CNI News
10 October 2025
All eyes are on how undocumented Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand are coping with difficulties in converting their Certificates of Identification (CI) into “Passport for Job” (PJ) passports.
Those who successfully changed from CI to PJ passports used to be able to travel not only within Thailand but also to other countries. However, since September 25, a new stamp has been added to PJ passports stating that they can only be used for living and working in Thailand and for returning to Myanmar.
For Myanmar migrant workers holding CI documents who plan to live and work only in Thailand, this restriction might not cause serious problems. However, those who wish to continue their education abroad are reportedly facing significant setbacks due to the new limitations.
The Myanmar Embassy in Thailand
Similarly, migrants hoping to seek better opportunities in third countries have also been negatively affected, said U Min Oo, the labor affairs officer of the Foundation for Education and Development (FED), in an interview with CNI News.
“For those who plan to stay and work only in Thailand, it’s not really an issue. But among them, some workers later want to further their education or move to other countries — for those people, this is a huge loss. Many fled to Thailand for various reasons, and after settling as workers, they now wish to study in third countries. For them, this restriction is a major setback.”, he said.
According to U Thein Tun Oo, Director of the Thayninga Institute for Strategic Studies Group, such policy changes are often made by governments in response to national needs, and some negative consequences are inevitable.
Officials issuing CI documents to Myanmar migrant workers
“When a law or policy is implemented out of necessity, there are always some side effects. These are unavoidable consequences. No law can perfectly cover and benefit 100 percent of people. Most of the time, laws are designed to protect what’s important to the country, and in doing so, some side effects will naturally occur. That’s part of the process when enforcing laws or policies.”, he explained.
Meanwhile, U Aung Kyaw, who works with migrant labor affairs, told CNI News that the restriction limiting passport use only to Thailand and Myanmar is unprecedented and inappropriate, as no other country applies such measures to its citizens abroad.
He said: “No country in the world does this. As far as I know, no country issues a passport that restricts its holder to live only in one country. Imposing such a limitation on all Myanmar nationals and migrant workers is completely inappropriate, in my opinion.”
Myanmar migrant workers holding CI documents are now hoping that the government will ease or lift the new restrictions.
Similarly, other CI holders are urging the authorities to clarify the reasons behind the new limitations and to take steps to avoid circumstances that could lead to further restrictions.
