India’s Ministry of External Affairs has released year-end deportation figures showing 24,600 Indian nationals removed worldwide in 2025. Saudi Arabia tops the list with 10,884, followed by the United States (3,712) and the United Arab Emirates (2,965).
Within the UAE, overstaying visit visas and working without permits remain the main triggers for expulsion. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP) has intensified post-amnesty sweeps, and immigration lawyers note a 40 per cent rise in absconding-case notices versus 2024. Employers found harbouring irregular workers face fines up to AED 50,000 per violation.
For mobility teams, the data underscore the importance of exit-monitor tracking systems that flag contractors approaching visa expiry. Companies in construction and retail—sectors employing large numbers of short-term Indian workers—are urged to audit vendor compliance, as principal contractors can be held jointly liable for breaches.
![Saudi leads deportations of Indians in 2025, but UAE still ranks third with 2,965 removals]()
Specialised visa facilitators can also alleviate administrative pressure. VisaHQ’s UAE platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) enables employers and travellers to track visa validity, submit extension requests and arrange document legalisations online, providing a compliance safeguard that helps prevent the overstays now triggering costly deportations.
Indian consular officials in Dubai tell Global Mobility News that demand for emergency travel documents spikes in January when deportees try to regularise their status before the new academic term. The consulate has set up additional counters and doubled appointment slots for out-pass issuance to manage the surge.
On the policy front, New Delhi has requested the UAE consider a streamlined fine-payment portal to expedite voluntary departures, similar to the e-Exit system piloted in Singapore.
Within the UAE, overstaying visit visas and working without permits remain the main triggers for expulsion. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP) has intensified post-amnesty sweeps, and immigration lawyers note a 40 per cent rise in absconding-case notices versus 2024. Employers found harbouring irregular workers face fines up to AED 50,000 per violation.
For mobility teams, the data underscore the importance of exit-monitor tracking systems that flag contractors approaching visa expiry. Companies in construction and retail—sectors employing large numbers of short-term Indian workers—are urged to audit vendor compliance, as principal contractors can be held jointly liable for breaches.
Specialised visa facilitators can also alleviate administrative pressure. VisaHQ’s UAE platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) enables employers and travellers to track visa validity, submit extension requests and arrange document legalisations online, providing a compliance safeguard that helps prevent the overstays now triggering costly deportations.
Indian consular officials in Dubai tell Global Mobility News that demand for emergency travel documents spikes in January when deportees try to regularise their status before the new academic term. The consulate has set up additional counters and doubled appointment slots for out-pass issuance to manage the surge.
On the policy front, New Delhi has requested the UAE consider a streamlined fine-payment portal to expedite voluntary departures, similar to the e-Exit system piloted in Singapore.
