New Delhi: Since January, at least 2,790 Indian nationals who did not meet the criteria, and were illegally staying in the US, have returned, the government said on Thursday.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal shared the number at his weekly media briefing in response to a query.

“On deportation, since January of this year, we have had around 2,790-plus Indian nationals who did not meet the criteria. They were illegally staying there. We verified their credentials, their nationality. And they have returned. This is the status till yesterday, that is 29th October,” he said.

The spokesperson was also asked about the number of Indian nationals who have been deported from the UK so far this year.

“From the UK side, this year we have had around 100 Indian nationals who have been deported after their nationality was duly verified by us,” Jaiswal said.