Maldives receives 11,579 legal foreign workers in 2012

Statistics from the Department of Immigration and Emigration has revealed that a total of 11,579 foreign workers entered the Maldives legally in 2012.

Published last night during a function held in Dharumavantha School to mark the department's 63 years of service, the numbers showed that 18,050 new foreigners had come to Maldives seeking employment, during last year alone.

According to the statistics, the department gained $171.4 million in visa fees by the end of 2011, which had slightly declined to $171.2 million by the end of last year.

They also revealed that a total of 77 people were caught while trying to enter the country on forged passports during 2010, with 95 people caught in 2011 and 105 people within 2012. A total of 60 people were caught by the department by the end of April this year.

Presenting the work of the department, Deputy Chief Immigration Officer Mohamed Shifan said last night that there has been a significant increase in people who transit in the Maldives with forged passports. He said that certain countries have warned them that an increasing number of people are using forged passports to travel from the Middle East to Eastern Europe through the Maldives, especially since the beginning of the recent unrest in the Middle East.

Last night’s event was officiated by Minister of Defence and National Security Colonel (Rtd) Mohamed Nazim. The event was also attended by the Controller of Immigration Dr. Mohamed Ali and former Controller of Immigration Ilyas Hussain Ibrahim.

The department also awarded certificates of recognition for employees with long records of service and employees who had made achievements in sports during the past year, during last night's event.