New data tabled in the Rajya Sabha shows that 24,670 Indian citizens were deported from 81 countries during calendar-year 2025, with Saudi Arabia accounting for nearly half the total at 11,012 removals. Gulf neighbours the UAE (1,469) and Bahrain (764) also featured prominently, while the United States—often assumed to be the main source—sent back 3,806 Indians, its highest figure in five years.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) attributes most Gulf-region deportations to visa overstays and expired work permits. Recruiters continue to fly thousands of semi-skilled workers to the Middle East each year under short-term contracts, and many remain after their papers lapse in search of better-paid jobs. Saudi Arabia’s recent crackdown on undocumented labour—including biometric sweeps at construction sites and roadside checks—has accelerated removals.
Against this backdrop, prospective travellers and employers may wish to seek specialist support: VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) simplifies the process of securing work and visit visas for Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the United States and scores of other destinations, offering document checks, real-time tracking and renewal reminders that help prevent the overstays now fueling deportations.
![Saudi Arabia tops global list for deporting Indian nationals in 2025]()
Outside the Gulf, Myanmar (1,591) and Cambodia (305) saw spikes linked to organised cyber-fraud syndicates that lure Indians with bogus IT jobs and then confiscate passports. The Indian government says it rescued 383 citizens from such compounds this year.
Consular officials emphasise that deportation rarely happens “overnight.” Travellers are first placed in detention centres, and Missions attempt to verify identity and arrange emergency travel documents; MEA helplines (MADAD and eMigrate) handled 62,000 calls in 2025, a 28 % rise over 2024.
For multinational employers, the figures are a reminder to audit vendor recruitment practices and ensure workers receive proper visas and post-arrival orientation. Legal experts also urge companies to track project-site compliance in the Gulf because local authorities now impose steep fines—up to SAR 100,000 (≈ ₹22 lakh) per undocumented worker—on sponsors caught employing overstayers.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) attributes most Gulf-region deportations to visa overstays and expired work permits. Recruiters continue to fly thousands of semi-skilled workers to the Middle East each year under short-term contracts, and many remain after their papers lapse in search of better-paid jobs. Saudi Arabia’s recent crackdown on undocumented labour—including biometric sweeps at construction sites and roadside checks—has accelerated removals.
Against this backdrop, prospective travellers and employers may wish to seek specialist support: VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) simplifies the process of securing work and visit visas for Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the United States and scores of other destinations, offering document checks, real-time tracking and renewal reminders that help prevent the overstays now fueling deportations.
Outside the Gulf, Myanmar (1,591) and Cambodia (305) saw spikes linked to organised cyber-fraud syndicates that lure Indians with bogus IT jobs and then confiscate passports. The Indian government says it rescued 383 citizens from such compounds this year.
Consular officials emphasise that deportation rarely happens “overnight.” Travellers are first placed in detention centres, and Missions attempt to verify identity and arrange emergency travel documents; MEA helplines (MADAD and eMigrate) handled 62,000 calls in 2025, a 28 % rise over 2024.
For multinational employers, the figures are a reminder to audit vendor recruitment practices and ensure workers receive proper visas and post-arrival orientation. Legal experts also urge companies to track project-site compliance in the Gulf because local authorities now impose steep fines—up to SAR 100,000 (≈ ₹22 lakh) per undocumented worker—on sponsors caught employing overstayers.
