The Department of Immigration has given assurance that people have been deported and that those who breach the conditions of their permit have been taken to task.
In her presentation to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, Acting Deputy Director of Immigration, Litia Saumaka says in 2016 through their Compliance and Investigation Section, 24 Nepalese nationals were deported due to having no study permits, 20 other people from different countries were also found to be working in the country without a permit, there were 2 cases where one Indian and New Zealand national solicited money from locals, 7 pacific islanders were overstaying and there was also one case of presenting a false passport.
Saumaka said the Department received 21,201 passport applications from January to June last year and also issued 21,347 passports to eligible applicants during the same period.
She says the number of passports issued is higher because they were also processing pending applications.
Department of Immigration received 21,201 passport applications from January to June last year and also issued 21,347 passports to eligible applicants during the same period
She adds that passports were issued to successful applicants from Australia, New Zealand, China, USA, Canada, India, UK, South Korea, Western Samoa, Philippines, Bangladesh, Netherlands, France, Kiribati, Malaysia, Nauru, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and also the stateless.
