Ministry pushes to register migrants

The Labour Ministry has provided a timeframe for employers to register undocumented migrant workers, allowing them to work legally in Thailand.

Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin revealed it on Tuesday after the cabinet agreed to the ministry's proposal for the labour management of nationals from three countries -- Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia -- in a bid to control and prevent further Covid-19 outbreaks.

Mr Suchart said the Department of Employment (DoE) has been instructed to check at construction sites, factories and other workplaces to provide health guidance for employers and migrant workers for 30 days.

During this period, illegal migrant workers will be documented and their employers must apply for work permits together with other related documents from provincial employment offices or offices in Bangkok.

The work permit form will cost 100 baht and the work permit fee will be kept according to related regulations.

Afterwards, employers will receive a document on behalf of the migrant workers which can be used until they receive the work permit that will be valid until Feb 13, 2023.

The cabinet also considered extending the timeframe for migrant workers, who were being processed under a cabinet resolution lasting from Dec 29, to March 31 next year, as some services have been suspended due to Covid-19, he said.

The resolution allowed employers to submit an application for a work permit on behalf of migrant workers online.

If the fee was already paid before Sept 13, the department will issue a work permit which can be used until Feb 13, 2023.

DoE director-general Pairoj Chotikasathien said migrant workers who have been granted a work permit must register for health insurance -- from either the Public Health Ministry or insurance firms -- while waiting for social security benefits.