The Interior Ministry is seeking the cabinet’s approval to allow up to a million illegal migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to register for legal employment in its bid to contain the spread of Covid-19, a ministry source said.
The ministry is expected to ask for the cabinet’s approval at a weekly meeting set for later on Tuesay.
If the cabinet approves the plan, the ministry would invoke Section 17 of the Immigration Act to make the registration of illegal migrant workers possible.
There are between 2.3-2.5 million legal migrant workers in Thailand, while up to a million more are believed to be living and working illegally in the country, according to experts’ estimates.
The proposed changes will only apply to illegal migrants from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar who entered Thailand before today. Any migrants who illegally entered the country after today…
