Nepal's Department of Immigration has initiated the deportation of 88 Chinese nationals who obtained Nepalese business visas under false pretexts and were found working at a Chinese-backed meat-processing facility in Sindhuli district, according to an official press statement issued on Wednesday, 24 September 2026. A further 329 Chinese nationals at the same site are under investigation for possible tourist-visa violations, making this one of the largest single-incident immigration enforcement actions in Nepal in recent years.

How the Violations Were Discovered

The crackdown originated after the District Administration Office in Sindhuli alerted immigration authorities that an unusually large number of Chinese nationals appeared to be residing at a meat-processing plant. A subsequent joint monitoring exercise confirmed that 501 Chinese nationals in total were staying at the facility — Ziyan Foods Pvt. Ltd., which is developing the Nepal Heat-Processed Buffalo Meat Export to China Project in Marini Rural Municipality of Sindhuli, in financial partnership with Chengdu Tian Food Limited of China.

According to the department, the 88 individuals earmarked for deportation had obtained business visas citing entirely different commercial purposes — such as opening restaurants or software companies — but were found engaged in employment and labour at the buffalo meat-processing unit, in clear breach of visa conditions.

What Authorities Said

Tikaram Dhakal, spokesperson of the Department of Immigration, confirmed that all individuals found violating immigration rules were Chinese nationals. 'Their visas have been cancelled, and we are in the process of deporting them from Nepal,' he said. 'They will be barred from entering Nepal for three years.'

Dhakal also noted complaints that some of the individuals had been 'engaging in activities that affected the local environment and culture.' He added that the company, Ziyan Foods Pvt. Ltd., has been cautioned, and that since this is the first such incident, discussions are ongoing on whether to issue a warning or a formal directive against the firm.

The 329 Under Investigation

Of the 501 Chinese nationals found at the project site, 329 had entered Nepal on tourist visas and are now being screened for possible immigration violations. 'We are investigating and screening their travel histories, length of stay and activities to determine whether they have been working there while holding tourist visas,' Dhakal said. 'Necessary action will be taken in the next phase after the investigation is completed.'

Nepal's immigration rules are explicit: business visas permit only activities directly tied to the commercial or investment purpose for which the visa was recommended. Tourist visas, likewise, do not authorise employment or labour of any kind.

A Pattern of Chinese Deportations

The current action fits a broader documented trend. According to data from the Department of Immigration, Nepal deported 695 Chinese citizens in the five-year period from 2021 to 2025 — the highest of any nationality and representing 30.65% of the total 2,267 deportations during that span. Nationals of the United States ranked second with 191 deportations, followed by Bangladesh at 145, with the United Kingdom and Pakistan rounding out the top five.

The department has stated that these figures point to 'comparatively higher levels of immigration-law violations among nationals of certain countries' and underscore the need for continued monitoring.

Wider Implications

Nepal has seen a significant expansion of Chinese investment in recent years, particularly in infrastructure and agri-processing sectors. This case highlights regulatory gaps that can accompany such projects — specifically, the apparent ease with which large numbers of workers entered on mismatched visas. The Department of Immigration has issued a public advisory urging all foreign nationals to operate strictly within their visa conditions, and warning employers not to engage workers without appropriate documentation. How Nepal handles the investigation of the remaining 329 individuals will signal whether this enforcement action marks a systemic policy shift or a one-off response.