Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusan says a total of 90,624 Bangladeshi migrants live in the Maldives but only 36 percent of them pay their visa fees regularly.
Speaking at a press conference, Minister Ihusan said that some have labeled the decision by the government to only allow unskilled Bangladesh workers into Maldives as unlawful and that this decision was not unlawful.
Ihusan said that the law clearly states that 100,000 workers can be brought from each country and that the latest figures on the expat system show that there were 90,624 Bangladeshi workers in the Maldives.
The Minister further explained that even if the worker leaves the Maldives, if the system is not updated accordingly, it would keep showing the individual as a registered worker in the Maldives.
He further said that according to the expat system, 50 percent of Bangladeshi workers do not pay their visa fees, and 36 percent of Bangladeshi workers do not pay their fees regularly.
Minister Ihusan stated that the expat sector must be reformed and that work to implement these reforms are already underway.
