Minister of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology Ali Ihusaan has said the issue of undocumented migrants in the Maldives will be solved by May 2027.
He made the statement while speaking on the PSM-organised ‘Ahaa’ forum.
The minister highlighted the current administration’s efforts to address the long-standing issue of undocumented migrants and said the issue had not been adequately addressed from the 1980s until 2023.
The minister said there were 295,000 foreigners on record when the current government took office, of whom around 22,000 had been fingerprinted and identified. However, he said the current government’s renewed efforts had led to 260,000 foreigners being identified, with only one percent of the foreign population remains without biometric data.
The minister said that only three countries worldwide have reached da threshold where biometric data for only one percent of their foreign population remains unrecorded. These countries include Maldives, along with Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, he said.
The minister said the foreign population will be brought to a level considered internationally acceptable. He said the next stage will distinguish legal migrants from undocumented migrants, adding that foreigners found working in occupations other than those for which they entered the country will be deported.
The government aims to achieve 100 percent biometric identification of the foreign population. The minister also said some foreigners conduct business while hiding behind locals. To address this issue, he said a USD 3,242 fine per foreigner will be imposed on individuals who recruit foreigners and are neglectful.