01What type of worker, employment situation, occupation or professional activity is this pathway actually designed for?
The route is for expatriate employees who hold a work permit, a government-issued permit allowing expatriates to work in the Maldives for a specified duration; permits for domestic household work are issued only to female employees.
See recorded sources
Does the applicant need a job offer, employer, sponsor, transfer relationship or other employer involvement? What is important about that employer relationship?
An employer is required: for a commercial work permit the employer must be a registered business with an existing quota and a valid quota slot for the occupation; for a domestic work permit the employer must be a Maldivian citizen. The employer or its authorised representative must apply for and obtain the Work e-Visa within 15 days of the employee's arrival on a valid Entry Pass (Work Permit), and must receive the employee on arrival or arrange for someone to do so.
See recorded sources
What are the few decisive professional characteristics of the pathway: occupation, qualifications, experience, salary, skill level, shortage status, labour-market condition or equivalent?
The worker must be 18 or older. For professional and managerial occupations the worker needs an MQA level 7 certificate in the relevant field, or an MQA level 5 certificate with 5 years of relevant experience and an MQA qualification recognition report.
See recorded sources
What work does the permission allow? Is the holder tied to an employer, occupation or sector? Can family accompany where clearly established?
The Work Visa authorises expatriates to reside and work in the Maldives. A new work permit holder may change employer without a time restriction if the permit has at least 8 days of validity; an employer change requires a no-objection letter from the current employer issued within the last 3 months. Immediate family can obtain a Dependent Visa only where the worker holds a professional-category Work Visa.
See recorded sources
Limits of the record- The sources do not state whether the holder is restricted to a specific occupation or sector.
- Dependants' own work rights are not stated.
How long is the permission normally granted for, how is it renewed, and what longer-term residence direction exists if officially stated?
The Work e-Visa remains valid for the period of the approved Work Permit. Renewed Work Visas are issued for at most one year. The official source does not state a separate longer-term residence conversion.
See recorded sources
- Work Visa page
The validity of the **Work e-Visa** will correspond directly to the validity of the approved **Work Permit**.
- Work Visa page
Renewed Work Visas** will be issued with a maximum validity of **one (1) year**.
These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.
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