Cambodia tightens immigration controls and will deny entry to more than 1,000 people in 2024

Interior Minister Sar Sokha has tasked the General Department of Immigration with identifying ways to further tighten controls on foreign nationals, building on existing mechanisms, as Cambodia barred more than 1,000 people and deported many more in the first nine months of the year. .

The directive was issued last week during a meeting with police officers from the immigration department, which focused on Phnom Penh and the provinces of Preah Sihanouk, Siem Reap, Svay Rieng and Banteay Meanchey.

According to the department, Sokha also “recommended strengthening… the duty to report the presence of foreign nationals living in factories, enterprises and various residential premises such as hotels and guest houses.”

The country reportedly denied entry to 1,024 foreigners in the first nine months of 2024, while over 4.8 million foreigners (4,849,922) of 217 nationalities entered the country during this period, an increase of 6.76 percent. compared to the same period last year. Of these, more than 3.7 million (3,767,518) were tourists, accounting for 77.68 percent.

Ministry spokesman Touch Sohak told The Post that Sokha emphasizes strict enforcement of laws and comprehensive management of foreigners. He noted that such measures do not infringe on the freedom of foreign citizens.

“However, we must conduct regular checks to know where foreigners are, how many there are, what they are doing and whether they are following the law,” he said.

“For example, if they come as tourists but are actually working in Cambodia, it is illegal. If they come to work, they must have a work visa and a work permit. For foreigners who break the law, we apply the provisions of the immigration law, which means sending them back to their home country or deporting them from Cambodia,” he added.

Last week, the department also issued a statement clarifying reports that Cambodian immigration authorities had denied entry to foreign nationals from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Indonesia and had not extended temporary stay visas.

He stated that under the Immigration Act and related regulations, the immigration police have the power to refuse entry or refuse to issue temporary stay visas to foreigners who do not meet the conditions stipulated by the law and regulations, such as having unclear travel history, vague the purpose of the trip, lack of funds for self-sufficiency during the stay or absence of a guarantor.

In addition, the authorities have grounds to refuse entry or refuse a visa if there are reasonable grounds to believe that the person will engage or has participated in activities that are prejudicial to the public interest, breach public order and social morals, or pose a threat to national and international security . .

Sohak said Cambodia does not discriminate against any citizen entering the country, but must ensure its immigration laws and related measures are followed as in other countries.

Jan Peu, secretary-general of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, noted that while he is not an expert on immigration, he believes that some foreign nationals are using their stay in the country to commit crimes such as online fraud or engaging in other illegal businesses . .

He noted that this problem may arise due to insufficient regulatory controls, which leads to actions that damage Cambodia’s reputation.

“In my opinion, it can be assessed that the management of foreigners in Cambodia is still somewhat lax and immigration laws are not fully enforced. We have laws, but their implementation may be limited. This is just my observation,” he said.

However, Sohak stressed that the country is not relaxing its enforcement of immigration laws, as evidenced by the numbers denying entry to foreign nationals.

Immigration department spokesman Sok Somnea said the country also expelled a significant number of illegal foreign residents in the first nine months of 2024, most of whom entered or remained illegally and were working without work permits.

“We are complying with existing Cambodian laws and we are now strengthening the management of foreigners. We currently have Operation 003 Campaign to register the number of foreign nationals to obtain accurate data and decide on the procedures to be followed in accordance with the law. The expulsions happen because if they enter illegally, we have to deport them,” he said.

In 2023, the Kingdom expelled 2,159 foreign nationals due to legal violations. Among them, Chinese citizens were the largest (1,011 people), followed by Indonesians (267 people) and Vietnamese (507 people). There were also several hundred representatives of other nationalities.