in the past that can achieve system compromise with outdated browsers).

Can be many things. For instance, if you have a new passport, your TM30 needs updating.

If you officially report your infection, you can get an all clear document from the hospital after your symptoms clear that is acceptable (even with a positive PCR test) in some situations. If you elected not to report your infection (perhaps due to fears of being forced to enter hospital) then I understand but there is a downside.

You do not pay until after your Elite membership is accepted. In theory, even after Elite membership acceptance, Immigration can still refuse to affix the visa and stamp your permission to stay. However, since they are supposed to have already done due diligence on the application, this would create one h*ll of a stink, and is very unlikely.

Some white men bad, some good. The same was true 150 years ago when many people believed the negro was inferior, and slavery their natural state. Those believing this were not bad people, but they had attitudes that are not acceptable today. In some states, there are institutional problems that linger from those common attitudes of people 150 years ago. Those problems are not addressed because of the ignorance among most people that such problems exist. As an aside, "Critical Race Theory" has absolutely nothing to do with whether individual people are racist. Some are, some are not. It is the study of the major structural deficiencies that exist in society that tend to discriminate against certain groups, and the reasons they exist (sometimes, nothing to do with racism). It is closely related to Critical Legal Studies, an academic discipline that developed starting in the 1970s, with Critical Race Theory developing soon thereafter. As far as I am aware, it is not taught in any pre college courses, though there is a case for covering it briefly in the final year of high school. It is covered extensively by law students, and in less depth by those with some other majors, such as politics and sociology. It is ridiculous that something properly understood by less than 5% of the US public has become such a major political issue.

The US has a labour shortage. It is true that as you reduce the labour shortage, this has the effect of dampening the upward pressure on wages. However, inflation is not an unalloyed benefit (albeit a small amount of inflation tends to be good).

It is, indeed, terrible that things like slavery of the black population, right up to the current day, in parts of the US South (through locking them up in prisons after emancipation) is criticized (read https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2017/9/9/slavery-in-the-us-prison-system and learn). After all, most whites in the US are completely oblivious to the subjugation of some minorities in parts of the US. It is quite outrageous that oblivious whites are being made uncomfortable by pointing out such facts. Further, while improving in many parts of the US, black household incomes average %41,000 while average white household incomes average $70,000. And, no, this is not because blacks are lazy.