Maldives to expel migrant workers without biometric identification from April

The government of Maldives says migrant workers in the country who have not submitted their biometrics for a mandatory registration exercise will face deportation any time after April 20.

This latest directive has been given by the Ministry of Homeland Security, the country’s official media PMS News has reported.

Earlier this year, the government mentioned March 15 as deadline for compliance with the directive, with the Homeland Security Ministry urging all those dragging their feet to hasten up and fulfil the condition so as to guarantee their continuous stay in the country.

Since May last year, Maldives has undertaken a nationwide initiative labelled Operation Kurangi to biometrically identify all foreigners in the country and to ensure that those working are doing so under legal conditions permitted by the laws in force.

At the last count, the government said just over 52,000 foreign workers had submitted their face and fingerprint biometrics for identification. Per the latest census figures, 132,371 expatriates live in Maldives, with a majority of them undocumented.

The government says the biometric identification move is part of a broader plan, which will run till 20207, and aims at streamlining the entry of foreigners into the country, thereby reducing the number of immigrants without legal papers.

Operation Kurangi is unfolded in three phases. The totality of the process entails identifying the nationality and employment status of foreigners living in the country, collecting their biometric data and issuing them photo ID cards, as well as liaising with the relevant embassies and consular services to verifies identities and send out al those who have not met the government obligation.

The government says the biometric data collected will be compiled into a centralized biometric data repository.

It would be recalled that Maldives government officials have in the past cracked down on illegal migrant workers, with more than 3,000 of them expelled last year.

Maldives, a small South Asian country located in the Indian Ocean, faces a major problem of illegal migrant workers.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), migrant workers constitute a huge portion of the country’s estimated population of about 500,000 people. Many of the workers serve in sectors such as education, tourism, healthcare, and construction.

The migrant workers are said to come principally from countries of neighbouring Southeast Asia, as well as from Bangladesh Egypt, Philippines and Iran.

Article Topics

biometric enrollment  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  identity management  |  Maldives