Over 151,000 Foreign Workers Biometrically Registered Under 'Operation Kurangi'

Home Minister Ali Ihsan has announced that more than 151,000 foreign workers have been registered under 'Operation Kurangi,' the government’s ongoing initiative to identify and regulate expatriates residing in the Maldives.

Speaking on state media PSM, Minister Ihsan detailed the progress made in the first phase of the operation, which aims to tackle the issue of illegal foreign workers. To date, fingerprints of 151,694 workers have been recorded, and facial recognition data have been captured and entered into the government’s biometric database.

“Now in our systems, we can see exactly who these people are. They are biometrically identifiable. From this point, we can directly track them. Identification is our first task. The second is to strengthen the law — this includes imposing fines on those who exploit workers or fail to pay, and taking necessary enforcement actions,” Minister Ihsan said.

He also revealed that in the past year and a half, the government has recovered nearly MVR 1 billion in unpaid dues by publishing the names of companies that had failed to pay visa fees for the foreign workers they brought into the country. This has led to many previously undocumented foreign workers entering the legal system.

Launched on May 3, 2024, Operation Kurangi is a coordinated effort by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Maldives Police Service, and Maldives Immigration to provide a sustainable solution to the longstanding issue of illegal foreign labor in the Maldives. The government continues its work to complete biometric registration and implement systematic reforms in this sector.