Deadline Extended for Employers to Settle Outstanding Expatriate Fees

The Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology has announced an extension to the deadline for employers who have signed settlement agreements for unpaid expatriate fees and penalties.

The decision follows numerous complaints from regular payers facing difficulties in meeting the current deadlines.

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According to the ministry, the extension will take effect next Friday and will apply only to employers who consistently pay expatriate fees through the “Expat system.” These employers will be given additional time to settle their outstanding dues. Details regarding the updated settlement arrangements will be published on the Expat system’s homepage.

The ministry clarified that the extension is strictly limited to regular payers. Employers who have not made any payments under the settlement agreement in earlier periods will not qualify for this extension.

The government’s effort to recover unpaid expatriate fees began on 3 June last year. In February, State Minister Abdul-Majeedh Ibrahim reported that MVR 1.2 billion of the total MVR 1.7 billion in outstanding expatriate fees had been recovered.

As part of broader efforts to address issues related to irregular migration, the current administration launched “Operation Kurangi,” a nationwide initiative to collect biometric data of migrant workers and identify illegal expatriates. President Dr Mohamed Muizzu stated that information on 178,982 expatriates was gathered under the operation.

In addition, Maldives Immigration and the Maldives Police Service have begun a joint operation to identify expatriates engaged in illegal trade. The government has pledged to resolve the issue of irregular immigrants within the first three years of its term.