Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing Border Runs in the context of Non-Immigrant Visa status. The reason for this video was based on a comment on one of our videos which stated: "I have a question. Why is it, because it seems to me that the use of the border is often the mechanism used to add additional requirements on the Visa holders? For example when you want to switch from say an O-A to an O visa, you are required to leave the country and then come back and when applying for a Non O 90-day based on marriage for example in country and then extending that Non O, you are required to leave the country and then come back. Why is this? Why is the Border Runs always used in this way? Now we see the Health Insurance requirement added on if you leave the country." 

So I think a lot is being conflated here. In the past and prior to the present Emergency Decree and the situation we are in subsequent to March of 2020, Border Runs have just been effectively almost completely phased out. In the past Border Runs were used really frequently as this poster points out and the reason for this is the very nature of Non-Immigrant Visa status, the presumption on a Non-Immigrant Visa is that you are not permanently in the country so prior to the situation we are currently in, the presumption was you needed to leave. You were a Non-Immigrant. There was no kind of presumption that we need to convert you; no. They wanted you to leave, go to an Embassy; get a new Non-Immigrant Visa. That was the way that that was handled. 

Now as a practical matter, there could be benefits associated with Border Running. For example if you couldn't get an extension on a certain type of Visa, you might be able to just let it run its course, run out of the country get a new status come back in and sort of reset oneself. In a way, border running or crossing the border now is kind of inverted from what it was. In many ways it used to be almost sort of a plenary car wash if you will. There was a great line from the movie "Casino" where Robert de Nero says you know "Las Vegas is for guys like me what Lourdes is for humpbacks and cripples. It is a morality car wash". The Border used to be kind of a plenary car wash for Visa purposes. You could pass through the Border, come back in in new status. You could get a new status. In many ways it operated to that individual's benefit. As we have noted with respect to for example insurance requirements associated with being able to enter Thailand, in a way leaving the country places new possibly more onerous burdens on those trying to get back into the country. So again the Border Run is kind of inverted from what it once was. 

Meanwhile, at least a present, there is some added discretion on the part of Immigration Officers with respect to the possibility of conversion so at least for now that is really not the method that we are seeing for folks to get into more regularized status. Quite frankly, if you haven't gotten into regularized status at this point, you really need to look at doing so if you are going to look at staying in Thailand long term because trying to think that it is going to be possible to use Border Runs or Visa Runs anytime in the near future, I don't think that is a proposition that is going to be in line with reality.