Tanzania has seen a steady drop in the number of illegal immigrants entering the East African nation.
This comes after a decision by the government to remove Ethiopia from a list of countries whose nationals require referral visas, the Minister for Home Affairs Hamad Masauni told parliament late Monday.
He said the decision followed the review of the Immigration Regulations of 2016 and the fact that a large number of illegal immigrants entering the country were from Ethiopia. The minister said that the latest statistics showed that the number of illegal immigrants from Ethiopia has dropped to 40 people per month from more than 300 people who were entering the country illegally every month.
Masauni said Ethiopian nationals can now enter the country using a passport issued in their respective country and a transit visa. He said the new system has helped a lot in finding a long-term solution to this problem.
Masauni said the government has also taken other measures to deport illegal immigrants through collaboration with other stakeholders.
Tanzania has deported 3,100 illegal immigrants in recent days in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said the minister.
Masauni said the number of illegal migrants in the country’s prisons is 1,600.
