O-X Visa: who has this visa and can comments on pros and cons? I have a Bangkok Bank account and can transfer the 3 Million baht; this technically has me fulfill all requirements to apply from NYC. Here's what I've gathered:

CONS

1. Mandatory Health Insurance from a limited number of providers.

2. Mandatory 90 day reporting (1st in person, subsequent online)

3. Long stay tax liability/filing.

4. Not sure what investment products I have access to in Bangkok on my funds: need to research CD rates.

5. Odd process: what if I deposit the funds and then decide not to come or delay my arrival? Are the deposited funds easily accessible/repartiatable back to the US?

PROS

1. 5 Year duration.

2. Fees are reasonable: 400$

I know I can get a Non O and apply for an extension of status; that's an option but O-X might be better.

I believe it'd be a good idea if we could post the pros and cons of every embassy. I'll start with my experience in taipei/taiwan:

Pros: they are pretty fast when it comes to check the documents. They usually reply to the emails within a few hrs.

Cons: EXTREMELY picky when it comes to check the documents, they require payslips and everything about your job even you apply for soft powers. They ask for a certificate of entry/exit in the country which requires to go to the local immigration office. They often ask for an interview which is everything but friendly. They want to check that your company pays you regularly and they want to see the money going into your account for a few months (even under soft powers)

Would I recommend this embassy? NO, It was a very stressful process, I got asked for a lot of extra documents (also from the gym) and some of them didn't even make sense. After mailing them dozens of pages, I still got asked to have an interview which took place 10 days after my documents got checked. The interview felt like a police one (why are you going to thailand, how many times have u been there, why do you want to train, have u ever trained before? where are u going to stay, how long will the contract of your condo be, how long do you want to stay in thailand, how will you support yourself, why did you apply in taiwan, how can you live there without a job and so on). I repeat, Taiwan isn't a good place to apply for a visa, it's actually a very stressful embassy

Thai Bronze Visa formally known as Elite, pros and cons gooooo..and don't say the price

Are there pros and cons for applying in Laos over Vietnam? Or say Vietnam over Cambodia? I wanted to explore more of Laos after applying.