Double check your insurance, if you have it. My pharmacy plan covered 100%, but my health plan didn’t cover anything.

Look for transfers, not immigration.

We live in Samui and the immigration office refused to convert our visa. Our option was to pay the school a giant fee to apply from here.

We had to leave the country and start over. Because it was cheaper than the fee.

I was told this type of thing is common in “the southern islands”.

Net/net, it is cheaper to get the non-O before you leave if you are coming here.

Is that what a DTV is for? I think you are looking at an education visa. A DTV means you have a job someplace virtual.