Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Bengaluru has informed the high court that out of the 30,000 registered foreign nationals living in Karnataka, about 1,165 foreigners from 68 countries are overstaying in the city as of January 1, 2016.
According to The Hindu report, only 104 cases of visa overstay were registered in the past two years. Based on the data from city police showed that 83 cases were registered in 2014 and 21 cases were registered in 2015 in the city.
This was after Justice A.V. Chandrashekara sought details of how many foreigners were overstaying their visa in Bengaluru. He was hearing bail petitions filed by some foreign nationals (mainly Nigerian nationals) who were booked for violation of Foreigners Act, reported The Hindu.
As per the list, submitted by Krishna S Dixit, assistant solicitor general, Sudan tops with 212 overstaying foreigners, followed by Congo (164), Ivory Coast (100), Yemen (99) and Nigeria (93), reported Times of India.
According to TOI, Dixit said foreigner faces a 5-year sentence apart from penalty in case of violation of section 14 of Foreigners Act. Trial courts can impose a punishment where in violators are released after they pay Rs 5,000-10,000 fine and undergo two-three day sentences.
AS Ponnanna, additional advocate general, said that there are plans to set up a separate detention centre for foreign nationals.
N Saraswathi, who appeared for Nigerian nationals, informed the court that many foreigners are harassed at the FRRO office, reported Deccan Herald.
Aghaassa. S, a Sudanese student from Acharya Institute in Bengaluru, who was at FRRO to extend his visa on Tuesday told The News Minute that he usually has to wait for more than 7 hours.
“I watch a movie or two or even read half a book before my turn comes. Many of people I know are lazy and they don’t go for extension,” he said
“Some people also don’t want to leave the country because they come from war-struck countries or poor countries where they would not find any opportunities”
This is an aggregated report from The Hindu, Times of India and Deccan Herald