The government of Maldives has decided to assist expatriates without valid documentation to return to their countries.
Ministry of Economic Development stated efforts are underway as part of the expatriate regularisation programme, to send back all expatriates who do not have any valid travel documents or work visa. In this regard, the ministry stated arrangements will be made through the relevant embassy or high commission to facilitate the departure of expatriates who do not have a valid travel document. The ministry stated the expenses of their travel documents and air tickets will be covered by the government.
Furthermore, the economic ministry requested expatriates who wish to return to their countries to contact the expatriate hotline of the ministry. The ministry also urged expatriates not to gather around the expatriate office set up by the ministry.
Over 130,000 expatriates work in Maldives, while over 60,000 of them do not have valid documentation, according to statistics of Maldives Immigration.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Male' City Council has launched a programme to identify the number of expatriates living in the capital city as well as their locations. The programme is part of the efforts to facilitate contact tracing in case COVID-19 spreads to Male'.