The emblem of Iraq’s Ministry of Interior
Ongoing campaigns
Iraq deports 38 foreigners over residency violations amid broader crackdown
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Interior Ministry announced Thursday the deportation of 38 foreign nationals for violating the country’s residency laws, as part of a wider campaign to enforce immigration regulations. The ministry did not specify the individuals’ nationalities.
In a statement, Interior Ministry spokesperson Abbas Al-Bahadli said the Directorate of Civil Status, Passports, and Residency carried out the deportations after completing all legal procedures.
“The Directorate of Residency Affairs has proceeded with deporting 38 individuals who violated residency regulations, after completing all related legal measures,” Al-Bahadli said.
The deportations are part of ongoing inspection campaigns. In mid-January, the ministry arrested 691 foreign workers for residency violations, with plans to deport them.
Iraq’s Residency Law No. 76 of 2017 — titled the “Law on the Residence of Foreigners” — governs the entry, stay, and exit of foreign nationals. It replaced the 1978 Residency Law No. 118 and was officially enacted on Oct. 2, 2017.
As of May 14, 2024, the Directorate of Residence Affairs reported 4,658 arrests of residency violators since the start of the year. According to Maj. Gen. Hussein Al-Yassari, head of the directorate, many individuals enter Iraq due to its relatively favorable economic conditions but later breach the law by working without valid employment contracts, thereby violating both residency and labor regulations.
