Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
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are estimated to be working illegally.212 Without the legal right to work, refugees may find
themselves at risk of deportation or detention. Sporadic police inspections of work places
have been recorded, although large scale crackdowns or deportations do not appear to be
common.213 Somalis and Sudanese are reportedly the most at risk of being caught for illegal
work simply because their physical appearance may lead to additional scrutiny on the part of
authorities.214 More worrying is the vulnerable economic position in which many refugees find
themselves as a result of their lack of a right to work. Wages in the informal sector are often
much lower than those paid under normal conditions, and refugees lack significant bargaining
power with employers. Reports indicate refugees experience high economic vulnerability and
have had to resort to a number of concerning coping mechanisms to meet their basic needs,
including child labor.215 In a 2013 report, 47 percent of Syrian refugee households indicated
that they rely partly or entirely on income generated by a child,216 with children working long
hours six or seven days a week.217
For Syrians at least, the Jordanian government has sought to facilitate easier access to work.
Early on in the crisis, the government granted priority to work permit applications from
Syrians working in high- demand sectors.218 More recently, the government announced in
April 2016 that it would offer a three-month grace period during which Syrians would not be
charged fees for work permits, and employers who wished to legalize the status of their Syrian
workers would be immune from fines for employing workers illegally (which can range from
USD 280 to USD 2100). Jordanian authorities have also waived the requirement for permit
applicants to provide a copy of their passport, and now allow Syrians to apply with a copy of
the UNHCR and Ministry of the Interior identity cards.219 Similar efforts have not been
undertaken for other refugee groups, who remain subject to regular fees and documentation
requirements. The effects of these most recent efforts will be seen over the remainder of 2016
and beyond.
212 Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Jordan Response Plan for the Syria
Crisis: 2016-2018, (Amman: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, 2016), Jordan Response Plan, (2016),
p3; ILO, Access to work for Syrian refugees in Jordan, ; ARDD-Legal Aid, Putting
Needs Over Nationalities
213 Reva Dhingra, “Syrian refugees and the Jordanian Economy,” Muftah,, August 21 2014,
Alice; Su, “Jordan’s illegal labour puzzle: Let
Syrian refugees work or just survive?,”?, Al-Jazeera America, updated March 2, 2015,
The Jordan
Times, “Around 200,000 Syrians illegally work in Jordan – ministry,” updated, June 20, 2015.
214 IRIN, “Jordan’s other refugees feel forgotten,” updated, February 5, 2014,
Areej Abuqudairi, “Jordan’s
invisible refugees suffer in silence”,, Al-Jazeera, updated, June 20, 2014.
ARDD-Legal Aid,Putting Needs Over Nationalities
215 UNHCR, Living in the Shadows: Jordan Home Visits Report 2014, (Amman: UNHCR Jordan, 2015)
216 UN Women, “ Inter-Agency Assessment: Gender-Based Violence and Child Protection Among Syrian Refugees in Jordan,
With a Focus on Early Marriage”, (Amman: UN WomenMarriage’, 2013),
. 352013, p. 35
217UNICEF & Save the Children,). Small hands, heavy burden: How the Syria conflict is driving more children into the workforce
(Amman: UNICEF & Save the Children, 2015),
p2
218 ILO, Access to work for Syrian refugees in Jordan
219 Ariane Rummery, “Access to jobs improving for Syrian refugees in Jordan,” UNHCR, updated April 19, 2016,