Maldives Immigration Service has established a system to report cases of expatriates who absconded their employers or whose whereabouts are unknown.
As per an announcement publicised by Maldives Immigration, the sponsors or employers can report cases of missing or absconding migrant workers via email, effective from Sunday.
The authority urges to email [email protected] after filling the designated form with supporting documents. Immigration said visa fee of the expatriate should be paid until the date of the report when reporting the case. Pay slips signed by the labourer should be submitted along with supporting documents up to the month before the expatriate fled or went missing.
Fleeing expatriates is a frequent occurrence in the Maldives. During the lockdown that was imposed in Male' city in response to COVID-19 pandemic, the authorities have relocated migrant workers who were living in congested labour quarters to better facilities. Some of them were quarantined after being exposed to individuals that tested positive for the virus while others were isolated for having contracted the virus. On various occasions, some of the infected expatriates fled from the facilities. Currently, the government is searching for 8 infected Bangladeshi nationals who fled from isolation facilities.
Some expatriates at the National Stadium - photo: AVAS
