Government to Open Three-Month Window for Illegal Expatriates to Regularise Status in 2026
Immigration officers detaining illegal immigrants in Male’ yesterday | Photo: Maldives Immigration
The government will open a three-month window from 1 January to 2 April 2026 allowing already registered illegal expatriates to regularise their status as the second phase of Operation Kurangi, Homeland minister Ali Ihusaan has announced.
Speaking at a public briefing held jointly with the police, Customs Services, Maldives Immigration, and Maldives Ports Limited, the minister said the regularisation window will give those registered through the operation Kurangi but remain as illegal expatriates the opportunity to legalise their stay by obtaining valid work permits. This includes expatriates experiencing disputes with employers as well as those not currently employed under any employer.
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The minister said the final phase of Operation Kurangi will run from 2 April 2026 to 1 May 2027, following the regularisation phase, and will focus on the deportation of expatriates who remain in the country unlawfully.
Under Phase One of the operation, which was launched on 2 May of last year, authorities began identifying expatriates in the Malé area by collecting fingerprints, photographs and facial identity data. The exercise was later expanded to resorts and all inhabited islands. According to the minister, more than 202,000 expatriates have now been registered, and officials hope to complete the process before the deadline.
He added that enforcement actions are already under way. Since 15 November 2025, Maldives Immigration has deported 509 expatriates who lacked fingerprint records. Over the past two years, a total of 9,697 expatriates have been deported.
The minister said no comprehensive effort had previously been made to identify the actual number of expatriates living in the Maldives before President Mohamed Muizzu assumed office, noting that earlier records only reflected the number of work permits issued. He said work is ongoing to identify all illegal expatriates currently residing in the country.
He further mentioned that the government is developing a unified digital platform linking multiple state institutions. Giving an example of it, he said that the system will allow authorities to view all licences and documents issued to a single company through one dedicated business code, eliminating the need for citizens and businesses to submit the same information repeatedly to different agencies.
