President says biometric data collected for 98% of foreign workers

President Mohamed Muizzu said on Saturday that biometric information has been collected for 98% of foreign nationals employed in the Maldives under valid work permits.

The data collection forms part of “Operation Kurangi”, launched in 2024 to identify expatriate workers through biometric registration.

According to the government, the operation involves collecting photographs and fingerprints, including ten-fingerprint records and facial images, to establish identification records for foreign workers in the country.

In a statement shared on social media, President Muizzu said that when his administration took office on 17 November 2023, biometric records had been completed for only 13% of expatriate workers with active work permits.

He added that the government’s focus over the next six months would shift towards identifying and deporting individuals residing in the Maldives illegally.

“In our ongoing efforts to find a permanent solution to the issue of undocumented migrants, the focus for the next six months will be on a special operation to identify and deport those who remain,” the President said.

Earlier, the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology stated that biometric information for more than 100,000 expatriates had been collected through the operation.

The ministry also announced in March last year that deportation operations targeting undocumented migrants would begin in May.

However, the government has not disclosed the total number of foreign nationals deported under the initiative.