Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing Special Tourist Visas and we are discussing the possibility of changing visa status in Thailand once in the Kingdom in Special Tourist Visa status. 

This is posted on the Royal Thai Embassy website in Washington DC, specifically under subsection noting Special Tourist Visas or STV category. Quoting directly: "STV cannot be changed to any other type of Visa during the duration of stay in Thailand." So as noted in videos we made contemporaneously and previously, Special Tourist Visas grant a lot of time. It is a long tourist visa; it is about 9 months’ worth of status but as noted it is affirmatively precluded from converting to another visa status. What you will hear about a lot or you will see in forums and things on the internet is talk from times past of people that come in on various types of status including Visa Exemption and somehow gained a change of status in the Kingdom. That may happen due to a favorable use of discretion by a Thai Immigration Officer but as of at least the time of this video, it appears that Special Tourist Visas are specifically precluded from gaining such an advantage in the Kingdom. 

If you are looking to come to Thailand long term, it is probably a good idea to explore your Non-Immigrant Visa options but even then, if you are looking to have at least sort of the back door open to the possibility of being able to change status once in country it is probably a good idea to look at a different visa including the standard Tourist Visa in order to come into Thailand, maintain status while here and if you are looking to change if something that changes with respect to your factual situation, that is the better route than hoping that the Special Tourist Visa be used as a vehicle to change status once in Thailand.