Galolhu stadium packed with expatriates queuing to register

The Galolhu Stadium was filled to the brim with undocumented workers queuing to re-register, this Saturday.

While authorities launched a regularization programme, the Ministry of Economic Development has scheduled to conduct re-registration every Saturday. However, there was no such work last Saturday.

Thousands of expatriates flocked to the stadium after the ministry announced re-registration will be carried out on Saturday from 07:30 am onwards. Many expatriates began queuing as early as 12:00 am Friday night on Banafsaa Magu nearby Galolhu Stadium. At 06:00 am, authorities blocked off the road to motor vehicles and despite the pavements being clear, the crowding caused some inconveniences to residents living on Banafsaa Magu in accessing their parked vehicles.

There are approximately 105,000 undocumented workers currently living in the Maldives. Most of these undocumented workers do not have a passport or work permits and the replacement of these documents have proved to be very challenging.

The “National Task-force on Issues Related to Migrant Workers” was established by the current administration to tackle the issue of undocumented workers living illegally in the Maldives.

The task force has determined to ban any more migrant workers from being brought into the country for the next year. Furthermore, the government is working towards documenting all illegal migrant workers by offering them a chance to register legally.