Maldives Immigration has stated work visas were issued for over 7,000 expatriates in December 2019.
According to statistics published by Immigration, 7,588 expatriates were issued work visas in December, of which 7,508 expatriates were registered to work in Male' City. Immigration said the majority of them are labourers from neighbouring countries.
A work visa enables an expatriate to stay in the country for work purposes for a certain period of time. According to statistics, approximately 130,000 expat labourers are working in Maldives, while only about 70,000 have all the legal documentation required under regulations.
The statistics by Immigration also revealed 1,109 business visas were issued last December. Under a business visa, an expatriate can stay in the country for a specific type of work, even if not registered under a company.
Furthermore, 223 dependent visas were issued in December for foreign individuals who have family members working in Maldives. Meanwhile, 122 student visas and 24 specials visas were issued last month. The special visas are issued under a special permit from the administration.
A further 119 visas were also issued in December in various other categories.