Maldives Immigration has deployed specialized processing teams and extended counter service hours across its headquarters in Malé, targeting the complete clearance of a significant operational backlog of work visa approvals, business visa renewals, and passport issuance requests by the end of this week.
The border control agency announced the operational surge on Wednesday, stating that digital system upgrades and extra shift rosters have been introduced to eliminate processing delays that affected corporate employers and citizens over recent weeks.
Extended hours and digital queue integration
Under the emergency operational protocol, immigration officers will work double shifts to process pending applications submitted through the digital Xpat online portal and the national passport issuance system.
The agency stated that priority has been assigned to urgent medical travel passport renewals and commercial work permit regularizations:
"We have expanded our daily verification capacity to ensure that all pending work permit and passport requests are resolved by week’s end. We urge corporate employers and the public to utilize online channels to monitor their application statuses," Maldives Immigration confirmed in a public advisory.
The agency noted that dedicated collection counters will remain open late into the evening to facilitate swift passport handovers for travelers departing on scheduled commercial flights.
Modernising immigration administration
The operational push comes as Maldives Immigration accelerates comprehensive administrative reforms to tighten border security, digitize expat employment monitoring, and curb irregular migrant employment.
The agency recently concluded a nationwide physical biometric registration drive covering thousands of undocumented expatriates, while introducing automated biometric e-gates at Velana International Airport. Immigration Controller General Mohamed Shamaan Waheed reiterated that permanent workflow enhancements will prevent recurring backlogs and uphold service standards across all municipal service points.
