Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
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This section examines in greater detail the procedures for granting protection status to
refugees assisted by UNHCR and those under UNRWA’s mandate. It also explores residency
and other basic rights granted to those in protected status.
UNHCR-assisted refugees
Status determination procedures and associated rights
The MoU with UNHCR forms the basis on which non-Palestinian refugees may access
protection and refugee status in Jordan. The MoU also defines the roles of UNHCR and the
Jordanian government in receiving and recognizing refugee populations. Jordan does not
currently have any national legislation or procedures for conducting Refugee Status
Determinations (RSD) independently of UNHCR, although the 1998 MoU suggested the
government would explore the possibility of creating such procedures. UNHCR thus handles
asylum registrations and RSD. Exact procedures for status determination, however, vary for
different nationalities and have evolved over time. Generally, upon registration refugees are
provided with an asylum seeker registration card that acts as their UNHCR documentation
while they are in Jordan. Because of requirements in the MoU that UNHCR find durable
solutions for registered refugees, only those asylum seekers who may be considered for
resettlement undergo a full status determination.
The large number of Syrians who have arrived in Jordan are not subject to an individual
adjudication. Instead, they generally receive temporary protection as asylum seekers, usually
granted the same day they submit their application.160 After receiving a UNHCR asylum seeker
card, Syrians must also register with the Jordanian Ministry of the Interior (this requirement
does not extend to other refugee groups). The Jordanian registration card is required both to
access services provided by the government and, more recently, can be used to verify one’s
status to obtain a work permit. In 2015, the Ministry of the Interior began a "reverification"
process whereby refugees were required to obtain a new biometric identification card and
submit a proof of address (e.g. a lease or landlord's contact details). In order to obtain the
cards, Syrians were required to receive a health examination and submit a certificate of health,
which cost JD 30 (USD 42).161 The government has since lowered the fee to JD 5 (USD 7) once
it became clear that the cost posed a barrier to some refugees.162
Between 2007 and 2012, during the height of Iraqi flows into Jordan, UNHCR-designated Iraqi
refugees were eligible for prima facie refugee status.163 After objections from the Jordanian
government, however, UNHCR reinstated an interview stage for Iraqi applicants, but
continued to grant status on a prima facie basis in practice.164 Currently, Iraqis must undergo a
simplified two step RSD procedure: after initial registration with UNHCR as asylum seekers,
Iraqi asylum applicants are provided with an interview date, and authorities usually make a
status determination at the time of the interview. As of the spring of 2014, the wait time
160 Syrians who are considered for resettlement, however, do go through a full RSD procedure. Alice Su, “Jordan’s Other
Refugees,” Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, published August 14, 2014
jordan-syrian-iraqi-refugees
161 Norwegian Refugee Council, Registering Rights: Syrian refugees and the documentation of births, marriages, and deaths in
Jordan, (Geneva: Norwegian Refugee Council, 2015)
NRC, Registering Rights , October 2015
162 Amnesty International, Living on the Margins: Syrian Refugees in Jordan Struggle to Access Health Care, (London: Amnesty
International, 2016),, p14.
163 Su, “Jordan’s Other Refugees”
164 International Crisis Group, Failed Responsibility: Iraqi Refugees in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon , Middle East Report No. 77,
(Brussels: International Crisis Group, 2008),
responsibility___iraqi_refugees_in_syria__jordan_and_lebanon.pdf