Minister: Migrants’ register will be done in a year

Home Minister Ali Ihusan told the Parliament on Wednesday that the authorities will finish compiling a detailed register of migrant workers in the Maldives within the next one year.

Ihusan, who was summoned to the Parliament on Wednesday morning, was questioned by Central Maafannu MP Ibrahim Rasheed (Bondey) regarding when the migrants’ register would be done.

Ihusan responded that the authorities will be done compiling a comprehensive register of migrant workers, which would include their fingerprints, within the next one-year period. He said that once the register is done, the government plans on repatriating undocumented workers.

“[The purpose of this register is] to take the fingerprint of all migrants in all Maldivian islands put it into a database, give councils access to this database, provide councils and police stations with mobile and fixed devises that can scan fingerprints, and ensure that all migrants can be identified from the database by just the touch of a finger,” he said.

Ihusan said the lack of such a register was making it impossible to identify the exact number of undocumented migrants in the Maldives.

“I believe this is a threat to national security,” he said.

According to Ihusan, there are 135,149 Bangladeshi workers on active work permit, but only 39,004 permit holders make regular payments and follow regulations.

Ihusan said that one the register is compiled, the authorities will give undocumented workers time for regularization, after which all undocumented workers will be repatriated.