Maldives Immigration has detained 254 individuals during a special operation conducted in Malé, targeting foreigners living illegally in the Maldives.
According to Immigration, officers inspected 1,344 individuals during the operation, which took place between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm across various areas of the capital. Those found to be residing or working illegally were taken into Immigration custody.
The operation follows the expiry of the government’s final deadline on 2 May for undocumented foreign workers to regularise their status under the national legal framework.
The government launched Operation Kurangi in May 2024 as part of efforts to collect biometric data from foreign workers in the Maldives. Authorities stated that the fingerprints and photographs of more than 191,723 foreigners have now been collected and added to the national database.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu said the biometric registration process has been completed for 98 percent of foreign workers currently employed in the Maldives with verified active work permits. He noted that the figure stood at 13 percent on 17 November 2023.
The President stated that the next phase of the operation over the coming six months will focus on identifying undocumented foreigners and deporting those residing illegally in the country.
Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusaan said resolving the issue of undocumented foreign workers had been assigned as a national priority by President Muizzu from the beginning of his administration. He stated that the ministry and relevant state institutions had worked continuously over the past two years towards that objective.
Authorities also noted that the government had previously provided several opportunities for undocumented workers, individuals with expired permits and foreigners without official identification documents to regularise their status and remain in the Maldives under existing laws and regulations.
