A total of 27 expatriates have been taken into the custody of the Maldives Immigration following a raid operation targeting expatriates working in violation of regulations in the Malé West Harbour area.

The operation was carried out by the task force on Sunday night, with a special focus on food courts in the Malé West Harbour, where a large number of expatriates were found to be working in breach of regulations.

Immigration said 88 expatriates were screened during the operation. Of those, 27 were found to be working in violation of regulations and were taken into Immigration custody for further action.

The raid forms part of the third phase of Operation Kurangi, under which the Government is working to identify expatriates living or working illegally in the Maldives and deport them before November 17 this year.

The operation also includes efforts to assist expatriates who are eligible to regularise their status under existing regulations.

Immigration said Operation Kurangi has three main objectives: collecting biometric data, including photographs and fingerprints, of expatriate workers living in the Maldives; identifying expatriates working in violation of their visa conditions and deporting them; and locating individuals without valid work permits or visas for removal from the country.

Immigration said information on more than 200,000 expatriates has been collected under Operation Kurangi so far.

The Government has stated that, from next year onwards, any expatriate found living or working in the Maldives in violation of regulations will be deported without being given an additional opportunity to regularise their status.

The operation will continue over the next six months. During the third phase of Operation Kurangi, authorities aim to identify and deport 2,895 individuals while continuing efforts to detect expatriates engaged in illegal employment.

The current phase also includes measures to facilitate the payment of work permit fees. Employers, including those with outstanding work permit fees, will be provided with arrangements to settle the payments. The initiative is also intended to encourage Maldivian businesses to ensure expatriate workers are employed in compliance with the country's laws and regulations.