Need Visa Advice For Switching Jobs

[Chi Man]

Hi, folks. I'm changing jobs and need a little advice.

1. I have a non-immigrant B and a work permit now.

2. I'm leaving my job at the end of March. Of course, the visa and WP will expire one week after that.

3. I have a new job lined up but it doesn't begin till May, leaving me for a month or so without a visa (from April until around May 1).

4. I could leave the country, get a tourist visa, and re-enter Thailand, effectively tiding me over until my new employment kicks in. But I'm also married to a Thai spouse. Instead of getting a tourist visa, which reportedly comes with air ticket hassles in some places, I'm thinking of applying for a non-immigrant O visa based on marriage. I see two possibilities. Which one is better?

The first possibility to get a non-immigrant O visa: Before my visa and WP expire, go to Suan Plu and try to change my B visa to a non-immigrant O. The immigration people won't know that I'm ending my job, and it will look like I just want to convert it to an O visa because I have a Thai wife. How difficult is such a conversion, and what hoops will they make me jump through to get it? Will they want me to show some sort of proof of income at this stage? I make over 40K now but don't have 400K in the bank. Are there problems that I'm not aware of in trying to do this?

The second possibility: Let my current B visa and WP expire. Then leave Thailand and apply for a single-entry non-immigrant O based on marriage in a nearby country (probably Laos). I think I'll be entitled to single-entry O visa for 90 days if I show marriage certificate, wife's ID, house book, etc.

5. I'll enjoy my new visa (either tourist or non-immigrant O) for one month. When my new employment starts, which will make life easier for me: having a tourist visa and converting it to a non-immigrant B when my new WP is being processed (which is what most people do), or having a non-immigrant O visa? If I keep the O visa and get a WP, that brings up the question of extensions later on. When it's time to extend my O visa and I don't have 40K per month income, I might have difficulty extending the O visa, even though I would have a WP and a job (that pays less than 40K per month). If extensions might be problematic later on, would switching my O visa to B make more sense?

I'm sorry if this is a tangled mess! I really appreciate your help.

Thanks for your advice.