Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
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actually belong to Moroccan immigrants residing abroad.363 This discrimination renders
migrants and refugees particularly vulnerable to informal market scams, and migrants have
reported that lease agreements are particularly difficult to obtain in Morocco’s major cities,
such as Rabat.364 But when migrants are able to find housing, rent prices tend to be
comparable to the amount paid by Moroccan citizens.365
Employment
In addition to their residence cards, government-recognized refugees and regularized
migrants receive the right to work. Employers must typically give preference to Moroccan
nationals when hiring (i.e. an employer must prove there is no equally qualified native before
hiring a foreigner), though this requirement is waived for refugees and those regularized in
the exceptional program of 2014.366 In reality, both irregular migrants and those with work
permits tend to work in Morocco’s underground economy, which is estimated to employ 30
percent of the Moroccan workforce overall.367 In low-skilled positions, such as domestic work
and the agricultural sector, employers tend to abstain from providing contracts (for tax
reasons and general ease), rendering it obsolete whether or not a migrant holds the legal right
to work or not.368 As a result, migrants are often left without social insurance or timely
remuneration.369
At the moment, refugees and other migrants do not have access to the National Initiative for
Human Development (INDH), a nationwide poverty alleviation program,370 but other
programs have been made available to authorized migrants. After the exceptional
regularization campaign, the national job placement agency (ANAPEC) has also extended its
363 Radio France Internationale (RFI), “Vive tension à Tanger entre marocains et migrants subsahariens,” RFI, September 1,
2014, Rik Goverde,
“Evicted migrants turn to the hills in Morocco,” Middle East Eye, July 7, 2015,
Julie Chaudier, “Migrants subsahariens au Maroc : Que se
passe-t-il à Boukhalef ?”, Yabiladi, July 13, 2014
BBC, “Migrants au Maroc : Arrestations musclées,” BBC Afrique, July 6, 2015,
364 GADEM, Situation des Migrants dans le Sud du Maroc
365 GADEM, Situation des Migrants dans le Sud du Maroc, 23
366 Interview with UNHCR, March 2016; UNHCR, “Morocco Update: Regularisation of Refugees by National Authorities,”
updated December 2015,
367 Ibrahim Saif, “The Bloated Informal Economics in Arab Countries,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,
February 12, 2013
368 GADEM, Situation des Migrants dans le Sud du Maroc: Mission d’observation cojointe; Interview with UNHCR, March 2016
369 Association Lumière sur l’émigration Clandestine au Maroc (ALECMA), Migration subsaharienne au Maroc : Mission
d’observation dans les régions du Nord et Sud suite à la mise en place de la nouvelle politique migratoire, (ALECMA, 2015), 12,
370 The INDH was launched by the Moroccan government in May 2005 to reduce poverty and inequality. The massive, high-
profile program was initially estimated to cost MAD 10 billion (USD $1.2 billion) over five years, financed primarily by the
central government with international aid. The four main components of the program were: reduction of rural poverty,
reduction of social exclusion in urban areas, tackling “vulnerability,” and strengthening governance and institutional
capacity. These goals were promoted through various programs, including efforts to promote local development and
improve access to social services. More information can be found here: INDH, “Initiative Nationale pour le Développment
Humain,” accessed June 16, 2016 The World Bank Group, Implementation Completion
and Results Report (IBRD-74150) on a Loan in the Amount of EURO 78.9 Million (US$100.0 Million Equivalent) to the Kingdom
of Morocco for the National Initiative for Human Development Support Project (‘INDH;), (Report No. ICR1955, The World
Bank Group, Maghreb Department, January 31, 2013),