Maldives to deport expatriates failing to submit biometric data

Colombo (The Uttam Hindu): Expatriates residing in the Maldives who fail to give biometric data to Operation Kurangi, a nationwide campaign launched last year to collect biometric data, will face deportation, the official PSM News reported on Wednesday. Operation Kurangi was launched in May 2024 and aims to provide a permanent solution to the issue of undocumented migrants in the Maldives, said the report. As part of the operation, fingerprints of migrant workers are recorded and checks are conducted to ensure that they are employed in the Maldives in accordance with relevant rules and regulations. The data collected from across the Maldives through island and atoll councils will be compiled into a unified registry, Xinhua news agency cited PSM as saying.

The Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology, which leads the operation, said the deadline for completion of biometrics for all foreigners working in the country is April 20, 2025, warning that expatriate workers who do not share the information within this period will be deported. As part of the initiative, biometric data of 52,495 foreigners has been collected so far, PSM News said. Last month, Maldives' Minister of State for Homeland Security and Technology Ahmed Siddeeq said that after biometrics data collection is completed, undocumented expatriates will be repatriated from the country. He added that the biometrics data collection will also assist in detecting expatriates entering the country on forged passports or travel documents. According to him, the operation is expected to be completed in 2027. However, biometrics data collection of all expatriate workers is expected to be completed in April 2025.