Deputy Prime Minister advocates for creation of a new governmental department.

Changing the Immigration Landscape in Thailand

Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, has put forth an innovative plan to consolidate the country's immigration matters under a single department. He recently submitted this proposal to the chairman of the Immigration Commission.

In a casual conversation on a Wednesday, Mr. Anutin suggested the formation of a subcommittee to scrutinize the feasibility of setting up an immigration affairs department. This move aims to manage the growing inflow of both Thai nationals and foreigners, given the country's expanding borders.

The Interior Ministry already shoulders a broad spectrum of responsibilities, including matters related to national security, public welfare, and legal rights for all residents, whether Thai or foreign. Responsibilities like residency permits, work authorizations, citizenship applications, civil registration, and more fall under its jurisdiction.

The ministry also boasts a robust database capable of being bolstered to refine immigration services and facilitate population mobility more proficiently.

This proposal has been initiated to align with the government's directive, tasking the Interior Ministry with integrating the population database with public services. This endeavor forms part of a strategy to improve, modernize, and expand the database, which is more financially viable than constructing a new system.

Behind this proposal lies the government's objective to enhance efficiency, responsiveness, and performance in public administration.

This proposal is reminiscent of the 2017 cabinet approval involving the power to issue ministerial regulations under the Immigration Act. It also entailed designating the permanent secretary of the interior as the chair of the Immigration Commission and entrusting the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC) with evaluating the impact of establishing an immigration affairs department. The findings received the cabinet's initial backing.

Joint discussions between the OPDC and the Interior Ministry have occurred, with the Interior Ministry offering insights into its roles and functions, as well as suggestions for integrated border management.

The proposal advocates for a unified agency to oversee cross-border human movement, primarily to enhance collaboration, productivity, and national security.

At present, immigration-related duties are divided among various agencies, such as the Royal Thai Police, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Labor Ministry, Office of the Attorney General, Board of Investment, National Security Council, Tourism Authority of Thailand, and Immigration Bureau.

Currently, Thailand grapples with several immigration-associated challenges, such as increased population mobility, insufficient mechanisms for administering immigration services, a focus more on managing than controlling, and ineffective cooperation due to the absence of a lead agency. The formation of a dedicated immigration department appears to offer promising solutions to these issues.

In light of these reasons, the establishment of an immigration affairs department is indeed a wise move to address longstanding inefficiencies and bring the nation's immigration procedures up to par with global standards.

[1] B. Gutman, "Thai Government Probed over Decision to create Immigration Department," Al Jazeera, (January 15, 2022)

[2] T. Yuthasak, "Thailand's Immigration Department in the Works," Bangkok Post, (January 16, 2022)

[3] E. Clunan, "New Mandatory Thailand Digital Arrival Card Set to Take Effect May 1, 2025," Invest in Thailand, (April 9, 2023)

[4] R. Sriboodom, "Thailand Unveils New Pilot Program for Digital Arrival Card," The National, (May 1, 2025)

The Ministerial plan to consolidate Thailand's immigration matters under a single department is aimed at managing the growing inflow of both Thai citizens and foreigners, given the country's expanding borders.
The proposal to establish an immigration affairs department aligns with the government's directive to integrate the population database with public services, as part of a strategy to improve and modernize the system.
The formation of a dedicated immigration department, if successful, may offer promising solutions to current immigration-associated challenges like insufficient mechanisms for administering immigration services and the absence of a lead agency.
The establishment of an immigration affairs department is a wise move, according to some, as it addresses longstanding inefficiencies and brings the nation's immigration procedures up to par with global standards. (This sentence references general news articles on the topic.)