Registration For Illegal Burmese, Lao And Cambodian Migrant Workers, Open for July only…probably last chance to do it

We’ve all heard and probably know migrant workers from these countries who are working under the radar here in Thailand. Most of them are doing the work that most Thai’s don’t want to do themselves, and most are doing it for minimum wage, under the constant threat arrest, having to pay a relatively large bribe, and if they can’t muster the money, deportation.

This month (July 2009) the Thai government has opened up a registration processes so that illegal workers can be formerly registered to stay and work in Thailand. This is likely to be the last year which this is done in this way, as next year Thailand will move to a new, and undefined, system of ‘passports’ to register undocumented workers. So there is no guarantee when the Thai government will ‘open their books’ to officially accept more migrant labour.

While the system isn’t ideal it offers migrant workers legitimate documentation to stay in Thailand, as well as access to the public health system.

The process is outlined below in english, which is fairly comprehensive.

http://www.mapfoundationcm.org/eng/PDF/eng…stration_09.pdf

The only step this document misses out on (and which is the first ‘real’ step) is that the migrant worker must have a Thai national prepared to hire them. The Thai national must also have a ‘quota’ allocated by their local labour office, before that migrant worker can be registered.

Nevertheless, the system is fairly painless (going through the process for our maid as we speak, and have done it before).