Romania has been seeing more and more migrants passing through its borders on their way to richer Western European countries. Many traveled the Balkan route through Romania, hoping to enter Hungary and the Schengen zone where free movement is, in theory, possible through borders.

Others arrived in Romania for work, sometimes with valid visas, but after a period working in Romania decided to chance their luck in more affluent places.

This year, Romania will partially enter the Schengen zone itself. Although the rules state that its borders will still be controlled, once in Romania, and with the right papers, travelers will be able to fly out of Romania with fewer controls than in non-Schengen EU members.

Returns will continue despite new Schengen rules

The new partial Schengen zone will apply from March 31 this year and ends Romania's decades long wait for accession.

Any migrants found in Romania without papers have been detained in the country and this will continue even once the new Schengen zone kicks in. Those who can be are often forcibly returned.

On January 16, the public relations office of Romania's immigration authority informed InfoMigrants that Bangladeshis constituted the highest number of forcibly returned migrants in 2023, with 397 individuals expelled and sent back to Bangladesh's capital Dhaka.

Pakistanis ranked second on the list, with a total of 154 citizens returned to Islamabad. Nepali citizens held the third position, with 123 individuals sent back to Kathmandu.

Deportations to a variety of countries

Additional deportations in 2023 included 104 people from Sri Lanka, 88 from India, 58 from Moldova, 52 from Egypt, 39 from Morocco, 32 from Vietnam, and three from Syria. The figures were provided by Romania's General Inspectorate for Immigration. The remaining deported migrants were from various other countries.

Romanian authorities issued legal notices to immigrants who had become irregular, often due to attempts to enter Hungary illegally, urging them to return to their home countries. Following non-compliance with these notices, Romanian law enforcement forces enforced deportation orders, utilizing their own escorts.

Many of the affected individuals had initially arrived in Romania with valid work permit visas, according to immigration authorities. Under the Revised Code of Procedure on the Rights of Aliens in Romania, all forcibly returned persons face a five-year ban from entering all EU Member States, the European Economic Area, and the Swiss Confederation from the time of expulsion.