My Mate Nate Has No Work Permit

An American YouTuber, living in Thailand, doesn't have a work permit, which could have seen him in trouble with the authorities, especially after numerous complaints regarding his online videos.

My Mate Nate, will escape prosecution because of an amnesty on foreign workers, which covers him until January, 2018.

Nate Bartling, 24, has never been far away from the news headlines due to his YouTube creations. He filmed his cat as it went head to head with a scorpion, resulting in the latter dangling from the feline's lip as it tried frantically to escape the claws of the scorpion. His latest effort saw him placing coins on a railway track, in an attempt to flatten them, which landed him in hot water with the Thai authorities and resulted in thousands asking for him to be deported.

Bartling was charged with trespassing for his latest antics.

The Labour Department say that if he is making money whilst in Thailand from his videos, then he is deemed to be working and as such, should have a a work permit. According to the department, he has never applied for one.

Due to the amnesty, which runs till the first day in January, the YouTuber cannot be charged.

It is believed that he has made a small fortune from his videos. He is paid per click and as the videos have been viewed millions of times, he will have made a substantial amount of cash from them.

But would he meet the criteria for a work permit?

The claims from the authorities that people using a computer to earn money has sparked debate amongst netizens. Many ask "Why do you need a work permit to sit at home and use your computer?"

One enquired if an author, living in Thailand was writing his latest novel, from his hotel, would that be seen as "working"?

Source: Thai Visa