ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq has deported more than 35,000 residency violators since the start of 2025, state media reported on Sunday, as the country’s residency directorate said the effort is part of a nationwide campaign targeting irregular migrants under directives from the interior minister.
“The total number of individuals deported from Baghdad between January 1 and November 5 of this year reached 20,033,” said Brigadier General Alaa Hussein, director of Residence Affairs, as cited by the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA). He added that “the number of residency violators deported from other provinces reached 15,620” during the same period, bringing the total to 35,652.
Hussein noted that deportation rates have increased “from 500 to more than 1,000 violators per month,” attributing the rise to instructions from Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari.
In a separate statement on Sunday, Iraq’s General Directorate of Civil Status, Passports, and Residence said Shammari had “ordered intensifying efforts [to address illegal migrants] in Baghdad and other provinces,” with the aim of “regulating the residency dossier.”
Under Iraqi residence law, individuals who enter the country illegally or fail to comply with a deportation order may face up to one year in prison or a fine of 500,000 to 1,000,000 Iraqi dinars (approximately $382 - $763).
The latest campaign follows a late 2024 initiative by the Directorate of Residence Affairs, which reactivated an electronic service allowing residency violators to correct their legal status before facing legal action. The updated electronic service was designed to streamline procedures for foreign workers of specific nationalities, including Syria, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Earlier in 2024, the interior ministry said it had intensified monitoring and enforcement of visa overstay rules for all visa categories.
Baghdad’s increased deportation efforts are also seen as part of a broader push to regulate the foreign labor market and address what officials describe as a significant rise in unlicensed foreign workers, amid concerns about their impact on job opportunities for young Iraqis.
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