Maldives Aims to Resolve Undocumented Migrant Issue by May 2027

The Maldives government expects to fully resolve the long-standing challenge of undocumented migrants by May 2027. Minister of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology Ali Ihusaan announced that the administration is implementing a rigorous biometric identification system to bring the foreign population to internationally acceptable levels. Speaking at the ‘Ahaa’ forum organized by PSM, Minister Ihusaan revealed that the issue had been largely neglected from the 1980s until 2023. When the current administration took office, records showed 295,000 foreigners in the country, but only 22,000 had been fingerprinted and identified. Through renewed enforcement and registration efforts, the government has now identified 260,000 foreigners. This means only one percent of the foreign population currently lacks biometric data. Minister Ihusaan noted that this achievement places the Maldives in an elite group alongside Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, as only three countries worldwide have reached this threshold of biometric recording. The government's ultimate goal is 100 percent biometric identification. Once this is achieved, the next phase will involve distinguishing legal residents from undocumented migrants. The Minister warned that any foreign nationals found working in occupations other than those for which their permits were issued will face immediate deportation. Additionally, the government is cracking down on the practice of foreigners conducting businesses while operating behind local fronts. To deter this and combat negligence in recruitment, a fine of USD 3,242 will be imposed on locals who recruit foreigners but fail to adhere to regulations. By streamlining the legal status of its migrant workforce and enforcing strict biometric compliance, the Maldives aims to secure its borders and ensure that all foreign labor is transparently documented and legally employed.