Nikhil Aiyush Kumar 
[Source: Parliament of the Republic of Fiji/ Facebook]
The number of illegal immigrants in Fiji jumped from 4709 in January 2023 to 8000 at present, raising serious concerns for the Department of Immigration.
This was highlighted by the Prime Minister and Minister for Immigration Sitiveni Rabuka in Parliament today when asked about the status of illegal immigrants in the country.
He adds that as of January last year there were 4709 illegal immigrants in Fiji.
However Rabuka stated that in just one year, this number has doubled and according to former Immigration Minister Pio Tikoduadua there are currently 8000 illegal immigrants in the country.
Rabuka says they are working on addressing the issue through enhanced border management capabilities.
“An intelligence and assessment structure that coordinates information collectively in drawing out the trend of illegal migrants who may intend to reside illegally in Fiji. This assessment will point out emerging trends and issues of border security to identify irregular migration movements and provide a border security landscape to avoid an increase in numbers.”
Rabuka added that the immigration department has expanded the compliance unit resources to explicitly focus on surveillance processes for geographical locations of prohibited immigrants.
He says that it also entails enforcement operational plans involving security apparatus to facilitate and feed intelligence to execute operational activities without violating any human rights and also reducing the number of illegal immigrants.
The PM states that the department is intensifying consultation efforts through stakeholder’s engagement to facilitate voluntary departures for those seeking to leave the country.
