As part of ongoing efforts to locate foreigners residing illegally in the Maldives, 20 foreigners have been taken into Immigration custody following an inspection of the Hulhumalé local market.

Immigration stated today that 55 foreigners were inspected at the Hulhumalé local market under the operation targeting illegal expatriates in the country.

The agency said that 20 of those individuals were subsequently taken into Immigration custody.

According to Immigration statistics, 12,552 individuals have been deported back to their home countries. These were foreigners residing illegally in the Maldives between November 17, 2023, and June 13 of this year.

The Home Ministry stated that a large proportion of those deported by Immigration included individuals operating illegal businesses in the Maldives and those lacking proper documentation.

Under "Operation Kurangi," launched to collect data on expatriates, information on more than 200,000 foreigners has been gathered. Furthermore, the government has stated that starting next year, any foreigner found residing illegally will be deported without further opportunity.

The Ministry added that efforts to find a permanent solution to the issue of undocumented foreigners residing in the Maldives will continue over the next six months.