Maldives extends ban on new Bangladeshi labour recruits

The Maldivian Ministry of Economic Development has extended the ban on bringing in new Bangladeshi labourers to Maldives for a period of one year.

The decision was taken yesterday as the earlier one-year restriction's September 18 deadline draws close.

Maldives Economic Development Minister Fayyaz Ismail in 2019 affixed a quota of 150,000 individuals as migrants per country, to be able to reside in the Maldives at any given time, The Edition, an English-language online news outlet in Maldives, reported on Thursday.

The report said since Bangladeshi migrants already exceed the quota, at present, workers can only be brought from countries other than Bangladesh.

The restrictions, however, do not apply to professional-level employees.

According to the report, Maldives immigration department revealed that 63,000 migrants who entered the country under work visas are currently residing illegally.

The Maldivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed on Monday that the number of undocumented Bangladeshi citizens repatriated till date has reached 5,049, The Edition report said.

Authorities estimated earlier that approximately 20,000 workers will be sent back to their home countries by the end of 2020.