@Matthew *********

Without knowing what school, it could just be typical thai admin. Always a mess 😂So they might back-pedal if you question it. Only having said it because they don´t know. It´s easier to say no, so you don´t have to cover your *ss later for having said yes, when your superior asks why you did that. Anyway, it is a big red flag,

As

@Brandon ***********

said, there is a high chance they just want the control. You are eligible for a work permit on your non o based on marriage. It is even less paperwork for the school as they don´t have to provide paperwork to support your visa too. Only the work permit. Thing is, if they can´t control your visa, like in threatening you for example that if you don´t do this and that, they will cancel the visa, they lose that option.

Seeing as they already play that card, I would avoid working for them altogether! Find another school!

@Paige *******

if you have a valid extension, supported by attending a real uni here, don't worry. Just get a new passport, as you said, even if readable, when water damaged it's no good. Then just show both the old, invalidated passport (snipped/holed/whatever they do to an American passport to mark that), and the new passport at passport control. Just explain its new and old passports. Hand over showing the page with the reentry stamp maybe. They will see it in their system too and just stamp your new passport with a "stay until" date, that will be the expiry date of your current one year stamp. After that, after arriving in Thailand, you go to the immigration office that gave you that stamp, and get it transferred to the new passport.

Get a new passport as quickly as you can. Show both passports when you enter Thailand by air. Go to immigration after to get the stamps transfered.

@Steve *******

it's not either a visa or an extension. It's a stamp you can get if your application for an extension is refused. It is literally a "extension refused, you have 7 days to leave the country!"-stamp.

No other choice but to leave within 7 days. And you cannot rely on getting the stamp either.

I would go ask immigration with your details of your volunteer work and see what they say, before you plan the change.

If it's an extension you got from immigration in Thailand, and if it's for a reputable organization (the volunteer work). It is possible to just change the reason for your extension. They will cancel your current extension and immediately stamp the new reason (retirement) extension in your passport for 1900 baht. You will lose any remaining days on your current extension and the new year extension starts the day they do it.

If you are on still on a visa, that you got outside Thailand, or the initial 90 day visa gotten inside Thailand (no extensions yet) it is not possible to change the reason for extension until you have had at least one extension for the same reason as the visa was given for (volunteer)

Easiest is just to get married, as long you still have time left on your current stamp. I assume that is a tourist visa? Then when that is close to running out, and you are already married, go get the 60 day "visit family" extension at immigration, to have have enough days left on that to apply for an in country non o based on marriage. Another option, that some have to use because their local immigration will/can not issue the initial non o visa, is to make an appointment at the thai embassy in Vientiane, Laos, and go get the initial 90 day non o there. Or start in Savanakhet Laos with a year multi entry non o based on marriage.

However you can/choose to get the initial non o, it sounds like you already have your ducks in a row to apply for the one year extension at thai immigration after.

Good luck.

@Tore *****************

just confirming that. Didn't try to argue. Sorry if it came off that way.

@Tore *****************

different thai embassies has different requirements. It's not the same. Thailand has 65 different embassies world wide, and 29 consulates, some of which also gives visas.