13,603 MIGRANTS REGISTERED IN BiH IN NINE MONTHS, 3,172 FOREIGN NATIONALS ORDERED TO LEAVE

The largest numbers of migrants come from Sudan /2,404/, Egypt /2,276/, Afghanistan /2,170/, Türkiye /1,239/ and Bangladesh /1,140/.

Interviewed by: Ognjen BEGOVIĆ

SARAJEVO, NOVEMBER 3 /SRNA/ – The Service for Foreigners' Affairs registered 13,603 migrants in BiH between January 1 and September 30, approximately 40 percent more than in the same period last year; during the same period, expulsion orders were issued against 3,172 foreign nationals, Žarko Laketa, Director of the Service, told SRNA.

According to him, 9,960 of the 13,603 registered migrants expressed their intention to apply for asylum.

"The largest groups of registered migrants were nationals of Sudan, 2,404; Egypt, 2,276; Afghanistan, 2,170; Türkiye, 1,239; and Bangladesh, 1,140," Laketa specified.

According to him, as of September 30, a total of 1,154 migrants were staying in temporary reception centres in BiH, including 532 at the Blažuj Temporary Reception Centre in Sarajevo Canton and 622 at the Lipa Centre in Una-Sana Canton.

He stressed that the largest number of expulsion orders had been issued against nationals of Türkiye /994/, followed by Bangladesh /436/ and China /323/.

"Surveillance measures were imposed on 1,682 foreign nationals, most of whom were citizens of Türkiye /558/, China /202/ and Bangladesh /175/," Laketa said.

During the same period, he stressed, the residence permits were revoked for 521 foreign nationals, most of them citizens of Türkiye /254/, China /64/ and Nepal /53/. The Service for Foreigners' Affairs also annulled a total of 32 visas, 15 of which had been issued to Bangladeshi nationals.

Laketa recalled that BiH was a transit country for migrants whose final destination was Western Europe. He also noted that Russian, Turkish and Chinese nationals could enter BiH without visas and that a number of them attempt to abuse this privilege.

218 FOREIGN NATIONALS IN IMMIGRATION CENTRE, MOSTLY FROM TÜRKIYE, CHINA AND AFGHANISTAN

A total of 218 foreign nationals were placed under supervision at the Immigration Centre, including 190 men and 24 women. The largest group consisted of Turkish nationals /125/, followed by Chinese /16/ and Afghan nationals /11/.

Laketa noted that over the past nine months, 16 individuals had been returned from BiH to their countries of origin or to countries that had agreed to receive them, pursuant to signed readmission agreements.

"Under the voluntary return procedure implemented by the Service, 129 individuals were removed from BiH. The largest number were Turkish nationals /94/, followed by Chinese /9/ and Afghan nationals /6/," he said.

Under the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration programme /AVRR/, another 129 individuals were returned from BiH. The largest groups were nationals of Azerbaijan and Jordan, with 10 each, followed by Egypt /9/ and Syria /8/.

No foreign nationals were forcibly removed to their countries of origin during the reporting period.

"After the obligation to readmit individuals was established in accordance with the provisions of the readmission agreement between BiH and Croatia, the Service took back a total of 3,012 individuals – 2,985 under the accelerated procedure and 27 under the regular procedure," Laketa said.

According to him, the Service for Foreigners' Affairs received a total of 3,677 readmission requests under the accelerated procedure, most of which concerned nationals of Türkiye /1,108/, Bangladesh /518/, China /301/ and Egypt /321/.

Of the total number of requests received under the accelerated procedure, the obligation to accept 3,295 individuals was established, while 2,985 were actually readmitted.

During the same period, 261 readmission requests were received under the regular procedure, most of which concerned nationals of Syria /55/, Sudan /21/ and Afghanistan /20/.

"Of the total number of requests received under the regular procedure, the obligation to accept 79 individuals was established, while 27 were actually readmitted," Laketa said.

5,980 TEMPORARY RESIDENCE PERMITS ISSUED, MOSTLY FOR EMPLOYMENT WITH WORK PERMITS

"Between January 1 and September 30 this year, the Service for Foreigners' Affairs issued 5,980 temporary residence permits. The largest number were granted on the basis of employment with a work permit /2,906/, mostly to nationals of India /504/, Nepal /454/ and Bangladesh /365/," Laketa said.

Family reunification was the second-largest category, with 1,220 temporary residence permits issued, mostly to nationals of Serbia /354/, Croatia /152/ and Türkiye /100/.

A total of 852 applications were received on the basis of education, most of them from nationals of Türkiye /421/, India /61/ and Serbia /52/.

A total of 675 temporary residence permits were issued on the basis of employment without a work permit, mostly to nationals of China /317/, Türkiye /113/ and Serbia /46/.

On the basis of property ownership, 181 temporary residence permits were granted, mostly to nationals of Austria /70/, Germany /35/ and Serbia /18/. Another 79 permits were issued on humanitarian grounds, primarily to nationals of Ukraine /38/, Croatia /11/ and Libya /6/.

"On the basis of other justified reasons, 67 residence permits were issued, mostly to nationals of Türkiye /11/, France /8/ and the United States /7/," he said.

During the same period, the Service extended 7,466 temporary residence permits for foreign nationals. The largest number were extended on the basis of family reunification /2,834/, mostly for nationals of Croatia /372/, Serbia /299/ and Austria /223/.

A total of 2,531 temporary residence permits were extended on the basis of employment with a work permit, most of them for nationals of India /404/, Nepal /337/ and Serbia /251/.

Regarding employment without a work permit, 975 temporary residence permits were issued, mostly to nationals of China /280/, Türkiye /247/ and Serbia /85/. A further 384 permits were issued on the basis of education, including 111 for Turkish nationals, 67 for Serbian nationals and 23 for US nationals.

On the basis of property ownership, 567 temporary residence permits were granted, mostly to nationals of Austria /232/, Germany /127/ and Serbia /57/.

A total of 122 permits were issued on humanitarian grounds, primarily to nationals of Ukraine /94/, Croatia /10/ and Italy /4/. Another 53 permits were issued on other justified grounds, including 16 for Turkish nationals and two each for Libyan and Serbian nationals.

During the same period, 300 permanent residence permits were granted, mostly to nationals of Austria /45/, Croatia /37/ and Montenegro /35/.

"Regarding the certification of invitation letters, the Service certified 3,648 invitation letters submitted by legal entities during the same period, while 54 applications were rejected. The largest number of certified invitation letters issued at the request of legal entities concerned nationals of China /719/, Bangladesh /481/ and India /321/," Laketa said.

He added that, at the invitation of private individuals, the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs certified invitation letters for 1,512 foreign nationals, mostly citizens of self-declared Kosovo /409/, Egypt /194/ and Syria /113/, while 19 applications were rejected.

SUCCESSFUL COOPERATION BETWEEN THE SERVICE AND LOCAL AND FOREIGN PARTNERS

During the first nine months of this year, based on several months of operational work and information gathered by inspectors, the Service for Foreigners' Affairs participated in three coordinated international operational actions in cooperation with local police and security agencies and international partners.

As part of the international operations Sea Jade, conducted in March, and Jade Global Chain, conducted in June, the Service processed a total of 19 operational intelligence reports, exchanged more than 400 pieces of operational information and provided 60 photographs relevant to further operational checks.

The information gathered was shared with relevant local and international partners, including Europol, Frontex, Interpol and other international and regional organisations.

Particularly significant results were achieved during the international operation EMPACT THB QA 2.7 in September, conducted under the auspices of Europol, in which the Service participated as BiH's co-leader, while the Swedish police acted as the operation's lead agency.

"During the operation, checks were carried out at 34 locations and 643 individuals were inspected. The Service imposed 21 measures – six cancellations of visa-free stays, 10 cancellations of visa-free stays accompanied by expulsion orders, and five expulsion orders. Appropriate misdemeanour proceedings were also initiated against foreign nationals and legal entities," Laketa specified.

According to him, a particularly significant result was the discovery of circumstances indicating possible elements of human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation involving five Egyptian nationals, who were handed over to the jurisdiction of the State Investigation and Protection Agency /SIPA/ for further checks and the establishment of all relevant circumstances.

He stressed that these activities confirmed the importance of the operational work carried out by the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs in detecting irregular migration, identifying security risks and strengthening cooperation with local and international partners.