President Mohamed Muizzu has stated that the Maldives government has made major progress in collecting biometric information from foreign nationals living in the country, as part of efforts to address undocumented migration and illegal employment.
Speaking on the issue, President Muizzu said previous administrations lacked proper records and data on foreigners residing in the Maldives. He stated that when reviewing records between 2013 and 2016, there was no statistical evidence showing that biometric data collection from foreigners had been systematically carried out.
According to the president, during the entire five-year term of the previous government, biometric information was collected from only 27,200 foreigners. However, he said that within the past two years under the current administration, biometric data from an additional 206,400 individuals has been collected.
The biometric data includes all ten fingerprints and clear photographs of foreign workers living in the Maldives.
In a post shared on X, President Muizzu revealed that 98 percent of foreign workers currently employed in the Maldives under verified active work permits have now been biometrically identified. He noted that when his administration assumed office on November 17, 2023, that figure stood at only 13 percent.
The president also said the government is now entering the next phase of its operation targeting undocumented foreigners living illegally in the Maldives. Over the next six months, authorities will focus on locating and deporting remaining undocumented migrants who continue to reside in the country outside legal and regulatory frameworks.
Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusaan said President Muizzu assigned resolving the issue of undocumented foreign workers as a national mission from his first day in office. He stated that the Home Ministry and other government agencies have worked continuously over the past two years to achieve that goal.
Ihusaan said the achievements made by the current administration within two years surpassed what previous governments were unable to accomplish over many years. He added that the government had also introduced a mass legalization program, giving undocumented foreign workers, those with expired permits, and individuals without identification documents an opportunity to regularize their status and remain in the Maldives legally.
The government launched “Operation Kurangi” in May 2024 as part of the nationwide biometric registration effort. Through the operation, authorities collected fingerprints and photographs of foreign workers while updating national immigration databases.
After several grace periods were provided for undocumented individuals to regularize their status, the final deadline expired on May 2.
Following the deadline, Maldives Immigration launched a special operation across Malé. According to an Immigration media official speaking to Mihaaru, authorities inspected 1,344 individuals during raids conducted in multiple areas of the capital. Out of those inspected, 254 people suspected of living illegally in the Maldives were taken into Immigration custody.
