Labour Ministry resumes migrant permit services

The Labour Ministry has resumed services nationwide by adopting social-distancing measures in order to complete the legalisation process for migrant labourers who registered online by March 30.

Employment Department chief, Suchart Pornchaiwisetkul, said foreign workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos who registered online by March 30 must complete the remaining work permit renewal steps.

They must receive health examinations at government hospitals and then submit the results to an immigration office for a visa stamp.

After that, they can apply for a work permit online on the department's website without travelling to a provincial immigration office, said Mr Suchart.

Monday was the first day that the government allowed foreign workers from those three countries to renew work permits that expired on March 31 in a new round of renewal, he said.

The permits had not been renewed earlier due to the government's anti-Covid-19 measures, he said.

After an online application, foreign workers can receive a non-citizen ID card with a work permit at any district office, he said.

The department would remind employers via SMS to take their employees to apply for a non-citizen ID card on a specific date and time that have been arranged to help prevent crowding at district offices, said the director-general.

The department also suggested foreign workers in the fishery and seafood processing industry apply for a work permit and visa for their second-year stay during this period, he said.

In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the cabinet approved the extension of temporary stays for foreign workers from the three countries until Nov 30 this year.

However, the department advised that they urgently renew their work permits due to possible delays caused by the pandemic.