The Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology has extended the deadline for companies to settle overdue expatriate-related fees until the end of August, following limited compliance from businesses. The decision was announced last night, with the Ministry emphasising that strict penalties will be enforced against companies failing to meet the new deadline.
Originally, on July 24, the Ministry disclosed a list of companies that had not paid their expatriate fees, including work permits and quota fees. These companies were initially given until August 12 to settle their overdue payments and fines.
However, as of August 15, the Ministry reported that only 20 companies had fully settled their dues. While some businesses made substantial payments within this period, many still had outstanding balances, keeping them on the Ministry’s ‘blacklist’.
In light of this, the Ministry announced an extension of the deadline to August 31. Companies that do not comply by this date will face suspension from the expatriate management system starting September 1. This suspension would prevent them from accessing essential services provided through the system, such as the issuance of work permits and work visas.
The Ministry had previously revealed that the companies named in the July 24 list were those with overdue payments and fines exceeding MVR 100,000. The Ministry noted that a total of 1,026 companies owed the State MVR 636 million in unpaid fees, including some of the nation’s most prominent businesses.
Among these, 123 companies each owe more than a million Maldivian Rufiyaa, with some owing as much as MVR 26 million. Since the list was made public, the Ministry has managed to recover MVR 182,954,572 in overdue payments over a span of three weeks.
The Ministry’s decision to extend the deadline underscores the ongoing effort to ensure compliance with expatriate fee regulations and to recover significant outstanding debts from businesses across the country.
