Iraq detained nearly 4,000 foreign workers for residency violations in January

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Interior Ministry said it detained 3,911 foreign workers for violating residency conditions during January, with inspection campaigns ongoing in Baghdad and other governorates.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Abbas al-Bahadli told the Iraqi News Agency that the Directorate of Residency Affairs, in coordination with police commands, “managed to detain 3,911 individuals who violated residency conditions during the month of January this year.”

He said the ministry is carrying out unannounced field plans with surprise inspections targeting locations where unauthorized labor is suspected. Authorities also monitored attempts to smuggle workers, arrested those involved and referred them to the judiciary.

Al-Bahadli said most of those detained had originally entered the country legally but exceeded their permitted period of stay.

Iraq has intensified enforcement against undocumented foreign workers in recent years. The Labour Ministry said it deported more than 20,000 foreign workers in 2024 and more than 14,000 in 2025, all without work permits. According to ministry spokesperson Hassan Khawam, employers are required to hire 80 percent Iraqi labor and 20 percent foreign labor, with inspectors visiting worksites to monitor compliance.

In November, Basra’s Residency Affairs Department said it deported 56 foreigners through the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran.