The Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology has announced that employers found negligent in hiring expatriate workers in the Maldives will face fines of up to MVR 100,000.

According to the ministry, the penalties are based on the 8th Amendment to the Employment Act, which stipulates that negligence in the recruitment of foreign employees will result in a fine of MVR 50,000, with more serious cases carrying penalties of up to MVR 100,000. The measure will come into effect through the Xpat portal from 15 September, and employers who fail to pay the fines will be denied access to other services on the system.

The announcement, published in the Government Gazette, aims to strengthen oversight of expatriate employment and prevent unfair treatment of workers. The ministry emphasised that the policy strives to address the issue of undocumented expatriates in the country.

As part of these efforts, the Government is actively tracking undocumented expatriate workers and collecting biometric data to regulate their presence in the Maldives. To date, biometric information from around 160,000 expatriates has already been recorded.

The ministry stated that taking action against negligent employers, while simultaneously enhancing monitoring systems, is central to resolving the long-standing issue of illegal expatriate workers and improving labour governance in the country.