Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing Thailand Elite Visa extensions. I thought of making this video after receiving recent correspondence from a viewer. 

Quoting directly: "Just some info. I renewed my Elite annual extension earlier this week. All was normal and no additional requirements, which was also confirmed by Elite when I emailed them beforehand. When I made my Elite in 2021, they were already doing (and he puts it in parentheses) "opaque background checks" on the home country but these required no input from the applicant and did not include the likes of the Thai Police clearance certification that Business Visas etc. will require. I assume the unfortunate applicants in your vid. were getting their actual Visa affixed for the first time and got caught up in new requirements that also caught Elite on the back foot. All very disturbing, but just to confirm, there is no issues for extensions of existing holders if my experience is the norm and Elite statement is to be believed." 

So yeah, good news there for Thailand Elite Visa holders. Sometimes Thailand Elite is referred to as the Thailand Privilege Card or Thailand Privilege Visa. The whole system has been changed around so many times it's hard for me to count the iterations of that thing. But that said, we did a video here recently where we were talking about the fact that all appointments for them had been cancelled pending a new system for background checks. Again, exactly where that is playing out it is kind of situationally dependent. We have been assisting folks with Elite Visas here recently and it's spotty. We have had to go through extra protocols in some circumstances and other cases seem to be - like this extension issue - seem to have no issues. 

So again, exactly how this thing is playing out is kind of depending on case-by-case basis and the underlying facts in a given case. That being said, we will certainly be trying to keep people updated as best we can on this channel as this situation evolves.