The Department is responsible for regulating the movement of persons entering and leaving the country as well as controlling the stay of immigrants and visitors, so as to contribute to internal peace and the socio-economic wellbeing of Zambia.

Mission statement

To facilitate and regulate the movement of persons entering and leaving the country and control the stay of immigrants and visitors in order to contribute to internal security and sustainable socio-economic development.

Mandate

The Department of Immigration is mandated to enforce the Immigration and Deportation Act No 18 of 2010 of the Laws of Zambia in order to contribute to internal peace and social-economic wellbeing of Zambia.

The following are the functions of the Department of Immigration:-

1. To effectively and efficiently monitor and control the say of immigrants and visitors in order to reduce the influx of illegal immigrants;
2. To effectively facilitate and regulate the entry into and exit from Zambia of people in order to contribute to maintenance of internal security;
3. To establish and maintain an effective and efficient manual and automated records management systems in order to facilitate easy retrieval of information and contribute to improved service delivery;
4. To initiate amendments to the Immigration and Deportation Act in order to improve service delivery and promote internal security;
5. To provide and disseminate information on the operations of the Department in order to create public awareness and increase community participation;
6. To effectively and efficiently manage and develop human resources in order to improve staff performance;
7. To effectively and efficiently utilized and manage logistical support services and materials in order to strengthen the capacity of the Department and improve operations;
8. To promote regional and international co-operation in order to exchange information and conform to regional protocols and international conventions;
9. To promote co-operation and collaboration with other specialized agencies and relevant organizations in order to enhance information flow; and
10. To decentralize all operations of the department to all provincial and district centres and in missions abroad in order to increase accessibility to the service.