Thailand legitimizes illegal foreign workers to benefit anti COVID-19 effort

0
1454
Thailand logs 205 new cases on Friday. Of those, 131 were locally infected, 58 were confirmed through active case finding, seven sneaked in and nine were quarantined arrivals.

The Ministry of Labor has opened an online registry for migrant laborers who entered the nation illegally, to list themselves in an effort to legitimize foreign workers, to benefit the overall anti COVID-19 effort.

Minister of Labor Suchat Chomklin, said the leniency was made as an urgent measure and applies to Cambodia, Laotian and Myanmar laborers currently in Thailand and employed in legal businesses or engaged in legal trade, including those with dependents under the age of 18. They are urged to register as legal laborers under the special clemency initiative, which will grant them the right to live and work in Thailand until February 13, 2023.


In light of the COVID-19 situation, the process is to be done completely online with registration to be done at Department of Employment website e-workpermit.doe.go.th, requiring only a current photograph and documentation of license payment.

The Ministry of Public Health will dispatch teams to conduct COVID-19 and other disease screenings and bring the workers into the health insurance system by April 16. Payment for licenses can be done at Counter Service branches and Krungthai Bank branches any time before September 13.




The Department of Employment will forward completed work permits to the Department of Provincial Administration so that identification and pink cards can be issued. Workers in the fisheries industry can receive boating documentation from the Department of Fisheries. All processes must be completed by November 12 and will cost approximately 9,180 baht in total. (NNT)