The government has decided to send back home 11,000 foreign nationals who are living in Bangladesh illegally after expiry of their visas.
The cabinet committee on law and order took the decision at a meeting held at the Secretariat on Thursday (Nov 7).
Home ministry officials said the foreign nationals, mostly from African countries including Nigeria and Tanzania, are living in Bangladesh with date expired visas and getting involved in different crimes.
After the meeting, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told a press conference that foreign nationals come to Bangladesh for different reasons.
“We’ve prepared a list of 11,000 foreigners whose visas have expired. Some of them have been detained for their involvement in crimes while some others are still living here illegally,” he added.
The minister said the foreigners in the list have never tried to go back home after expiry of their visas while the embassies of their countries did not cooperate with Bangladesh for their repatriation.
“That’s why the government has taken move to send them back home,” he added.