Home Minister: Will fix issue of undocumented migrants in three years

The issue of undocumented migrants will be resolved in three years, says Home Minister Ali Ihusan.

At the third session of ‘Ahaa’, the public forum of ministers, held on Monday night, Ihusan was asked about the government’s efforts to address undocumented migrants.

Ihusan responded that the Maldives has a large population of undocumented migrants, the exact number of which is unknown.

He said that the government is working on identifying all migrants living in the Maldives within the next one year.

“…Especially migrant workers that fall under the unskilled labor category. We will take fingerprints of both their hands, photograph them, and match them against our work permit records,” he said.

Ihusan said that the information of migrants who are not on government records will be recorded. He said that the government will identify undocumented migrants, and enter the information on all migrants into the system. He said the work will be initiated in all residential islands within one month or so.

In the second phase, the undocumented workers will be regularized.

“And in the third phase, we will give the chance for those who can’t be Identified in any way, or those who are in serious violation of the law… meaning those on the run, those who aren’t working for any official company, those who aren’t paying any tax or anything to the state, those who are sending out money illegally… we will give such people a chance to get regularized,” he said.

Ihusan said that those who fail to make use of the opportunity will be deported.

He added that the government will collaborate with foreign embassies to make documents and deport migrants without any form of identification.

Ihusan said the government will work to complete the work in three years. He also announced plans to implement a project to establish a fully IT-dependent system for recruitment of migrants within one month.

He said that it will make the management of migrants easier.

He also added that the work will be done in collaboration with the police and local councils.