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Govt. gives sets deadline for illegal expats to leave country

The government has given till April to all expatriates living illegally to leave the country or return to their native countries.

A statement issued by Department of Immigration and Emigration expressed that illegal expatriates wishing to leave the country voluntarily within the given period, will be provided with means to return their native country , once they arrive at the Department along with their passports.

Department said illegal expatriates staying on in the country beyond 1 April will be prosecuted under the law. The Department further said employers of such illegal expatriates will also be prosecuted.

Department said the umber of illegal expatriate workers are on the rise and the considerable amount of work is being done by concerned authorities to apprehend them. The department also revealed that regulations dealing with expatriate workers are being revised in an effort to better monitor and control the umber of illegal foreigners working in the country.

Some 80,000 foreigners are working in the country and more than 20,000 are working illegally, according to concerned authorities.