The newspaper quoted the head of office of the Labour and Social Welfare Ministry, Khamkhane Phinsavanh, as saying Laos was unlikely to complete nationality verification for all Lao workers in Thailand by the end of March under the original deadline.
As a result, authorities from both countries had agreed in principle to extend the timeframe. He said a team of Lao officials arrived in Thailand last week to carry out verification.
Cambodia and Myanmar began working with Thai authorities on the process earlier this month. As of January 6, the nationality of nearly 36,000 Cambodians and 65 Myanmar citizens had been verified. However, none of the registered Lao workers had yet had their nationality verified.
Khamkhane said officials in charge needed time to prepare for the procedures.
Deputy director-general of the Skill Development and Employment Department under the Lao Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Dr Bounma Sitthisom, said it could take more than six months to verify the nationality of all Lao workers in Thailand and legalise them.
Nationality identification is part of the process to legalise the status of Lao workers in Thailand. All required documents will be processed in Thailand so workers do not have to return to Laos to obtain them.
According to a memorandum of understanding on labour cooperation between Laos and Thailand, a Lao worker with legal documents can work in Thailand for two years, with the option to extend for another two years.
After reaching the four-year limit, the worker must return to Laos and work in his or her home country for three years before returning to Thailand to work.