Seven foreign nationals have been arrested after immigration authorities raided spas and salons in Hulhumalé as part of an ongoing crackdown on undocumented and illegally employed expatriate workers.
Maldives Immigration said the operation was carried out on Tuesday night, with officers inspecting eight businesses operating in the city.
Documents belonging to 26 foreign workers were checked during the operation. Seven were found to be working illegally and were subsequently taken into custody, according to Immigration.
The authority did not disclose the nationalities of those arrested or provide details on the specific immigration or employment violations identified during the inspections.
The latest raids are part of a broader enforcement drive targeting illegal employment and immigration violations, with authorities increasingly conducting inspections in sectors and locations where expatriate workers are widely employed.
Spas and salons in Hulhumalé were specifically targeted in Tuesday’s operation, following similar inspections recently conducted at the Hulhumalé Local Market to identify foreigners working without the necessary authorisation.
Immigration authorities have also been working alongside Maldives Police Service and other government agencies as part of a wider effort to address undocumented expatriate workers and businesses being operated unlawfully by foreign nationals.
The government has stepped up action against illegal businesses as well, including cases where enterprises registered under Maldivian names are allegedly being operated by foreigners in sectors where foreign participation is restricted.
In a separate nationwide enforcement campaign, authorities received hundreds of complaints regarding suspected illegal businesses and conducted inspections across numerous establishments. More than 100 businesses were ordered to close following those inspections, although some were later permitted to reopen after addressing the issues identified by authorities.
The crackdown on undocumented expatriates has also resulted in foreign nationals being detained and subsequently deported after immigration violations were established.
The government has maintained that the enforcement drive is intended not only to identify undocumented workers but also to address employers and businesses facilitating illegal employment.
Foreign workers make up a significant part of the Maldives’ labour force, particularly in construction, tourism, hospitality and service industries. However, undocumented migration and workers operating outside the conditions of their permits have remained longstanding challenges for successive administrations.
Authorities have increasingly relied on targeted inspections of workplaces and business premises to identify such cases rather than limiting enforcement to individual checks.
Maldives Immigration said its operations against illegal foreign employment will continue as authorities work to regularise the expatriate workforce and take action against immigration violations.
