Between 2013 and 2019, nearly 3900 people were estimated to have overstayed their permit or visa in Fiji. This, according to a report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The “Migration in the Republic of Fiji: A Country Profile 2020” is the first report of its kind on migration in Fiji and was prepared with the assistance of the Fiji Bureau of Statistics and the Department of Immigration.
The IOM stated 68 per cent of cases were people overstaying visitor visas, followed by exemptions and residence permits.
“The top nationalities overstaying were Tuvaluans (10 per cent), New Zealanders (9 per cent), Australians (9 per cent), Americans (8 per cent) and Chinese (8 per cent),” stated the report.
“Most people overstaying exemption classes were from New Zealand, United States, India, Australia and the United Kingdom.
“Most residence permits were overstayed by Koreans and Chinese.
“There were only 89 cases of overstaying student permits, mostly among Tuvaluans, i-Kiribati and Papua New Guineans.”
The IOM report stated overstayers were detected on exiting the country and were issued a notice prohibiting them from entering Fiji for a set period of time and they were also required to pay a fine.
“Overstayers may also apply to the permanent secretary (Immigration) to use discretion to adjust their status without penalty and are reportedly often successful. “Fewer than 400 foreign nationals in Fiji were removed from the country or returned voluntarily between 2013 and 2018.”
- Questions sent to the permanent secretary for Immigration Yogesh Karan on the contents of the report remained unanswered when this edition went to press.
