overstayer

British

/ ˈəʊvəˌsteɪə /

noun

a person who illegally remains in a country after the period of the permitted visit has expired

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Judge Goldspring was also told that Pereira handed himself in to police as an overstayer in October 2020, but later sought asylum after being told to leave the UK.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026

These cases came about three years after the Algerian national was flagged in February 2020 as a probable visa overstayer, having entered the UK legally on a visitor's visa in 2019.

From BBC • Nov. 6, 2025

One such overstayer was the second victim, Seneng Mujiasih.

From Time • Nov. 5, 2014

Prosecuting, Giles Nelson said Hamidi was classed as an "overstayer", with attempts to deport him made at his home last November.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2014

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023