Some foreign migrant workers will be allowed to stay up to an extra two years due to Covid-19

Thailand-

• Foreign workers who have already worked for four years legally in the country can stay an extra two years
• They do not need to leave the country like would normally be required
• They will still need to pay relevant work permit fees for migrants and complete the proper paperwork.

The Thai Ministry of Labor announced yesterday following approval at a Thai Cabinet meeting that foreign migrants who have completed a four year contract legally can stay an extra two years without leaving the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Suchart Chomklin, the Minister of Labor, made the announcement and confirmed the information, stating that this would help a significant labor shortage currently caused due to lack of foreign migrant workers. This is due to borders still being closed, including land borders, due to concerns of the Covid-19 pandemic and possible spread to Thailand.

Suchart noted that although many Thai nationals were also unemployed due to the pandemic the fields looking for workers were mostly low paying manual labor and construction jobs and despite being unemployed most Thai nationals did not seem to show interest in the available positions.  Therefore, they had to fill the roles with foreign migrant workers.

It was also noted by the Ministry of Labor that foreign migrants wishing to stay would still need to complete a mandatory medical test, pay the 1,900 baht renewal fee and process the correct visa and immigration information. The additional two years is only for migrant workers from nearby countries, like Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.