More than 1,000 Nigerians in South Africa have registered for a scheme to voluntarily return home after a spate of attacks targeting migrants, Nigeria's Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
Screening is currently underway by the Nigerian Foreign Ministry and South African immigration officials to determine who is eligible for the scheme.
South African authorities have agreed to waive penalties for visa violations such as overstays. However, individuals facing criminal charges will not be eligible to leave the country.
"Total figure not out yet," said Kimiebi Ebienfa, a spokesperson for Nigeria's Foreign Ministry. "We are expecting over a thousand persons."Foreigners flee South Africa after anti-migrant protestsTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Why are African migrants fleeing South Africa?
