, yes, I understand that as I live in Thailand. An individual can still enter Thailand as a tourist & readily obtain a visa through the right agency. You have to obtain the agent as soon as you arrive in Thailand & start the visa process. Obviously you’ll have to make a border bounce, but you can enter Thailand approximately 3 to 5 days later (some agencies will take longer) with a Non O. The agency will then make the appointment with the bank to deposit the ฿800,000. I know of 2 individuals personally that did this exact process, both having arrived at the end of May of this year & now they have their Certificate of Residence. More expensive than doing it yourself, of course, again the stress & time saved is worth the money for some people.
I think your advice of obtaining an agent is great advice. I understand individuals complaining about the money, but if you have the funding, agents can save you a great deal of time & stress. I think that is priceless, regardless of cost.