Granting residency to foreigners while labor issues remain unresolved is an unacceptable course of action: Ziyad

Vaikaradhoo MP Hussain Ziyad has stated that while the country struggles to enforce existing laws regarding expatriates, it is unacceptable to facilitate any measures that would allow foreign nationals to settle on Maldivian soil.

Speaking at Monday's parliamentary sitting, MP Ziyad highlighted that while the Maldives hosts world-class tourism with significant foreign investment, it is local investors who primarily provide opportunities for Maldivians. He further noted that although the law mandates a specific quota for local employment in resorts, this regulation is not being effectively enforced, particularly within foreign-owned establishments.

Describing the Maldives as a nation with a severe lack of law enforcement, MP Ziyad stated that the Immigration Act is one of the most disregarded laws in the country.

MP Ziyad stated that even ordinary laborers brought in for households and companies are operating outside the legal framework, highlighting a persistent failure to properly regulate labor affairs.

The Maldives is home to the world’s leading tourism industry, operating at the highest possible standards. We have a vast number of foreign investors established here. Mr. Speaker, there are rooms in this country where a single night’s stay costs between 30,000 to 40,000 dollars. To this day, the opportunities available to Maldivians have been those provided by local investors. Mr. Speaker, we have legally mandated that a specific quota of jobs be reserved for Maldivians. But is that actually happening? Is it being enforced? Mr. Speaker, we can draft laws, and today it is being claimed that 15,000 jobs will be created here. However, Mr. Speaker, even when we write a law, things do not always follow that path—especially regarding expatriate labor. One of the most poorly enforced pieces of legislation in the Maldives is the law governing foreign nationals.

Hussain Ziyad

MP Ziyad stated that he is not opposed to investors and that attracting investment is not an issue.

However, he expressed concern that by allowing the global elite to reside here on 99-year leases, there is a significant risk they will disregard local laws. Referring to the Ras Male' project, MP Ziyad stated that the Maldives is already struggling to enforce immigration laws, noting that even the issues surrounding undocumented laborers remain unresolved. He argued that under such circumstances, it is unacceptable to facilitate a path for foreign nationals to settle permanently on Maldivian soil. MP Ziyad emphasized that this is a move that should not even be considered.