Political Demonstrations Continue to Hinder Immigration Processing

Government offices responsible for immigration processing have closed due to ongoing political demonstrations in parts of Bangkok. Processing delays will likely result from the closures.

The Employment Department is now closed; an announcement about new temporary offices is expected. The Department has confirmed there will be no penalties or repercussions for foreign nationals whose work permits expire during the closure. It is anticipated that work permit holders will be given a grace period to renew expired work permits once the Department re-opens.

Within the Immigration Department’s One Stop Service Center (OSSC), both the Employment and Immigration Sections are now closed. An announcement regarding temporary operations for both sections is expected. The OSSC provides specialized immigration processing for companies that meet its sponsorship criteria.

The Immigration Bureau continues to operate normally at its temporary location on the fifth floor of the Imperial World Ladprao Building on Ladprao Road. The central office will provide full immigration services and work regular hours until the situation normalizes.

What This Means for Employers

During the closures, employers should account for delays and suspended processing when planning to relocate foreign workers and renew their work permits.

Fragomen is monitoring the situation in Thailand and will provide updates as needed.

Fragomen worked closely with Dej-Udom & Associates Ltd. (Bangkok) to prepare this alert. It is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].