ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday decided to impose fines and blacklist illegal immigrants residing in Pakistan who failed to benefit from the general amnesty ending on Dec 31.

The interior ministry has directed the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to not extend the benefits offered under the scheme after the cut-off date.

The ministry also directed Nadra to blacklist foreigners, who have been overstaying in Pakistan for more than a year after the expiry of the scheme.

The letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn, said such foreigners would be given one-time permission to exit the country before placing them into the prohibited list but their exit applications would be processed after payment of the due fine.

The interior ministry has also instructed Nadra to collect overstay charges for exit permits from Jan 1.

The authority has been directed to make changes to the Pakistan Online Visa System (POVS) for the collection of fines for exit permits.

The Ministry of Interior issues exit permits to foreigners who have overstayed in Pakistan after the expiry of their visas. The permits are issued through POVS to foreigners who have overstayed for up to one year, while manual permits are issued to those who have overstayed for more than a year, on payment of a penalty.

Indian and Somali nationals were asked to apply to the ministry manually for the permits.

According to an official, a general amnesty was announced in July for overstaying foreigners to exit Pakistan without paying any charges before Dec 31.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2022