277 cases reported via Immigration Watch in under a month

Maldives Immigration has received 277 reports via ‘Immigration Watch’ - less than one month after it launched the online platform to report unlawful activities carried out by expatriate workers.

The platform was launched on July 17.

A spokesperson from Maldives Immigration told Sun on Sunday that the agency has received 277 reports to date via the platform.

Many of the reports are anonymous.

Maldives Immigration has carried out multiple raids in response to reports lodged via Immigration Watch, many involving the preparation and packaging of food items for sale in dilapidated house.

A number of undocumented workers were taken into custody in the operations.

Speaking at the launch of Immigration Watch, the Controller General of Immigration, Mohamed Shamaan Waheed said that the platform allows for greater community engagement in tackling the issue of illegal migration.

Illegal immigration is a longstanding issue facing the Maldives.

At a session of the ‘Ahaa’ public forum back in April, Home Minister Ali Ihusan said the government aims to resolve the issue of illegal migration in three years.

In May, the Home Ministry launched ‘Operation Kurangi’ – designed to collect the biometric data of all expatriate workers – in what Ihusan said was phase one of the initiative, which will wrap up in one year.

He said that once the data on all expatriates are collected and entered into a system, the government will then regularize all undocumented expatriates.

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

However, he stressed that the goal is not to arrest and deport expatriates, but to give them a chance to get regularized.

Meanwhile, Immigration and the police have been conducting raids in a special joint operation targeting businesses run by illegal expatriates.

Over 2,000 expatriates have been deported as part of the crackdown on illegal migration.