Male’ City Council on Tuesday said that local market vendors will receive permits to employ expats only after they register their businesses with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade.
The island nation has recently launched a nationwide crackdown, at a multi-agency scale, on tracking illegal expatriates and foreigners who run businesses in the Maldives by illegal/unlawful means.
The efforts, spearheaded by the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology and led by the Maldives Immigration, has seen successful raids to multiple venues and subsequent detention of scores of illegal expatriates, majority of whom have now been deported.
Male’ City Council’s Tuesday announcement, is the latest addition into these efforts.
In a circular, the council said that their decision is, in fact, aligned with the central government’s crackdown to control the illegal expat population in the country. It added that any business that involves expatriates in any capacity should first be registered with the Economic Ministry.
Vendors will receive permits to employ foreign workers in their stalls only after they register their businesses, effective from August 2024 onward. Moreover, the workers will be restricted to operating only at the stall or vendor under whom they are registered.
Local businesses who already possess permits to employee foreigners, are not exemptions and have register before August 31, the council added.
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