New Delhi  -  Afghans and Bangladeshis top the list of foreign nationals who overstayed their visas in India in 2007, but close on their heels were citizens of the United States, news reports said Wednesday, citing a federal Home Ministry document.

Surprisingly, while more than 1,000 nationals from South Asian neighbours Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka remained in India in 2007 without official permission, there was not a single Pakistani on the Home Ministry list, PTI news agency reported.

The US, Canada and Australia may be the favoured destinations of many Indians, but a total of 880 Americans, 330 Canadians and 164 Australians overstayed in India in
2007. So have 283 French nationals and 177 Germans.

The list included 854 Nigerians and 657 Chinese. Officials were quoted as saying a large number of the Nigerians were suspected of involvement in drug smuggling and several of them had been arrested.

A total of 22,400 foreign nationals had overstayed in India in 2007, according to the Home Ministry. (dpa)