Thai citizenship granted to 483,000 immigrants to boost economy

The Thai Cabinet approved Thai citizenship to 483,000 immigrants in a move aimed at boosting the economy. The decision met with disagreement from many Thai residents.

The spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office, Jirayu Huangsub, announced on Tuesday, October 29, that the Thai Cabinet and the Office of National Security Council agreed in their meeting to grant citizenship to 483,000 immigrants.

The immigrants are divided into four main groups of people who have been residing in Thailand for a long period, as well as their descendants.

Jirayu clarified that the first group consisted of 120,000 people who had been living in Thailand between 1984 and 1999. The second group includes 215,000 people who have resided in the country between 2005 and 2011.

The third group comprises 29,000 people born in Thailand, and the fourth group includes 113,000 children born in the country to parents who do not have registered status.

In addition to the approval, the Cabinet also streamlined the procedures for granting citizenship to expedite the process. Jirayu explained that the officials would have to spend over 44 years processing applications if the previous steps remained unchanged.

He emphasised that these 483,000 immigrants have been living and working in Thailand for a considerable time and possess all the necessary documents. The Cabinet believes that granting them citizenship will enable them to travel legally between Thailand and their home countries, help boost the Thai economy, and improve the accuracy of citizen data.

Regarding the impact on the country, Jirayu stated that the Cabinet tasked the Ministry of Interior with addressing these details.

Following the announcement, public opinion among Thai residents is divided. Some believe that legalising these immigrants’ status could lead to increased tax revenues for the country. Others, however, fear that immigrants could take their jobs or cause social issues.

Many critics argue that there are still many Thai citizens living in poor conditions and suggested that the government prioritise addressing the high cost of living and infrastructure development.

A number of netizens criticised the People’s Party (formerly the Move Forward Party) for promoting this policy, as its members were the first to raise the matter in a parliamentary meeting. This criticism led to the trending hashtag #พรรคประชาชนพม่า (translated as “Burmese People’s Party”) on X (formerly Twitter).