If using Soft Power, you shouldn't need proof of income(that I know of) as someone said earlier you can sign up for a cooking class or Muay Thai course. Try....
For family reasons I need to travel often to and from the states. They said I could do one week at a time for as long as I needed. In other words, no need to do all the weeks right in a row. Plus.... I don't think you can fail. It's cooking, you eat what you cook. Lol
No. That's the application fee. (Or something close to that depending on where you apply). You'll have an extension cost of 1900 baht and a border bounce/crossing to do every year for five years.
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