The Ministry of Interior plans to grant residence cards to more than 80,000 immigrants to better keep track of them.

The ministry announced the plan on July 10, following the results of an immigration census.

“An inter-ministerial committee and many operational working groups have been set up to conduct a census of immigrants. They have examined the census to assess and compile a formal annexe table to define management and solution frameworks,” the notice said.

The census shows that nationwide there are 89,786 immigrants from 28,945 families and 11 nationalities that have applied for recognition as immigrant foreigners and permanent residents.

Of the number, 89,471 are Vietnamese nationals, 117 (Thai), 151 (Lao), and 22 (Chinese).

The working groups revoked 37,436 irregular Cambodia administrative documents from 69, 957 people from early 2017 to June 30, last year. Of the number, there were 19,967 Vietnamese families made up of 69,787 people.

“Currently, the ministry is granting permanent residence cards to the above-mentioned immigrants for them to be managed under the law and they fulfil the obligations as defined. The cards are valid every two years,” said the ministry’s notice.

Its General Department of Immigration spokesman Keo Vanthorn told The Post on Sunday that the intention of the notice is so the public will be assured that the government is serious about managing immigrants.

“We want to tell [the public] we are serious. To better manage immigrants we conducted the census to regulate a clear-cut figure by putting it into the system and issuing a series of permanent residence cards,” he said.