Speaker Nasheed in hot water over residency visa amendment

Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed, on Thursday, requested an amendment to the Immigration Act to grant resident visas for migrants who have resided in Maldives by way of rent for over a decade.

The proposal came during the parliamentary debate phase, following the review of the bill by the Parliament Committee on National Security and Foreign Relations. The bill was then sent back to the committee for further discussion.

In its current state, residency visas are solely granted to migrants who are married to Maldivians and for individuals that made large investments in the country.

Speaker Nasheed also proposed to include a minimum of MVR 100,000 investment as the criteria to apply for the resident visa.

In response, committee member and parliamentary representative for Male's Machangolhi South, Ahmed Haitham, noted that the amendment could be utilised to gain unlawful advantages without an adequate framework, demanding regulations to be strengthened in order to prevent such instances.

Other parliamentarians also criticized the move, stating that resident visas must not be granted for just any rented space but for high-cost residences such as luxury apartments.

Moreover, lawmakers expressed that an individual must be found to provide long-term benefits to the country in order to qualify for the visa, rather than on mere residency alone.

Noting the regulatory frameworks currently implemented in the Act, the independent representative for Greater Male' area's Vilimale' constituency MP Ahmed Usham stated that the law is not necessarily ineffective, adding that if a need to amend the law existed, then relevant institutions could be summoned to the parliament for further deliberation.

The commitee will summon Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail for discussion.

Amidst the criticism over the amendment by both ruling and opposition lawmakers, the opposition coalition demanded the speaker's suggestion to be dismissed, expressing grave concerns over a supposed attack on the country's sovereignty and religious unity, claiming that such an amendment would open Maldives to foreign influence.