February 20, 2026, 10.00 hours – Ms. Trinuch Thienthong, Minister of Labour, chaired the Management of Foreign Workers Policy Committee Meeting 2/2026. Attending the meeting were Ms. Bubpha Rueangsud, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Labour, Mr. Somchai Maruksriwan, Director-General of the Department of Employment, executives of the Ministry of Labour, and representatives from relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Public Health, Internal Security Operations Command, National Security Council, and the Thai Chamber of Commerce. The meeting was held at the Thian Atchakul Meeting Room, on the 10th Floor of the Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour Building.
Following the meeting, Ms. Trinuch stated that the committee had approved the extension of the deadline for resolving issues related to work permit applications, in accordance with the Cabinet resolution of November 11, 2025, particularly regarding the submission of health insurance documents, medical examinations, and payment of the 900-Baht work permit fee. The original deadline of February 24, 2026, for workers of Lao, Myanmar, and Vietnamese nationalities has now been extended to March 31, 2026, to prevent these workers from falling out of the system and becoming undocumented.
“Today’s meeting focused on establishing measures to address obstacles in the work permit application process for foreign workers of the three nationalities. There are 375,038 pending cases among 890,786 workers who have not yet completed the required procedures. Without corrective measures, these individuals could become workers with irregular legal status, preventing employers and businesses from lawfully hiring them. This could lead to labour shortages in the business sector, affecting the production sector and overall labour stability of the country,” the Minister of Labour stated. She added that the committee carefully considered the reasons, necessity, and potential impacts from all perspectives. The Ministry of Labour will subsequently submit the outcome of the Management of Foreign Workers Policy Committee meeting to the Cabinet for further consideration and approval.
Ms. Trinuch stated that she has instructed the Department of Employment to urgently draft a Ministerial Notification on granting special permission for foreign nationals to work in the Kingdom, specifically for workers of Lao, Myanmar, and Vietnamese nationalities, in accordance with the Cabinet resolution of November 11, 2025, and to complete the drafting as soon as possible.
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Division of Public Relations
