Immigration department working to waive visa fees for government employees

Department of Immigration and Emigration has said that they are currently trying to waive visa fees for foreign government employees working in health and education sectors.

Controller of Immigration Dr. Mohamed Ali told Sun that the efforts by his department follows an order by President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik.

“President ordered long ago, to arrange it to be a bit easier. But it was delayed due to different problems in the system. It is not yet fully decided whether the visa fees for foreigners for the two sectors will be waivered. We are trying to make it happen,” he said.

The Controller said that it is not justifiable for the government to collect visa fees for a certain sectors and forgo the fee others. He said that discussions with Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA), Education Ministry, Health Ministry and Ministry of Finance are ongoing to find a consistent means to forgo collection of visa fees for government employees.

“There is no reason for money in Education Ministry's budget to be transferred to Immigration. Regardless of where they are, they are being spent for State purposes. This is why we are seeking an alternative arrangement,” Dr. Mohamed Ali said.

Numbers show that the government employees over 6,000 foreigners, of whom 2,500 are teachers.

“We are trying to make an arrangement so that the employees that are newly brought in, and the people who are currently here, to not have to pay their visa fees when they renew their visas. It will also solve problems that arise from missing work permits,” the Controller of Immigration said.