- The Maldivian government collected biometric data from 294,000 foreign nationals to combat undocumented migration and regulate its workforce.
- When the current administration took office, only 27,200 of 295,678 foreign nationals could be biometrically identified, leaving about 270,000 unverified.
- Only 1,102 people remain unidentified, and authorities are now auditing existing work permits to verify their validity.
The Maldivian government has collected biometric data from 294,000 foreign nationals as part of a nationwide initiative to address undocumented migration and regulate the country’s foreign workforce.
The Minister of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology Ali Ihusaan disclosed the updated figures while answering questions from a Member of Parliament regarding the state’s ongoing efforts to tackle irregular immigration.
According to Minister Ihusaan, state institutions lacked biometric records for the vast majority of foreign workers when the current administration assumed office. Out of 295,678 foreign nationals residing in the Maldives at the time, official databases could biometrically identify only 27,200 individuals, leaving the identities of approximately 270,000 migrants unverified.
The Minister confirmed that authorities have made significant progress in bridging this gap, successfully gathering identification details from nearly the entire targeted population.
“Following the work carried out so far, only 1,102 people currently remain unidentified in the Maldives,” Minister Ihusaan stated during the parliamentary session. “This means that, out of the 295,000 people we had previously, information on 294,000 people has now been collected.”
In addition to collecting biometric data, government agencies are currently auditing existing work permits to verify their validity and streamline the oversight of foreign employment across the country.
