Home Minister Ali Ihsan has said that the problem of illegal immigrants living in the Maldives without valid documents will be solved within the next three years.

Speaking at the launch of the Naares Portal and Phase 2 of the 'Kurangi' operation at Dharubaaruge yesterday, the minister said the councils would take fingerprints of all foreigners living in rural areas when the second phase of the Kurangi operation starts. The operation will enable the number of illegal immigrants to be identified and legal action taken against them, he said.

The minister said the government has set a deadline of one year to identify all illegal foreigners in the country.

"The next two years will be where work will continue to bring these people into the legal framework. With Allah's will and under the guidance of the President, we are working to bring a permanent solution to the problem of illegal immigrants," he said.

The minister said the work done in phase one of Kurangi was to formulate policies and identify the situation in some islands and develop applications. Phase two will give access to applications to councils, he said.

Through the application, councilors will be able to take a photograph of a suspected foreigner and know the name and rank of the foreigner. The application will also provide important information such as the company from which the person entered the country and the date on which the visa was last renewed, he said.

He said the first part of finding a permanent solution to the problem has been completed by empowering councils to stop illegal immigrants.