Nader Yar-Ahmadi, head of the Centre for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs of the Islamic Republic, said that 1.2 million undocumented immigrants are deported from Iran every year.

Yar-Ahmadi warned undocumented migrants to leave Iran or face forced deportation.

Speaking at a meeting of the Commission for the Regulation of Foreign Nationals on Thursday, November 28, the Iranian official said that people who have entered Iran "illegally" are currently being deported with impunity.

He described the Islamic Republic's refusal to punish migrants as "the best help" for them.

Nader Yar-Ahmadi added that people who intend to immigrate to Iran must go through the legal pathways of issuing permits.

He also stated that the Centre for Aliens Affairs helps unauthorised immigrants have a dignified return, otherwise they will have no choice but to be forcibly deported.

Ali Bagheri, the director general of foreign employment at the Ministry of Labour, also said that according to statistics, less than five percent of employment in Iran is allocated to immigrants.

He added that employers are provided with a list of jobs based on the needs assessment of the provinces so that they can use immigrants if it is not possible to hire Iranian workers.

Earlier, Iranian officials announced that two million undocumented immigrants would be deported from the country by the end of this year.