Migrant labourers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia are legally permitted to take leave from their workplaces to celebrate the Songkran festival in their home countries from April 5-30.
Assistant government spokesman Athisit Chainuwat said Wednesday the cabinet agreed to allow alien workers, including those holding temporary work permits, to head home during the long holiday without surrendering their visas.
They can also take dependents under 18 with them but must return to the kingdom by April 30 or potentially forfeit their working visa, he said.
The cabinet is also facilitating temporary stays for migrant labourers so that they can arrange work permits after registering with the Ministry of Labour's one-stop service centres by March 31, the last day of registration.
The move comes as many alien workers have yet to register with the centres.
According to the ministry, of 1.6 million alien workers nationwide, work permits have been granted to over 820,000 legally registered migrant labourers who are allowed to work in the country until March 31, 2020.
The remaining 880,000 have not yet registered.
With the overflow of undocumented labourers at the centres during the last week of registration, the ministry does not expect it would be able to grant all the permits by this Saturday.
Therefore, those who register by March 31 will be allowed to stay until June to finalise the process, the ministry said.
After registering they must pass a health exam to obtain a certificate of identity, a preliminary step before applying for a visa and work permit.
In another development, government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the cabinet has agreed that alien workers in the fishery industry will be paid monthly instead of hourly or daily.
Their monthly salary must be above a preset minimum daily wage, it said.
