Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, we are asking the question, will this new digital Work Permit system being utilized in Thailand make things easier? I have discussed at length the new e-Work Permit system that has been rolled out in another video made contemporaneously with this one. That said, I thought of making this video after recently reading an article in the Pattaya Mail, that is pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Thailand extends grace period for employers struggling with new e-Work Permit system. Quoting directly: "Employers or establishments experiencing issues with the e-WorkPermit system may take screenshots of any errors, attach relevant documents, and submit Work Permit applications through the previous process at the provincial Employment Office or Bangkok Employment Offices (Areas 1 - 10) where their businesses are located." 

Yeah so first off, it's just like the banking thing. They say all this digitization is going to make our lives easier and as the folks in my office here that deal with this, I have been hearing for the last two weeks, they've been telling me, "Oh my God; I'm seeing the text actually on our group Line chat where they are saying "oh my God, this new system, I'm having this problem, I’m having that problem", and then they say, “oh if you just add this and come see us and do that”, it is adding so much extra work. Now for our clients, that's really not their problem, it's our problem, we deal with these things, but I can't imagine what this must be like if somebody is having to try to deal with it themselves. Frankly, most folks that I've ever found - that are foreign especially - that try to deal with this system themselves, eventually just throw up their hands and end up coming to people like us to be able to assist them. But I have got to tell you, with the roll out of this digital stuff, it's not making anything easier by any stretch. That said, quoting further: "This option will remain available until January 28, 2026, to help ease the transition and minimize any disruptions caused by the new system." And it seems Pattaya Mail is quoting NNT for that particular article. That being said, going back to the main thrust of this video which is, is this making anything easier? 

Look, when I saw the National Visa Center in the United States - I've been processing US Immigration cases for nearly 20 years now - when I saw that move over to digital, everything got harder. I mean I have got to be honest with you, I prefer the paper system, especially in cases that had little sort of exceptional facts as part of the case. The digital online systems are never set up nor conducive to any non-typical fact patterns in the given case. You have to just use what they put on there, the sort of template that they allow you to fill in the blanks on. It used to be on the old written dots, there would be space at the side, you put in the margin, "hey this person has this issue", and it worked perfectly fine. Yeah, not so much now. The digital systems that I have seen rolled out, yeah it probably makes things a little bit easier and more efficient, and it certainly creates a lot less accountability for the bureaucrats themselves because they never have to face the people that are trying to process this stuff through. Those people are just interfacing through some digital platform, so I guess yeah it makes their lives more pleasant.

But long story short, in my experience, this digitization of things doesn't make things easier in the Work Permit context. I am already talking to professionals who deal with Work Permit issues every day in our office telling me that the system isn't the easiest thing in the world to use; I can't imagine what it's like for the general public. For those who feel a bit overwhelmed about Work Permit processing here in Thailand, it may not be a terrible idea to contact a legal professional, gain some insight and guidance into how best to proceed.