Migrant workers get fee cut
The Cabinet yesterday agreed to cut the fee for working visas from Bt2,000 to Bt500 for 20,000 migrant workers from Cambodia and Laos
Deputy Prime Minister Paiboon Wattanasiritham proposed to the Cabinet yesterday to lower the fee after it had cut the rate for 10,000 Burmese workers in January.The Cabinet decision also allowed the workers and accompanying family members to stay and work in the Kingdom for another year after their work permits expire at the end of June. Over a million migrant workers from Burma, Cambodia and Laos work in Thailand, but the only ones who qualify for the lower visa fee are those whose work permits expire at the end of next month. The authorities are unable to identify the remaining migrants as many of them are in Thailand illegally. A government statement said the decision was made on humanitarian grounds to ensure better treatment for migrant workers from neighbouring countries who were seeking better work opportunities in the Kingdom.
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