President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has ratified the eighth amendment to the Maldives Employment Act (2/2008).

The amendment was passed by Parliament on Wednesday at the 30th sitting of its second session this year.

The Bill states that foreigners are only permitted to work in the Maldives if they have acquired authorisation in accordance with the Maldives Employment Act and its related regulations. It also outlines the penalties for not complying with these requirements.

The Bill specifies the maximum number of foreigners allowed and identifies the specific sectors or areas where they are permitted to work.

The amendment to the Act has established and detailed the obligations imposed on employers for the recruitment of foreigners in the Maldives. This includes the registration of the workplace where the foreigners will be employed, the acquisition of necessary permissions, securing the appropriate quota for foreigners, and obtaining a valid work permit. The amendment also specifies the procedures for addressing violations by those found to exhibit insensitivity towards foreigners.

According to the bill, the number of foreigners to be brought to the Maldives in a year, the number of sectors, the maximum number of foreign arrivals from a single country and the areas should be made public twice a year. It said that such a classification should be based on different industries, type of work, and level of skill, and different criteria should be applied to different categories.

However, it has to be decided on the recommendation of the Cabinet after an assessment to assess the impact of employment of expatriates on the country's labour market.

It also imposes hefty penalties on anyone found guilty of bringing in foreigners and neglecting them. It has also included public disclosure of information about negligence and a road penalty of MVR 50,000 for every foreign employee who neglects the person. The bill also provides for a fine of not more than MVR 100,000 for violating the provisions of the Act.

The bill further states that changes may be made to the quota fee of migrant workers at least once in three years of MVR 2,000 per year and work permit fee payable every month in a manner not less than 18 months.

The amount to be revised after revising the fees should not exceed 30 percent of the fee fixed at that time. In view of this, there is a possibility of

Upon the President's ratification of the Bill, amendments to the regulations formulated under this Act shall be drafted and published in the Government Gazette within three months from the Act's commencement date.

Following ratification, the Act has been published in the Government Gazette and has now come into effect.