The government is preparing to roll out a nationwide digital monitoring system for foreign nationals travelling within the Maldives, as part of the broader Maldives 2.0 digital transformation programme.

The Minister of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology, Ali Ihusaan, outlined the initiative during a televised interview, explaining that the system is intended to strengthen the management of the expatriate population while also addressing issues related to undocumented migration in the island nation.

Under the proposed framework, authorities will be able to digitally record the movement of foreign passengers at various points in the transport network, including embarkation and disembarkation from vessels.

Officials say this capability will improve oversight of inter-island travel and enhance response mechanisms in cases of maritime emergencies.

The Minister noted that the system would be particularly useful in situations where individuals go missing at sea, as it would allow investigators to quickly verify who was on board a vessel at the time of departure.

He said this would also contribute to improved safety and accountability in the country’s heavily sea-dependent transport system.

Alongside the tracking initiative, the government is pursuing wider reforms targeting immigration control and labour administration.

These include continued enforcement action against individuals residing in the country without legal status, as well as efforts to streamline and regulate the recruitment of foreign workers through formal channels.

Authorities are also working on introducing a classification system for employers, which would reward companies with strong compliance records and timely payments by granting them faster processing and administrative privileges within the new digital platform.

As part of the groundwork for these reforms, a nationwide data collection drive on foreign workers is already underway.

This includes biometric registration being set up across island councils to ensure more accurate identification and record-keeping of expatriates living and working in the country.

The Minister expressed confidence that these combined measures would significantly modernise foreign worker management systems and position the country as a regional leader in migration governance by the end of the current government’s term.