More than 4,000 expatriate workers were deported from Bahrain in eight months this year, a senior immigration official has said.

"The 4,013 people who were deported for the violation of the visit and residence visa laws came from different countries, but most of them were from Asia," the head of public relations at the General Directorate for Nationality, Passports and Residence, Nasser Al Thawadi, yesterday told Gulf News.

"A number of Arab nationals were also deported, but the list does not include any Gulf nationals as they do not need visas to come into Bahrain," Al Thawadi said.

Overstayers must pay fines before being sent home, but many end up spending extra time in the detention centre when they are unable to pay it.

"Many non-Bahrainis are unable to pay the fines associated with prison terms and which are decided by the courts for breaking the civil or criminal law. These people cannot be deported until they pay the fine," Al Thawadi said.

"We also have those who cannot pay the fines for overstaying their visit or residence visas because of financial problems," he said. "We refer all cases to the public prosecutor who decides on the legal course of action."

The inability to pay the fines often leads to additional prison terms and the accumulation of arrears and puts a financial burden on the directorate, the official said.

"We are spending about 1,500 dinars a day on the 150 people who are kept on average at the centre prior to their deportation," he said.

According to Al Thawadi, the overstayers' financial problems usually stem from the bankruptcy of their companies, the death of the sponsor, the fleeing of the sponsor because of money problems and the workers seeking better-paying jobs.

In July, the directorate announced a new regulation that allowed those who overstay for less than a month to pay a 40 dinar fine at the airport upon leaving.

According to the new rule, those who overstay their visas for more than one month must pay the fines and have their visas extended at the directorate offices before they are allowed to leave.

"The procedure is applicable for those who overstay their tourist, visit or Formula One visas and we expect it to ease the movement of departing passengers," he said.