The Foreign Worker Management Policy Committee approved for over 2 million foreign workers of the 3 nationalities whose work permits will end in the 2019 and 2020, with permits still unexpired, to be processed following the MOU without having to travel outside the Kingdom, and able to work in Thailand for another 2 years until March 31, 2022.
On July 8, 2019, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Acting Minister of Labour General Prawit Wongsuwan chaired the meeting of the Committee on Foreign Worker Management Policy No. 1/2019, at the Prof. Nikom Chandravithu conference room, 5th floor, Ministry of Labour. Permanent Secretary of Labour Mr. Suthi Sukosol and the ministry’s senior executives welcomed the visiting parties. After the meeting, Permanent Secretary of Labour Mr. Suthi Sukosol, said that the meeting approved foreign workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, whose work permits were not expired (excluding those who entered through the MOU system) and those holding a passport or document in replacement of a passport that is still valid on the date of submission of the application, for permission to stay in the Kingdom temporarily, to operate in the same manner of entering following the MOU system without having to travel outside the Kingdom. The approval also allows workers to stay in the Kingdom for no more than 2 years, with the seal of permission to remain in the Kingdom with requests for a maximum of 1 year at a time.
The work permit will be valid for no more than 2 years, separated into 2 periods: 1. The work permit expires before March 31, 2020, allowing work until September 30, 2021, and 2. The work permit expires from March 31, 2019, onwards, allowing work until March 31, 2022. For other groups of workers or workers who do not wish to proceed in this way, once their work permit expires, they must return to their origin countries. If they want to work in Thailand, they must travel to work legally through the MOU system only.
Mr. Suthi added that 2,056,467 foreign workers would have to go through the process from August 15, 2019, or within 15 days since the Cabinet’s approval until March 31, 2019. Foreign workers can submit applications to stay in the Kingdom with immigration officers before the 90-day authorization ends at the One Stop Service Center (OSS). For Bangkok, the Director-General of the Department of Employment is entrusted for consideration and provincial governors are entrusted for other provinces. Furthermore, the Ministry of Labour will propose work management guidelines for foreign workers in 2019-2020 according to the resolution proposed by the Cabinet for further consideration.
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Division of Public Relations/
News by Chaninthorn Phettab/
Photos by Sompob Silbut/
Information by Department of Employment/
8 July 2019
