Transcript of the above video: 

As the title to this video suggests, we are talking about Thai Immigration, we are talking about further scrutiny. This actually came up after I received an email from a viewer who is a member of Thailand Elite. He had received, and a tip of the hat to that person, he had received this email from Elite. I'm going to quote directly here, again this is an email from the Thailand Privilege Company that assists people, not assists people, they are the membership company if you will that, it's their Club, and then the visas are issued concomitant with membership in the Club; that's sort of the way to look at it. Again, some people call it Thailand Elite, some people call it the Thailand Privilege Visa. I don't know how many iterations of this Elite Visa I've seen at this point in the nearly 20 years I've been here, but it's a lot. 

Quoting directly: General Reminder: Thailand Privilege Visa affixation at Suvarnabhumi, Phuket & Chiang Mai Airports. So I've already done a video contemporaneously with this one where I discussed the ramifications specifically for Elite Visa holders, so if you are interested in the Elite Visa itself check that out. That said, there is some information in here that I think pertains broadly to everyone, and that was the point I was trying to make. 

Quoting directly: "Dear Thailand Privilege Card members". Quoting further: To help ensure a smooth and pleasant arrival experience we would like to share a friendly reminder regarding visa affixation at Suvarnabhumi, Phuket and Chiang Mai airports (new or renewal) at the airport. The Immigration Bureau is currently conducting more detailed reviews of travel histories." This is important for general knowledge; this isn't just for Elite Visa holders. They're giving insight into what Immigration is doing internally, and they are now scrutinizing people who have, and I quote: "Travel histories." Quoting further: "Particularly for individuals who have made frequent short trips to neighbouring countries especially those included on immigration's watch list for fraudulent activity," - and again, now they have a watch list for fraudulent activity. I have got to imagine this has to be related to this whole scammer thing that's been going on the last couple of months. That said, quoting further: "While this does not mean that members are automatically at risk, it is important to be aware of this process. For members who have scheduled an appointment for Thailand Privilege Visa affixation - either for a new stamp or a renewal - and whose travel history includes frequent Border Runs or repeated short stays abroad, Immigration Officers may ask additional questions upon arrival." So first of all, they are saying there's going to be heightened scrutiny if you've had frequent short trips.; so if you have been a border runner in the past, frequently. Again, what I think they are trying to sweep up here is folks that have been living in Thailand for a prolonged period of time using improper visas and now they're scrutinizing them. Quoting further: "In some cases, they may advise the member to enter Thailand under an alternative option such as a 30-day, 60-day, or 90-day Visa Exemption (depending on Nationality), instead of proceeding with the Thailand Privilege Visa affixation at that time. Please note that members who already have a Thailand Privilege Visa affixed in their passport are not affected by this announcement." 

So okay, it's important to note here, these are people that have paid and been approved for the Elite Visa and those people, who in my opinion, what more do you want from them - they have paid, they're in the system, they've done their background check as part of the Elite Visa process - so you know they don't have criminal background checks, but now they're even adding, "hey, they might not just admit you on Elite, they might not just give you that Visa at the airport which has always been the practice heretofore, they might not give that out. They may say hey, just come in on a 30-day, 60-day, or 90-day visa - whatever your passport allows in terms of exemption - we have got to do further review and scrutiny of you before we issue this visa. These are the people paying to get into Elite, so in a broad sense, what does that mean for people who aren't trying to get into Elite coming back into Thailand who have been doing a lot of Border Runs and frequent short trips”, again to quote, coming back into Thailand. I can't imagine it doesn't mean heightened scrutiny and I have got to imagine those folks are going to be substantively treated differently than those folks who are coming in on an already-paid-for, high-dollar, long-term visa that they have already been pre-vetted on with regard to their underlying criminal history. So they know these people are not a problem criminally, they know they have paid the money and still these frequent short trips are jamming them up when it comes to admission in that visa status into Thailand.

Again, what does that mean for folks who aren't trying to enter Thailand on such a visa? I don't think it means that we are not going to, I don't want to speak in double negatives, what I think it means is heightened scrutiny all around, and frankly folks that are coming in here and trying again, what does it mean for the DTV? That's a good question. I talked about it in another video that they have talked about this whole two entries per year, and I've also discussed the fact that the DTV was created as a nomad visa. It's designed, and they said it at the time, it wasn't designed to live here. It was designed again in the broader context if you remember the time when this rolled out. One, the DTV was rolled out for political reasons for Paetongtarn Shinawatra's ascension to the premiership, but also it was rolled out in the context of "oh we're trying to have this pan-ASEAN kind of travel arrangement". They wanted to create a pan-ASEAN Visa. That didn't come off for a variety of different reasons, but they created this as sort of like oh Thailand's your hub and then you travel around the region utilizing the DTV. The DTV, again, its purpose was for nomads. It did not presume people were living here on the Visa, hence the reason you can't get banking facilities on it; it's not work authorized for Thailand. Again, they sort of look the other way if you're conducting business with something remote, and offshore. Again, that's not work authorization per se; it's just sort of a waiver if you will. It's turning a blind eye in many ways, and again I've gone into the analysis. I don't even think it's legally proper because they are not work authorized and the law on all that is clear. 

That being said, circling back to my point in all of this video is if they are scrutinizing Elite Visa holders this way, or Elite Visa seekers who have already been pre-approved true for the visa, and presumably have paid for it, I have to imagine virtually any other visa holder coming into Thailand whose past shows a great deal of Border Running and attempting to live in Thailand on exemptions and Tourist Visas etc., those folks are going to find themselves under the light of increased scrutiny and I have to imagine - I'm not going to say they are going to get treated worse than Elite Visa holders -but it's a substantively, it's a materially different posture to be in trying to come into Thailand on an Elite Visa versus trying to come in on something you haven't paid to be a member of, in order to maintain long-term status here in the Kingdom of Thailand.