The Minister of Homeland and Security and Technology, Ali Ihsan, has said that the administration has no intention of increasing the fees for migrant workers.

Replying to a question from a business that brings migrant workers to Maldives during a meeting at Iskandharu Koshi, Ihsan said the administration had no intention of increasing any fees paid by employers to the government for migrant workers.

"The government has no intention of increasing the existing fees including quota fees and work visa fees," Ihsan explained.

Ihsan also said that the outstanding fees can be paid in twelve months or eight months.

The Parliament on Tuesday passed an amendment to the Employment Act to increase the work permit fee and quota fee paid by foreign workers every six years by removing the limit of 100,000 people from a single country.

According to the bill, the number and areas of foreigners that can be brought to Maldives within a year and the maximum number of foreigners and areas that can be brought from one country should be made public twice a year. Different criteria should be set for different categories based on different industries, types of work and skill levels.

Ihsan said that instead of paying monthly fees, they can now pay in bulk.