Three foreigners attempting entry to Maldives with false identities stopped

Three foreigners who were attempting entry to the Maldives with false identities have been stopped by authorities.

Via a post on X, Maldives Immigration said three foreigners who were attempting entry to the Maldives with false identities were stopped at Velana International Airport (VIA).

All three foreigners have been identified as young men; a 21-year-old, a 23-year-old and a 25-year-old.

They had attempted entry separately.

In this regard, Immigration detailed that the 25-year-old arrived in the Maldives on July 31^st while the 23-year-old and the 21-year-old arrived in the Maldives on August 16^th and August 18^th respectively. 

While the expat population in the Maldives is significantly high with their subsequent involvement in several industries, the issue of undocumented immigrants and businesses illegally owned by expatriates is an alarming concern.

Notably, Immigration in collaboration with relevant authorities are conducting an operation to identify undocumented migrants residing in the Maldives.

Immigration has stated that 4,054 migrants have been deported in the past 10 months as part of this operation for various violations of regulations.

The authority is targeting to resolve the longstanding issue of undocumented migrants within the next two to three years.