Maldives Immigration To Take Action Against Those Illegally Employing Foreigners For Performing Activities

Recently, it has come to light that many are employing foreign nationals for performing activities over local artists – especially in tourist resorts to perform music and for photography purposes – which is deemed illegal under the Maldivian ‘Foreign Employees Act’. Consequently, the Musicians' Union of Maldives (MUM) have called for action regarding the matter citing that many local artists have been out of employment since the onset of the pandemic whereas it is more important than ever to take action now to protect the rights and job security of local artists amidst the ongoing pandemic.

Following this, yesterday, Maldives Immigration has issued a statement on the matter. As these foreign nationals are beyond the confines of the permit granted to them or the conditions attached to the permit – several cases have been investigated and legal actions have been taken on sixty such persons for the violation of the laws. Moreover, strict penalties will be imposed for those who are found to be in violation of the laws. 

They also advise to refrain from engaging foreign nationals in performing music and photography without obtaining the necessary approvals from the authorities highlighting that it is a huge concern that the livelihoods of local artists in these professions are being adversely affected by the matter. 

(Photo: Holiday Inn Kandooma)