It was reported that the Thai Ministry of Labour has issued a ministerial order setting new fees for inspections and work permits for foreign workers from Cambodia.
The fees have been reduced to promote legal employment and solve the problem of foreign workers entering the country for work purposes.
Specifically, the visa fee was reduced from 2,000 baht to 500 baht, and the cost of applying for a temporary stay was reduced from 1,900 baht to 500 baht.
This Ministry Order came into force on November 10 or 15 days after its publication in the Royal Gazette on October 27. It is to take effect for four years.
It applies to foreign workers from four countries, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Laos, who enter Thailand to work based on an employment contract or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) concerning the recruitment of workers.
This measure aims to ensure that foreign workers are legally employed and contribute to the country’s economy by addressing problems related to illegal immigration and labour market stability.
The statement issued said, “This ministry regulation is in line with the government’s approach to regulate the employment of foreign workers to strengthen the country’s competitiveness and support economic recovery after COVID-19. Reducing fees is a means to ease the financial burden on workers and employers.”
According to the information of the Office of Foreign Labor Administration Department, in September, Thailand had a total of 2,593,439 foreign workers, and there are still approximately 1 million workers in the process of submitting work permit applications according to the Cabinet resolution on October 3, 2023.
