@Benjamin *****

some agencies help with other jobs too

Are you using an agency or direct hire ? I find the agencies won't help but If you find a good school that direct hires you they seem to have the process better figured out

Never trust a single thing a teaching agency says they are all crooks for the most part.

Contact the US embassy and explain your situation. They might be able to offer assistance. if your ED visa comes from a credible institution and you've never had one before I don't see why Laos consulate wouldn't issue your ED Visa. Laos has always been pretty good for first time ED visas from what others have told me

Yes this is the document the WeChat groups are sharing. It's in Thai however I don't know all the details! Figured I'd mention in case it helps. All the best

I can't find an English source for this but my wife who is Chinese has told me due to the current virus situation visitors from certain Chinese cities have an option to extend for 2 months off a VOA to avoid going back to China. However I can't see any English articles that state that. So take it with a grain of salt! It's being shared on WeChat groups for Chinese people in Thailand so I dunno 🤷 not under normal circumstances though that's for sure

Another option if linguistics isn’t your thing Is an ED visa for Muay Thai.. which some reputable gyms can offer. You don’t have to be a fighter but you could get one of these visas and come to some beginner non contact classes and learn about the art of 8 limbs! Just another option I wanted to add. Martial arts is a great activity and a great physical workout. Would love to see some Expats take this route!

Education Visa would be the root I would take for now... contact a school that can offer. If you wanna live in Thailand, expanding up your Thai skills wouldn’t hurt! All the best my friend!

On the bottom floor of immigration in Bangkok there are places you can get visa photos! Quick, simple and cheap!

No visa run needed. You can extend 30 days inside the country at Immigration!

Thank you this seems like the best course of action to take. Thank you all for your help. Quite a crappy morning for me to find out this happened, this is going to be very costly 😩