Irrawaddy-Nov 10
Embassies operated by Myanmar’s cash-strapped military regime have intensified efforts to extract foreign currency from overseas workers, even as migrant opposition grows across Asia.
For the past two weeks, Myanmar missions have repeatedly ordered that all passport applications must be accompanied by official evidence of remittance and tax payments. The regime enforced a mandatory 25 percent remittance requirement alongside 2 percent income tax on migrant workers in 2023 — measures widely seen as a bid to bolster foreign currency reserves amid severe shortages. In the latest notices, Myanmar missions in Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau declared Monday that migrants applying for a Passport for Job (PJ) or PJ extension must include proof of tax payment and remittance of a quarter of their earnings over the past three months through official regime channels. “The Myanmar embassy is issuing the order but nobody wants to use official remittance channels,” a 30-year-old Myanmar national working at a florist in Singapore told The Irrawaddy. “Applicants may comply with the rule for three months, but otherwise, they will continue to use alternative channels that are convenient, pay more, and don’t siphon money to the military.” He added that waiting times for passport extension appointments have also expanded dramatically under the regime’s new digital identification system (UID), prompting worker fears of being stranded in a legal limbo. The precise number of Myanmar migrants in Singapore is unknown, but Myanmar labor department data from 2024 suggested a sharp increase since 2021, prompting predictions they could reach 200,000 in a few years. Other major destinations for Myanmar migrant workers are South Korea and Japan, which recruit through formal MOU frameworks and offer comparatively higher wages. Regime embassies in Seoul and Tokyo were among the first to double down, issuing notices that workers must comply with remittance and tax rules in exchange for passport extensions.
“It’s a new requirement. Even If workers have not used official channels before, they must do so before applying for an extension,” a South Korea-based Myanmar national who assists migrant workers told The Irrawaddy. “Workers have no option if they need their passports extended. So, they have to comply for at least three months,” she said. Read more at:
