My Thai wifes' male cousin is married to a Lao female national, they wish to obtain a long term visa so she can remain long term with the husband.

Can anyone advise how to go about this.

If legally married suspect she would apply for a non immigrant O visa using her proof of marriage and then extend her stay once in Thailand at an immigration office with her husband as any other nationality can do. He should really talk with immigration or call 1111 and ask his question of an immigration officer there.

I honestly don't know if Lao nationals have a different status than other foreigners but the way the non-Lao foreign wife of a Thai man would do it would be to get a non-imm O visa based on marriage to a Thai national and then, when the 3 months are nearly up, go to their nearest Immigration office and apply for a one year extension. They must go together as he is requesting permission for his wife to stay. Normal applications require copies of all Thai visas in her passport, two photos, copies of his tabien ban and id card and a letter from his puyai ban stating where they live, how long they have lived together etc. No proof of income is required, although they do ask what his income is. Not sure what the minimum requirement is, he should call his local immigration office (or the hotline) to be sure. For first time applicants, photos of their wedding and them together at their house can't hurt. I have been doing an extension for years so couldnt' tell you what they require as far as photos etc for first time applicants so, again, he should call his local immigration office.

Good luck to him, if he is anything like my husband, he will hate having to deal with them on the phone --so if there is an Immigration office nearby perhaps he should just drop in