[O-A Visa: Employment Prohibited]

I have a Non-Immigrant O-A (retirement) Visa, with the remark, "Employment Prohibited".

 

I want to understand how this is legally interpreted.  I'm certain that I cannot do any job that a Thai could do for money.  However, I'm wondering if "Employment Prohibited" extends to volunteer work, that a Thai citizen could potentially do for profit?  

 

Thanks in advance for the feedback.

[Non-Immigrant O-A Extension in Bangkok]

Tuesday, I successfully extended my visa for my second year in Thailand (my first extension) at the Bangkok Immigration Division 1 office. I also requested, paid the fee, and received a multiple entry permit stamp. I arrived at 9:15 and departed at 4:15. A long day, but a successful one.

To meet the financial requirement, I used my bank book showing greater than 800,000 THB for the past few months, and the required letter from the bank confirming my account information. The only problem was the timing. I had my local bank branch write the account verification letter on Sunday (two days before going to immigration). I was informed that a bank transaction must be made on the day of application. The immigration officer instructed to me to go downstairs, to my bank, execute any transaction, and redo the bank letter. This took about 30 minutes. In the end, there was no problem, but I have the following question:

Do immigration requirements vary depending on the office location?

My understanding is that the Pattaya immigration office allows the letter and last transaction to be up to 5 days old. Overall, I found excellent information on this forum, and used that information to assemble the documents that I needed. I'm just curious if the requirements for Pattaya and Bangkok are different. Most of the forum's procedural information relating to immigration extensions seems to be associated with the Pattaya office (or possibly I need to improve my search skills).

Two other points: I was not asked for any documentation to verify my address (I rent a condo). Also, I was not asked to complete a form that ask about personal information (social media accounts, etc...). I've read that immigration has recently required both.

Sorry for the long read. I hope sharing this type of experience is helpful.