Migrant workers to be granted 2-year work permit and health insurance

Undocumented migrant workers from 3 countries will be able to register for legal employment allowing a 2-year stay. The Cabinet approved the measure in an effort to control the spread of Covid-19 after an outbreak at a Samut Sakhon seafood market affecting a large migrant community who worked around the fishing hub.

Migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar will be able to register with the Labour Ministry’s Department of Employment starting on January 15 until February 13. The workers must go through a health screening before submitting a work permit application. The workers and their children will receive health insurance for 2 years.

The workers must submit work permit applications before September 13. They must register as non-Thai nationals by November 12. Migrants or their employers must pay 7,200 baht to cover the health screening and 2-year health insurance. Undocumented migrants who do not have an employer must find a job within 90 days.

The outbreak in Samut Sakhon infecting hundreds of migrant workers shed light on labour trafficking and undocumented employment. The Royal Thai Army recently said they can’t stop border breaches and police have now shifted their focus from catching migrants entering illegally to cracking down on labour traffickers.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand| Bangkok Post

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