By SCM Staff Writer
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The Royal Government of Cambodia has issued a sweeping immigration directive ordering African nationals currently residing in the country under temporary visa waiver programs to exit the country by May 31, 2026.
Foreign nationals who fail to comply with the order face immediate arrest, steep financial penalties, and prolonged custodial sentences.
The official directive, issued by Cambodia’s General Department of Immigration under the Ministry of Interior, specifically targets citizens from several African nations, including Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon, and Uganda.
According to the public notice, special temporary immigration arrangements and legal waivers previously granted to these individuals will officially expire at the end of the month.
”The Royal Government of Cambodia will not tolerate any violation of our immigration laws,” the Ministry of Interior statement noted, warning that law enforcement agencies have been authorized to launch nationwide checks beginning June 1.
Severe Penalties and Law Enforcement Warnings
Cambodian immigration officials, led by the Director General of Immigration, have made it clear that the grace period ends strictly on the midnight deadline.
Authorities indicated that any affected individual found within Cambodian borders without a valid, newly authorized visa status starting June 1 will face zero leniency.
According to regional media outlets tracking the directive, the penalties for non-compliance are exceptionally harsh. Foreigners who overstay the directive could face immediate arrest at airports, border crossings, or residential locations.
Punitive measures outlined by the department include up to two years of imprisonment in a Cambodian correctional facility and a mandate to pay administrative fines of up to $8,000 USD before being cleared for formal deportation.
Local authorities have urged all affected individuals who have already cleared any existing administrative fines or visa backlogs to arrange their departures on or before the May 31 deadline to avoid being caught in the impending judicial dragnet.
While the Cambodian government’s official directive frames this move strictly as an administrative expiration of temporary immigration waivers, international observers and regional analysts note that the decision comes amid a massive, high-profile crackdown on human trafficking and illicit online operations across Southeast Asia.
Over the last few years, Cambodia—particularly regional hubs like Sihanoukville and various border zones—has faced intense global scrutiny from international bodies like Interpol and the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR).
The region has struggled to contain sophisticated cyber-scam networks, syndicates, and fraudulent online gambling operations.
According to international human rights reports published earlier this year, criminal syndicates operating in the Mekong region have frequently used deceptive social media advertisements promising high-paying tech or hospitality jobs to lure vulnerable job seekers from developing economies, including parts of East and West Africa.
Upon arrival in Southeast Asia, many of these unsuspecting travelers have had their passports, phones, and identification papers confiscated by traffickers, effectively trapping them inside heavily guarded, isolated compounds where they are coerced into conducting global online financial fraud.
Desperate appeals for intervention from trapped African nationals have surfaced repeatedly over the past two years, forcing governments in Nairobi, Accra, and Kampala to issue travel advisories and coordinate complex repatriations with the help of global non-governmental organizations.
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet and Deputy Prime Minister Sar Sokha have significantly tightened regional security frameworks over the past few months.
Official data released by the General Department of Immigration reveals that Cambodia has already deported more than 3,500 foreign nationals spanning dozens of different nationalities in mid-May alone, explicitly citing efforts to eradicate illegal cyber-scam rings, visa forgery, and undocumented labor.
As the May 31 deadline fast approaches, international human rights monitors are closely watching Phnom Penh, urging Cambodian authorities to ensure that legitimate victims of human trafficking and forced labor syndicates are carefully distinguished from willful immigration violators during the upcoming nationwide enforcement sweeps.
