Thai labour ministry extends visa application window for Myanmar migrant workers

By Admin 10 Jul 2023

DMG Newsroom
10 July 2023, Sittwe

The Thai labour ministry has extended the deadline for work permit applications for migrant workers until the end of July.

It has approved visa extensions until July 31 for migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar. Those whose visas have expired, those who are not yet employed, and illegal migrant workers may apply.

“We welcome the move by the Thai government. It has provided a chance for undocumented workers to apply for visas,” said an official from the Myanmar Migrant Workers Rights Network.

Thai employers are required to submit a list of their undocumented employees and data to labour offices in their respective jurisdictions in Thailand.  But employees have been told to apply through middlemen, and thus are incurring costs.

“It only costs a maximum of 3,000 baht to register. However, workers do not understand the process, and their employers did not help register. So, workers have to apply through middlemen. It costs 5,000 to 10,000 baht to apply through middlemen. It is a huge amount when compared with our salaries,” said a Myanmar migrant worker in the Thai border town Mae Sot.

Migrant workers must have a non-Thai ID card, known as a pink card, or certificate of identity known as a green book, and a passport to live and work legally in Thailand.

There are more than 500,000 Myanmar migrant workers legally working in Thailand, and over 200,000 of them started to work in Thailand after the 2021 military coup. Additionally, there are countless numbers of Myanmar nationals illegally working in Thailand, according to labour rights activists helping Myanmar migrant workers.