The Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology has announced an extension to the deadline for employers who have signed settlement agreements related to outstanding expatriate fees and penalties.
According to the Ministry, the decision follows numerous complaints from regular payers who have faced challenges meeting the current payment deadlines. Starting next Friday, employers who consistently make expatriate fee payments through the “Expat system” will receive additional time to complete their outstanding payments. Details of the new deadline will be published on the Expat system’s homepage.
The Ministry clarified that the extension applies only to employers with a record of regular payments. Those who have not made any payments under their settlement agreements in previous periods will not be eligible for the extension.
Efforts to recover long-overdue expatriate fees began on 3 June last year. Earlier this year, State Minister Abdul-Majeedh Ibrahim revealed that MVR 1.2 billion of the MVR 1.7 billion in outstanding fees had been collected.
The current administration has also intensified its broader efforts to address irregular migration through “Operation Kurangi,” launched soon after taking office. President Dr Mohamed Muizzu previously stated that data on 178,982 expatriates had been collected during the operation. Maldives Immigration and the Maldives Police Service have since conducted joint operations to identify expatriates engaged in illegal trade.
The government has pledged to resolve the issue of irregular immigrants within the first three years of its term.
