First of all thank you in advance for all the "som nam na" and "you're not stuck here" responses this post will no doubt generate.
My situation is this... I came in on a tourist visa and converted to non-O+work permit. Once the non-O was finished I decided not to renew my contract at work and ended up getting into a bit of a mess. Amongst a swathe of conflicting advice, I think I managed to ascertain that that in order to get a covid extension, I would have to cancel the non-O extension and work permit even they would both naturally expire.
I eventually went with an agent to do my covid extensions without cancelling the non-O/work permit.
The reasons for this decision were as follows:
I was/am living in a different city to where the work permit and non-O were issued(Bangkok) and I didn't want to travel, unvaxinated, if I could avoid it in the height of a covid pandemic.
I wasn't even sure if the information given was 100% correct - cancelling a document that would automatically expire sounds stupid, but this is Thailand so of course there's no reason why a stupid requirement wouldn't exist
If the information I was going with was be incorrect, there was every possibility that I'd be stuck in Bangkok with a cancelled visa and no valid covid extension
I found an agent based in Bangkok who claimed they could get me a covid extension without cancelling the non-O for 6000bt. I sent my passport to them and a week or so later they had provided the extension. I then continued to use them for the next extension but this time all of a sudden the price has gone up to 8,500 which a) is getting pretty high for a 2 month extension of stay which normally costs 1,900bt and b) has me wondering if they'll just keep on turning the screw and increasing further and further as long as the extensions go on.
Hindsight is always 20/20 and obviously in retrospect I should have put more effort into sorting things out the 'legit' way. That wasn't the choice I made at the time, and I can't go back and change that.
So my questions are this:
Firstly, is there any way I can retrospectively fix my situation so I can get extensions without an agent. Can I still go to Bangkok and 'cancel' my work permit, and non-O visa even though they've long since expired, then extend naturally either at Bangkok or my local immigration office? This is the preferable route as it would obviously save a lot of money in the long term (assuming that any penalties are minimal and covid extensions continue for a while)
Failing that, does anybody know of a visa agent who will do the covid extensions for a more reasonable price than 8,500?
I am under 50.