458 foreign nationals deported in 2023

Authorities in Nepal deported a total of 458 foreign nationals, including 209 Chinese nationals, in 2023 for offenses, ranging from visa overstay and drug trafficking to possession of fake passports and illegal transactions of foreign currency.  

The majority of deported individuals (412) were found to have overstayed their visas, with Chinese nationals topping the list. As per the records of the Immigration Department, 190 Chinese citizens were deported for overstaying their visas.   

Ten foreigners were expelled for drug-related crimes, five for possession of fake passports, 10 for illegal transactions of foreign currency and four for fraud charges. One foreign individual was deported in relation to a kidnapping case, six for organized crime, one for polygamy and five for sexual crime.

Immigration officials say while the number of deportees have been fluctuating in a more or less predictable fashion over the years, it is a matter of concern and investigation that an increasing number of Chinese citizens are getting deported.

Out of the total deported foreign citizens last year, 46 percent were Chinese. One hundred ninety Chinese nationals faced expulsion for overstaying their visas, eight for illegal transactions of foreign currency, four for drug related crimes, three for involvement in organized crimes, two for financial crime, one for kidnapping and one for fraud. 

In 2022, authorities had deported a total of 570 foreign nationals; 191 of them were Chinese nationals.

In 2023, authorities deported 37 Americans, 19 Uzbekistanis, 19 Bangladeshis, 18 British, 11 Sri Lankans, 10 Swedish nationals and 10 Pakistani for various offenses.

Nine Afghanistanis, eight Germans, seven South Koreans and seven Canadians were also expelled from Nepal. 

The Department of Immigration also deported six French nationals, five Italians, five Nigerians, five Russians, five Yemenis, four Australians, four Iranians and four Japanese citizens.  

The other foreign nationalities who faced deportation are from Bhutan, Cameroon, the Philippines, Portugal, Thailand, Belgium, Denmark, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Romania, Sudan, Ukraine, Vietnam, Cambodia, Comoros, Czech Republic, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Myanmar, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Swaziland, Tajikistan and Uganda.