Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
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3.2.4. Conclusions and Assessment of Impacts of Forced Migration
Despite Jordan's long history as a generous host to forced migrants, the country has yet to
develop a formal or comprehensive legal or policy framework to provide protection to forced
migrants or to govern their access to essential services. Rather, policies regarding forced
migration differ substantially based on an individual's nationality and time of arrival in the
country. UN agencies including UNHCR and UNRWA continue to play a central role in
assessing forced migrants' protection needs and providing documentation of refugees' status.
While Jordanian authorities have become involved in processing documentation for Syrians
specifically, the country still lacks a broad policy on asylum and it has not signed the 1951
Convention.
Rules governing the provision of essential services are also made on a relatively ad hoc basis
and differ substantially for Iraqis, Syrians, Palestinians, and other refugee populations. Policies
have also evolved significantly over time as each situation has become protracted and
refugees' duration of stay has lengthened. Broadly, Jordan is notable for its accommodation of
refugees in mainstream public services and willingness to allow most refugees to settle in
urban areas, with the exception to some extent of Syrians. The country remains reliant,
however, on international support in order to preserve access to these services and to provide
supplemental assistance when mainstream services are overwhelmed. Refugees' access to
services is thus often subject to the availability of funding and assistance, and the space to
provide support may dwindle over time as international aid declines. Moreover, service fees
and regulatory barriers (such as the need to provide documentation of previous school
attendance) often prevent refugees from accessing the services that are available.
Broadly, the ad hoc approach to protection and service provision has often resulted in some
national groups, notably Syrian refugees, being granted more favorable conditions than
others. Particularly in an environment where the availability of services is driven by
international support, refugee crises that attract greater attention are subject to more
supportive policies and environments. Syrians, for example, have enjoyed more favorable
access to Jordanian health services since the start of the crisis, and most recently have been
granted a waiver from work permit fees; but similar relief has not been provided to other
refugee groups, in part because international donors have tied the issue of work permits for
Syrians to their grants of support, successfully applying pressure on the government to change
its policy.252
Driven in part by fears of the financial, political, and social costs of integrating a very large
forced migrant population—and the memory of its experiences with the 1948 Palestinians—
Jordan has long maintained a policy of non-integration for recently arrived refugees. As a rule,
refugees are not eligible for permanent residency or citizenship, unless via marriage or in
some cases financial investment. Labor market access is also strictly limited, and the terms of
Jordan's MoU with UNHCR stipulate that the agency will make every effort to identify durable
solutions for refugees outside of Jordan.
Public concern about the costs of providing protection continues to be widespread, but the
effects of the substantial refugee populations on the Jordanian service system, economy, and
society are difficult to discern. The sheer number of people Jordan has added to its population
is admittedly significant, and the additional strain that increased demand from growing
refugee populations has placed on social services is clear, particularly in the education and
252 Communication from ARDD-Legal Aid