In 2014, following widespread reports on the abuse of migrant domestic workers in Asia, the Myanmar government issued a ban on women from Myanmar migrating for domestic work to any location. In April 2019, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, Myanmar lifted the ban on domestic workers migrating to Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Macau. However, reports have demonstrated that such bans have been largely ineffective, and that migration has continued through underground and unregulated channels operated by unlicensed brokers or licensed agents acting illegally. In 2016, between 30,000 and 40,000 Myanmar nationals were believed to have moved to work in Singapore as domestic workers. 

To read more detail on the impacts of the migration ban on Myanmar nationals travelling to Singapore as domestic workers, please click here for an article prepared by Mr. John Gee from Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), a migrant-support organisation in Singapore.