Govt asks employers to complete expat biometric data by April end

The Ministry of Homeland Security has issued a final reminder urging employers to complete the biometric registration of their foreign workers by the end of this month.

This is part of a major operation launched last year to collect biometric information — including photographs and fingerprints — of all foreign workers in the Maldives.

In an official notice published in the government gazette, the ministry emphasised that many employers have yet to complete the biometric process for some of their workers. The notice warns that those who fail to comply by April 30 will face serious consequences.

“Employers who fail to update the biometrics without reasonable cause within this period will be suspended from the Expat system and related services,” the ministry stated.

Previously, the ministry had set April 20 as the cutoff, after which non-compliant foreign workers would be subject to deportation starting in May. However, the grace period has now been extended until the 30th.

Home Minister Ali Ihusaan had revealed in January that more than 25,000 foreign workers had been registered in the first nine months of the operation.