The Ministry of Economic Development publicized a regulation mandating the registration of businesses that provide accommodation to expatriates, effective from November 29 onwards.
According to the ministry, properties must be registered on the government's business portal as 'expat accommodation' under an individual, a company, a partnership or a cooperative society. A fee of MVR 500 will be charged as a registration fee.
In addition to basic information regarding the property and land ownership status, those seeking to register expatriate accommodation are required to submit a copy of the floor plan as well as a document detailing the number of rooms, beds and amenities.
The Economic Ministry further stated that local councils would inspect properties prior to approving the registration status, in order to ensure adherence to accommodation standards and that expatriates residing at the premises possess valid documents.
According to the regulation, failure to adhere to accommodation standards set by the ministry will be penalised with a fine of MVR 5,000. Repeated offences will result in the suspension of business licenses.
Lodgings exempt from the new regulation include private property owned by the employer of the expatriates in question or properties rented by employers solely to provide housing for their foreign staff. Accommodation rented out to professional level foreign workers, as defined under the Expatriate Employment Regulation, are also excluded from the terms of the regulation.
The living conditions of the Maldivian expatriate population have been described by local and international civil society organizations as, "claustrophobic", "unsanitary" and "overcrowded".
The congested nature of the living quarters made it impossible for several expatriates to reduce contact or exercise social distancing, which has left them highly vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreaks in the Maldives’ capital, particularly during the initial wave of infections.
Maldives Immigration previously revealed that 63,000 immigrants out of the country's expatriate population of 144,607, are undocumented. Following the government's repatriation efforts amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the aforementioned number is likely to be lower.
According to official figures, the Maldivian government has facilitated the repatriation of over 8,000 migrant workers, including undocumented individuals. The Economic Ministry previously projected that approximately 20,000 workers would be sent back to their home countries by the end of 2020.
Earlier in 2020, several expat-led demonstrations took place amidst renewed concerns from rights groups as well as the general public, over the continued exploitation of expatriate workers in Maldives.
Violations reported include human trafficking, withholding of wages, poor living conditions, and other human rights violations.
In June 2020, the United States 'Trafficking in Persons Report' placed Maldives in its 'Tier 2 Watch List' for failing to prevent forced labour, fraudulent recruitment, confiscation of identity and travel documents, debt-based coercion and human trafficking. Maldives has remained on Tier 2 for the past two years.
On July 30, the government announced the implementation of a 'National Anti-Human Trafficking Action Plan 2020–2022', which will be carried out in accordance with the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC).
Sign In