The Labour Ministry is seeking a three-month arrest reprieve for unverified migrant workers.
Foreign workers who failed to register with the government's nationality verification scheme by Dec 14 are being threatened with arrest and deportation.
The proposal was agreed on by a sub-committee of the Illegal Alien Workers Management Committee on Monday. If the main committee agrees with the proposal, it will submit it to cabinet for endorsement within two weeks, said Labour Minister Padermchai Sasomsap.
He insisted the proposal was not aimed at extending the nationality verification process, but to allow employers to continue to import labour under a memorandum of understanding Thailand has signed with neighbouring countries.