Transcript of the above video: 

So, the clip is from The Dark Knight of the Christopher Nolan Batman franchise. That is Commissioner Gordon is the thumbnail for this video and Commissioner Gordon is basically saying, "we are on our own". What it means is we are on our own. And I think it is important at this stage to maybe start reflecting back a little bit on COVID. And if I go back and really, regret is not the right word but rethink the things that happened, and I look at people who went through a lot worse than I did or we did here at the firm. There were certain things, I remember one friend of mine who owned, owns still a restaurant, he said that if he had known in March of 2020, the way the rest of 2020, 2021 and 2022 were going to play out, he would have just closed immediately and not come back until after it was all over, but that isn't the way it happened. And I have been thinking about this a lot because I have noticed there is a lot of traffic on things like X and YouTube, and people talking about all sorts of stuff having to do with being stranded in Thailand, and I think it is time folks, this sort of came into the forefront of my mind – I have done a couple of videos on - they talked about giving out a stipend for folks who were stranded and a lot of people sent me emails, sent to firm emails, saying, how do I get this”? and it turns out, it is basically a subsidy being paid to the hotels and places that are accommodating these people; it's not like a direct stipend handout. But it brought to the forefront of my mind that look folks, that's not the way to be thinking right now.

This situation in the Middle East, we don't know how this is going to play out. Is it going to be possible to transit the Middle East anytime soon to get back to places like Europe, and the UK in the same way that people used to be able to travel to Thailand. I don't know. At the present moment, it doesn't look like that is going to be an instantly attainable goal; it's not going to be something that can be done immediately. Now that said, I think there is still come traffic going through that area but it's not going through in its usual channels. There are various places that are major hubs for aviation, airports, and things, that are not going to be the same as they were. It's probably time for a paradigm shift. If you are stranded out here and you are thinking you are going to go back the way that you came, that might not be the way to keep thinking. You may have to do a long haul over the Pacific, go through North America to get back home. That might be, for some people this might just – look, if I am your wakeup call, sorry. I'm not trying to do it in an abrupt manner but sometimes it just needs to be said. It might be time to start looking at alternative travel routes.

Another thing is look, if you are outside of your own country because effectively you can't go back, and you are looking at your situation here, one thing that I learned during Covid that was the better move, was to not sit and wait for the ad hoc Visa policies, but instead to try to jump into a long-term category. So if you're over 50 for example, you may be eligible for a standard Retirement Vis. And again, issues pertaining to things like conversion of Visa status, not a foregone conclusion. But as we saw during Covid, Immigration has discretion to do things that they might not otherwise do, and again it might not be a terrible idea to start looking at one's visa options. I know you think you might only be here for a few weeks, it could turn into a few months. A few months could turn into a year. I'm not saying it's going to, but it could, and again, if this is a wake-up call to some folks so be it. If you are sitting here thinking well, I can just always roll over my Visa, they will keep giving me these exemptions, not necessarily. We saw during COVID; a lot of folks had a lot of issues with immigration. Now I think they have streamlined a lot of things since then - it is not the same system that it was five years ago - but it is still what it is, and as we have discussed another videos they still want Embassy Certification for those who want waivers on their visas. These signs are indicative of something that is not permanent and perhaps the situation in the Middle East could become more permanent. That may not change the minds within policy makers or the policy making circles of Immigration here in Thailand.

So again, I reiterate, for example if getting back home, be it Europe or the West if you will is your priority, maybe you need to look at other travel plans. If it is looking like, if it could even be a remote possibility that you could be here for a prolonged period of time, it really is a prudent idea to start seriously looking at long-term Visa options, because if for no other reason than you really want to get yourself into something that you don't have to worry about can just be pulled away the second policies sort of change in the vicissitudes if you will of the moment, because these policies out here might change and the material situation in wherever country you are coming from may not have changed or may have gotten worse, and for that reason you want to be able to keep your options open with respect to Immigration here in the Kingdom of Thailand.