Maldives Plans Six-Month Regularisation Drive For Undocumented Workers

The Ministry of Homeland Security has announced plans to introduce a large-scale regularisation programme for undocumented migrant workers living in the Maldives.

According to the ministry, the initiative follows the completion of the first phase of ‘Operation Kurangi’, launched in May 2024 to collect the biometric data of all migrant workers in the country. More than 160,000 expatriates have been registered under the operation so far, with findings indicating that a significant proportion of the migrant population remains undocumented.

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Officials attributed the situation to factors such as employer negligence, which has left many workers stranded outside the formal system. The forthcoming programme is expected to provide an opportunity for undocumented workers, including those without proper documentation or those who have absconded from employment, to re-enter the system.

The regularisation programme is planned to run for around six months once launched. Authorities have emphasised that the aim is not to focus solely on deportations but to ensure migrant workers are given the chance to regularise their status.

Since the government’s crackdown on irregular migration began in 2023, more than 6,000 expatriates have been deported. However, officials have repeatedly stressed that the broader objective is to create a pathway for workers to gain legal status in the Maldives.