President Dr Mohamed Muizzu says 12,193 undocumented expatriates have been deported from the Maldives over the past two and a half years.

Speaking on the “Nation Chat” program aired on PSM, the President said previous administrations had not done enough to address the issue of undocumented expatriates. He said the current administration’s efforts are reflected in the latest statistics.

According to the President, around 2,600 expatriates were deported during the first two years of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration, while no deportations were carried out during the first two years of former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s government.

The President also said biometric information of 206,400 expatriates has been collected, covering 99 percent of expatriates in the Maldives.

He described the achievement as significant, noting that, to his knowledge, only countries such as Singapore and the UAE have reached similar levels of biometric registration.

The Ministry of Homeland Security aims to repatriate around 2,800 more expatriates from islands across the country within the next six months.

The President said the government’s goal is to fully resolve the issue of undocumented expatriates in the Maldives.