The Search and Follow-Up Department at the Ministry of Interior is set to tighten the noose on those violating the residency law by launching an intensive inspection campaign as the three-month amnesty for illegal residents is expiring today. The Ministry of Interior had announced three-month amnesty scheme starting from September 1 and ending today (December 1). As the ministry has so far not extended the deadline for amnesty scheme, stricter action against illegal residents likely to start soon.
Recently, a top official of the Search and Follow-Up Department in an interview had asserted that intensive inspection campaign would be launched after the end of the three-month amnesty to book illegal residents. The Ministry of Interior through its Public Relations department had run an awareness campaign in 11 languages including Arabic, English, Hindi, Bengali, Nepalese, Indonesian, Tagalog, Urdu, Sinhalese, Tamil and Malayalam to introduce the scheme and its advantages to the expatriate communities. It also was announced in Arabic, English and Asian newspapers, and the embassies also advised their community members to avail of the scheme, which caused a great turn out of the beneficiaries at the Search and Follow Up Department. As per residency law, employers of illegal residents too will face severe punishment.
