Maldives set to launch mass regularization program for undocumented workers

The Homeland Security Ministry has announced plans to launch a mass regularization program for undocumented migrant workers living in the Maldives.

In an episode of Public Service Media (PSM)’s ‘Raajje Miadhu’ show on Tuesday night, Abdul Majeed Ibrahim, a state minister at the Homeland Security Ministry, said that authorities have collected the biometrics of over 160,000 expatriates under ‘Operation Kurangi’, an initiative that was launched in May 2024 to collect the biometric data of all migrant workers in the Maldives.

He said the data collected under the initiative shows a large percentage of the migrant population in the Maldives is undocumented. However, he didn't specify a number.

Majeed blamed this on a number of factors, including negligence on part of employers, leaving migrants stranded outside the system.

He said the ministry will launch a mass regularization program “in the near future.”

“It is very important that migrant workers make use of the chance and get regularized once we open this window. We understand there are a lot of migrant workers who are unable to get regularized because of negligence on part of their employers or various other circumstances,” he said.

“A worker who lacks proper documents or is on the run or in any other situation… They will get the chance to enter into the system in the future.”

Majeed said the regularization program will run for around six months.

The crackdown on irregular migration – launched in 2023 – has seen over 6,000 expatriates deported from the Maldives. Homeland Security Minister Ali Ihusan has previously said that the goal is not to arrest and deport expatriates, but to give them a chance to get regularized.