Legalisation Programme for Undocumented Workers Scheduled for Early 2026
Ministry unveils mass foreign worker legalisation initiative in Maldives | Photo: Immigration
The Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology has announced a mass legalisation programme for undocumented foreign workers in the Maldives, to be implemented under Operation Kurangi.
The programme will target foreign nationals with expired work permits and undocumented migrants and is scheduled to run from 1 January 2026 to 2 April 2026.
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The ministry stated that over 10,000 foreign nationals currently recorded as missing or absconding by their employers in the Expat System will be given an opportunity to regularise their legal status during the programme period. It noted that many of these individuals are believed to be working for different employers, and the initiative will allow their current employers to lawfully register them within the system.
Several eligibility criteria have been set for legalisation under the programme. Foreign nationals must have entered the Maldives on a valid work permit, hold an expired permit, not be blacklisted, be physically present in the country, and must not have been legalised previously.
In addition, the employer applying for legalisation must not be the issuer of the individual’s last work permit, and the foreign national must have been reported as missing or absconding in the Expat System before 31 December this year.
The ministry has warned that foreign nationals who remain in the Maldives illegally after 2 April 2026 will be subject to deportation in accordance with existing regulations.
