The Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology has issued a stark warning and a final deadline of 15 November for over 27,773 foreigners residing in the nation to provide their biometric information.
Non-compliance without valid reason will result in immediate deportation and legal repercussions, the Ministry warned.
The Ministry announced that while over 178,000 foreigners have already completed their biometric registration, a significant number remains outstanding. Specifically, 27,773 foreign individuals under the sponsorship of 3,942 employers – out of 68,000 registered on the Expat Portal – have yet to fulfill this requirement.
The Ministry reiterated that biometric data collection remains available at the Jock Centre within the National Center for Information Technology (NCIT) building. Failure to complete biometrics via the Expat online system by the deadline without reasonable cause will lead to immediate deportation and prosecution under the Immigration Act, it warned.
Employers of these non-compliant individuals also face severe penalties, including a fine of USD 3,242.5 under the Employment Act and other actions against their registration on the Expat Online System, the Ministry warned.
In a related development concerning foreign workers, the Ministry also revealed that more than 8,000 individuals have been suspended from the Expat system due to outstanding fees. The Ministry has successfully recovered USD 77.8 million from the USD 110.2 million owed to the state in these fees.
This intensified push for biometric data is part of a broader government initiative to bring a permanent solution to the persistent problem of undocumented immigrants in the Maldives, with an ambitious target set for April 2027.