Former Attorneys General (AGs), Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed and Aishath Azima Shukoor, will look to provide legal assistance to the French family living on Veymandoo Island in Thaa (Th.) Atoll, who had applied for citizenship of the Maldives, it has been confirmed via social media posts by the AGs.
Meanwhile, Controller General of Immigration Mohamed Shamaan Waheed said on Tuesday that the family, citing the inherent difficulties in following through with the citizenship process, had decided to return to their home country on their own volition.
Speaking with local media, Waheed said that the French man, a convert to Islam having taken the name Saeed and the head of the family, was brought before the Immigration Department, wherein he told the agency that the family was living in the Maldives with a view to seek citizenship. When informed that any such process should be approached via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he then moved on to the Ministry, the Controller General said.
However, in a subsequent second interaction with Immigration, Saeed said he wanted to return home, outlining that the citizenship process was complicated, Waheed noted.
The man had first travelled to the Maldives alone on a tourist visa. However, he went back home and later returned in 2013 on a firefighter work visa. His wife and two children came into the country on three-month tourist visas.
According to Waheed, even though Saeed’s work visa was valid up to 2019, he was found in violation of immigration laws and instructed to change his sponsor company. While the original sponsor had shown a willingness to do so, Saeed had not followed through on the process, Maldives Immigration confirmed.
“He said he came to the Maldives because his [extended] family did not accept him after he converted to Islam, [and that] there was no other threat. He stayed for so long to get citizenship… so he was told [by Immigration] he would have to apply to the Foreign Ministry to get that done. After his first interview with Foreign [Ministry], he said that the process was too complicated, and they wanted to go back to their home country. However, since passports and other documents had expired, we told him we would assist him in obtaining them,” Waheed said, going on to explain that the documentation process was being completed with the assistance of the French consulate.
Upon arriving in the Maldives 12 years ago, the family first set themselves up at Thinadhoo Island in Gaafu Dhaalu (GDh.) Atoll. They then moved first to Laamu (L.) Atoll, before moving to Thimarafushi Island in Thaa (Th.) Atoll, finally winding up in Veymandoo — the move from Thimarafushi to Veymandoo was, according to the family, precipitated by growing extremism in Thimarafushi. It has, however, been six years since they moved to Veymandoo.
The couple had their youngest three children after arriving in the Maldives, with the youngest two born in Veymandoo.
The former AGs, Saeed and Shukoor, looking to provide legal assistance to the family, had sought contact details for the family on social media, with Shukoor confirming in one of her social media posts that contact was now possible.
Saeed, speaking with local media, confirmed their interest in the case since at least two of the children had been born and raised in the Maldives, sharing national values and culture. They would reach out to the family as soon as possible and provide legal assistance if necessary, Saeed confirmed.
“We have an interest in the case. We are going to try to contact the family. We have decided to provide any assistance, legal assistance, if necessary,” Saeed said.
Shukoor urged the government to postpone their deportation and give them time to make their case based on provisions reflected in the Constitution.
“We [Saeed and Shukoor] don’t think they should be sent away. Children born in the Maldives who speak Dhivehi and do not know how to speak another language should not be sent away in such a manner that their family is put in danger,” Shukoor said.
While Maldives Immigration maintains that the family also now wants to return to their home country due to the complicated nature of pursuing Maldivian citizenship, a Media Official of the agency confirmed that, especially having been found in breach of law, the family will likely not be granted citizenship even if they applied.
According to the Maldives Immigration Act (2007), overstaying the valid visa period is punishable by fines and deportation. Fines for overstaying begin at MVR 15,000, and once a certain threshold is exceeded in terms of overstaying, Maldives Immigration’s legal department is liable to investigate and deport offenders barring any future entry into the Maldives.
The law does not empower the Controller General of Immigration to waive or reduce any such penalty.