One of my wife's relatives in currently in Michigan or Minnesota or someplace like that, taking some courses arranged by a Thai school. Naturally, he is cold and miserable there & wants to move to a school in California (where my family could look after him). Does anyone know how he can extend & transfer his visa? Or does he have to come back to Thailand and reapply?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Can't give you the details, but there are immigration forms for a change of school. The school should be able to help out with the transfer to another school and the paperwork involved. Normally no need to retun to Thailand first.

Michigan or Minnesota ?

The student should feel very lucky to be placed there.

Many decades ago, I was also in Michigan, Benton Harbor to be exact.

The weather was very cold for sure. But more importantly, there were very very very few Thai there.

His chance of success multiplies exponentially.

If he is going to the west coast for study, his opportunity for employment increases dramatically but then he will be distracted totally and absolutely by everything else around him.

This is not to say that he can not be successful in the western or eastern regions, but there there are just much much more distractions all over.

Keep him there in the cold, alone and lonely. When he returns to Thailand, he will speak excellent English that any farang would be able to understand and interact with!

I can almost guarantee that....

About changing schools, the current immigration rules might not permit him to transfer without first returning to homicide.... was what I once read. But then I might be senile at three scores and nine.