@Cary ***
what have you seen ‘shifting frequently’? ALL nations make changes to their immigration plan annually. It’s a fast changing world.
The price of Thai visas has astoundingly remained the same for many years. The criteria also. Of course it evolves, but the basics haven’t changed in decades. LTR and DTV are quite new. Seriously positive changes. At insanely low cost.
And there are well known ‘work arounds’. Border bounce agencies, agents to facilitate visa. Fast track airport arrival. Some border points are well known to be strict, others are well known for being soft. You just have to gently read and learn here. And talk to people with similar circumstances