14/09/2025
Overstaying in Fiji.
Have you overstayed your permit in Fiji? How can you tell if you have overstayed your permit?
Check the last permit stamp on your passport to see if you are within the validity of your permit.
If this has expired, you are considered a Prohibited Immigrant under Section 13 (2) (a) of the 2003 Immigration Act.
Section 13 (2) (a) states that a person is a prohibited immigrant if the person does not have a valid permit and is neither an exempted person.
What can happen if you are caught without a valid permit?
You can be called into the Immigration Office and told to leave the country or maybe removed from the country by Immigration officials under Section 15 of the 2003 Immigration Act.
If Immigration has not identified you as a Prohibited Immigrant (PI) under Section 13 (2) (a), and you are departing the country, you will be issued with a PI letter stating that you can not re-enter Fiji in the next 12 months or any period that the officer may have written.
What should you do next?
If you have been asked to leave the country, please leave.
Once you have departed Fiji, you can, apply for a PI Status uplift which will be considered on why you had overstayed your permit and what is the reason for returning. The process involves writing to Fiji Immigration Department together with a fee. When approved, you are free to return without any adverse history.
Who are not considered a PI?
1. A person who has a valid exemption status;
2. A person who has a valid permit to either work, reside, study or invest; or
3. A person who had applied for a renewal of permit prior to the expiry of the last permit and is awaiting decision from the Immigration Department.
If you have applied for a PI uplift and remain in country, you will still be considered a PI until the decision to uplift your illegal status has been approved.
Contact us today for assistance. [email protected]
