Interestingly, only 51 percent of migrants remitted money to their home country. This percentage falls to 35 for undocumented migrants and rises to 60 for documented migrants. Several factors could explain this low rate of remittance. Firstly, survey respondents would have been in Thailand for a maximum of two years when this survey was conducted. It can typically take up to a year on average before migrants start sending remittances as they find work, pay back their migration costs, and pay any other costs associated with the transition. Secondly, the economic and security situation in Myanmar, has led many migrants, especially documented migrants, to migrate with their families, reducing the need to send money back. For example, only 41 percent of those who arrived with family sent remittances. Third, the average income of those who sent remittances was $308 per month, compared to $260 for those who did not, suggesting that limited financial resources may inhibit the ability to remit money. Lastly, IOM data from 2022 indicates that Myanmar migrants tend to earn lower wages compared to those from Cambodia or Laos, and nearly three quarters reported they could not cover living expenses for more than a month without their primary income source indicating limited financial resilience, which may impact their capacity to send remittances.

Remittances were always a vital source of household income in Myanmar and with declining livelihood opportunities in Myanmar and more and more people leaving the country, remittances are more important than ever. Therefore, ensuring that migrants earn a minimum wage, benefit from cheaper migration channels, and can remit funds is needed more than ever.

Documented migrants sent an average of $53 per month comparted to $57 for undocumented migrants which is almost the difference in salary between those who send remittances and those who do not. Fees for remittances averaged $1.54 per transaction with bank transfer being the most expensive channel at $2.06 per transaction. The most common method for sending remittances was through the Hundi system, used by 73 percent of migrants. Hand carry by family or friend was used by 10 percent and bank transfer was used by 5 percent, albeit more commonly by documented migrants. Dedicated remittance services such as Wing or Wave were not used.

The figure shows challenges experienced when sending remittances. Positively, 47 percent of migrants said they experienced no challenges when sending remittances. The most common challenges experienced were uncertainty surrounding the value of the kyat (22 percent), finding a trustworthy agent (22 percent), and delays (20 percent).