Govt to launch operation against unauthorised expatriate businesses

President Mohamed Muizzu has announced that a nationwide operation will be launched on Sunday to curb illegal businesses run by expatriates in the Maldives.

Speaking in Faafu Nilandhoo during his atoll visit on Saturday, the President said the number of expatriates living in the Maldives has reached nearly 200,000, a significant increase compared to previous figures.

According to the 2022 census, the country’s expatriate population stood at 132,493, while the Maldivian population was recorded at 515,132. The President said recent figures indicate that the expatriate population has grown by almost 70,000 in the past three years.

He attributed the updated figures to data collected under ‘Operation Kurengi’, a government initiative that records the biometric details of expatriates, including photographs and fingerprints, and verifies their compliance with local laws. Information on more than 178,000 individuals has been collected through the programme over the past two years, he said.

“This is a very large number. Now we know that there are about 200,000 foreigners in the Maldives. We have not known this for all these years,” President Muizzu said.

The President added that 8,600 expatriates without valid documentation have been deported under the initiative so far, and further deportations are planned.

He also said unauthorised businesses operated by expatriates pose a challenge to Maldivian communities, particularly in Male’ and other populated islands. Based on information gathered through Operation Kurengi, the government will launch a special operation across all islands to shut down such businesses.