PANAJI
A Japanese tourist who arrived in Goa in 2020 and stayed on for years, eventually working in the State’s hospitality sector, was deported on Thursday after being convicted for overstaying.
Officials told The Goan that the Japanese national had visited India twice before – in 2018 and 2019 – and left legally on both occasions, first travelling by road to exit Goa. His latest visit, however, turned into a prolonged stay even after the validity of his travel documents expired. He was subsequently detected, detained and deported by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) Goa.
The case comes amid a series of recent deportations by the FRRO, Goa. On Saturday, the agency also deported a Ugandan woman and a Kenyan man. The Ugandan national was detected overstaying by the Crime Branch, while the Kenyan, a senior citizen who had arrived in India several years ago, was convicted in a drug case but later acquitted on appeal before being deported.
“More than 60 foreigners found overstaying have been deported by the FRRO this year, while over 100 others have obtained exit permits and left India,” officials revealed.
Goa has repeatedly encountered cases of foreigners working or carrying out commercial activities on visas that do not permit them to do so.
The issue came into sharp focus after the December 2025 fire at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub. A Kazakh national who was performing at the club when the blaze broke out behind the stage was allegedly found to be working without an employment visa.
“There is no dedicated system that continuously tracks whether foreigners are engaging only in activities permitted under their visas. Action usually happens only after a complaint, tip-off, raid or a major incident,” a senior police source said. “Foreigners are required to remain within the activities permitted by their visas and cannot take up employment, business or other commercial activities outside those conditions.”
Goa Police records show that 33,384 foreigners were registered with the FRRO during 2024 and 2025. Of these, 29 were found to be involved in the illegal drug trade.
The scale of enforcement is also reflected in deportation figures. Between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2025, the FRRO Goa deported or facilitated the exit of 340 foreigners, including 16 minors. In this year alone so far, 60-plus are already deported and 100 issued exit permits.
