Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing so-called Volunteer Visas here in Thailand. This has been a topic of a great deal of consternation amongst a certain subset of expats here in Thailand because a lot of folks got Volunteer Visas as an exigent thing some years back and it is kind of, the chickens are coming home to roost a little bit with respect to this. I will get into this in a moment. 

I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Bangkok Post in the print edition, but bangkokpost.com, the article is titled: "Big Joke" faces down critics. Quoting directly: "Pol Gen Surachate," (that is Surachate "Big Joke" Hakparn the Deputy National Police Chief here in Thailand, formerly the Head of Thai Immigration who as we have discussed in other videos has taken a great deal of interest in Thai Immigration policy specifically and has actually expressed the notion that Thai Immigration will be operating much more from a law enforcement paradigm moving forward), quoting directly: "Pol Gen Surachate said the Chinese criminals enter Thailand using Student Visas while some apply for Volunteer Visas to work for foundations in the country. For Visa extensions, they do not report in person, but pay an agent to handle the matter. They offer some Immigration Officers money under the table to facilitate the procedures or turn a blind eye, he said. Many submitted documents issued by language schools or volunteer foundations as a ploy to extend their visa, he said."

As we discussed in another video specifically discussing Education Visas which this can be an issue for too. Unfortunately Volunteer Visas seem to have been the target if you will of acute corruption within certain areas of the Immigration apparatus wherein they were essentially issuing visas they shouldn't have, for purposes that really didn't exist; again it was done pretensively. And as discussed in this article there is very much an element of fraud here at play where folks are basically getting visas that they are not in fact entitled to. It's a benefit that if they were really looking at the situation in reality, that Visa would not be issued but because they sort of put together enough of a pretext, I would say a pretense, the Visa was able to be issued. I have seen a lot of people have a lot of problems dealing with Volunteer Visas after they have been issued so Immigration later sees these stance and things and says "hey, you have got to leave, we don't want to deal with this." I have even seen situations or heard of them, we haven't actually had clients who had to deal with this or this became their situation, where people have been blacklisted associated with Volunteer Visas.

So the thing to take away from this video is one, don't say anything you are not actually doing with regard to Thai Immigration and two, it is probably a good idea to be cautious when dealing with matters pertaining to Volunteer Visas here in the Kingdom of Thailand.