Few Iraqis in Jordan Working; Many Running Out of Funds

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 001049 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR PRM, NEA/ELA, NEA/I, AND EEB STATE PASS USAID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON PREF PREL PGOV JO IZ SUBJECT: Few Iraqis in Jordan Working; Many Running Out of Funds REFS: A) Amman 927 B) Amman 639 C) Amman 563 D) Amman 486 E) 07 Amman 4575 F) 07 Amman 3752 Sensitive but unclassified; please protect accordingly. Not for internet distribution or use outside the USG. ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Iraqis in Jordan have long relied on personal savings and remittances from families in Iraq or abroad to make ends meet, but rising inflation, the end of subsidies, and uncertainty about the length of their tenure in Jordan have contributed to a steady deterioration of their financial conditions. This downturn has amplified Government of Jordan concerns about the continued presence of Iraqi refugees and their increasing reliance on government-subsidized services in health and education. While some Iraqi doctors, medical professionals, engineers, and others are employed, most are jobless. Despite difficult living conditions in Jordan, Iraqis are not returning home in large numbers, in part due to historic GOJ policies that demanded "over-stay fees" upon departure and imposed permanent bans on reentry. The GOJ recently waived fees for Iraqis departing Jordan, but thus far very few Iraqis are taking advantage of the fee waiver, and UN and NGO observers believe that few will do so. END SUMMARY. Life in Jordan Becoming More Difficult for Iraqis -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Only 22 percent of Iraqi adults of working age in Jordan hold jobs, according to a survey by the Norwegian not-for-profit organization Fafo. The report, released in December 2007, further noted that the majority of Iraqis were living on savings or remittances from Iraq or abroad, "making them particularly economically vulnerable." Iraqi Ambassador to Jordan Saad al-Hiyani told EconOffs in mid-March that the savings of many of the lower-income Iraqis in Jordan were beginning to run out. Several prominent Iraqis from the Hashimi al-Shamali region in Eastern Amman (identified by the Iraqi Embassy in Amman as the area of the largest Iraqi population in Jordan) reported in January that most of the residents were not employed, and were dependent upon support sent by relatives living abroad. These individuals asserted that in general, Iraqis are not seeking employment due to fears of being identified by the GOJ and then being at risk for deportation. Despite the persistent fear of deportation, according to UNHCR, ICRC, and the GOJ, very few Iraqis have been deported and UNHCR High Commissioner Gutteres praised the GOJ's commitment to non-refoulment during his February visit (Ref D). ¶3. (SBU) The Assistant Secretary General of the Ministry of Social Development told EconOffs in February that 10-15 Iraqi children were arrested each month for begging or working illegal odd jobs, and local leaders in the Hashimi al-Shamali region have reported cases of prostitution, something uncommon in Amman. Additionally, officials from the Central Bank of Jordan told EconOffs they have seen evidence of a decline in savings at Jordanian banks by Iraqi individuals. NOTE: An applicant's nationality must be reported when first opening an account. END NOTE. Representatives from many NGOs which work with Iraqis -- including Save the Children, CARE, ICMC, and Mercy Corps -- similarly report that Iraqi families they work with are running out of savings, with many dependent on their children's employment for income. Education Has Limited Impact on Livelihood -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The Fafo study indicated that Iraqis in Jordan are generally well educated, but education makes little difference because of employment restrictions, causing many highly educated Iraqis to remain unemployable. Officials at the Jordanian Ministry of Higher Education told EconOffs the ministry has been becoming increasingly "less tolerant" toward accrediting degrees issued in Iraq after discovering a number of fake degrees, even for critical professions such as medicine. Therefore, the Ministry, beginning in 2005, placed a ban on certifying Iraqi degrees, sometimes even retroactively applying it to degrees previously approved. Iraqis have been successful, however, in finding employment in undersubscribed fields. MHE reported in 2007 that 718 Iraqis were working as college professors at Jordanian universities. The majority of these Iraqi professors hold degrees from major U.S. and European universities and teach in fields suffering from professor shortages such as computer science, information technology, and mathematics. Some Iraqi academics have found employment through the Scholar Rescue Fund run by the Institute for International Education (IIE). As of March 28, the SRF had placed 9 Iraqi scholars at Jordanian universities, and confirmed 9 others for future placement, while 7 additional applications are under examination; a total of 89 Iraqis have been approved by the SRF selection committee for AMMAN 00001049 002 OF 003 worldwide placement. Iraqis in the Work Force -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Officials of the Jordanian Medical Association (JMA) recently told EconOffs that Iraqi doctors should be able to practice freely in Jordan because of an MOU signed in the 1980s with Iraq that requires only legal residency and a sponsoring medical facility. They added that work permits are more often approved for Iraqis seeking medical careers than in other fields because there is demand for qualified professionals to fill critical vacancies. This is also true for some medical specialists, such as nurses, radiologists, and laboratory technicians, who are all subject to similar licensing procedures. Ministry of Health officials told EconOffs that out of 1,266 Iraqi doctors listed as licensed by the JMA, only an estimated 400 are actually practicing in Jordan. COMMENT: This discrepancy is likely due to difficulty in obtaining valid residency permits; officials from the Department of Residency and Borders in the Ministry of Interior informed EconOffs in January that issuance of permanent residency permits requires large cash investments or real estate ownership, as well as current, legal residency. END COMMENT. Restrictions on Employment of Iraqis -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Working legally in Jordan can be difficult because the GOJ requires Iraqis seeking work permits to have a valid residency certificate. Out of a population estimated at 480,000-500,000 in the Fafo report, only 30 percent of all adults -- 50 percent of the male and 15 percent of the female population -- were actually employed. NOTE: The Fafo study indicated that 70 percent of the Iraqis residing in Jordan were of working age, i.e., age 15 and older. END NOTE. A 2007 Ministry of Labor (MOL) report, however, showed that only 1,645 Iraqis held legal, current work permits. ¶9. (SBU) In a catch-22, Iraqis, like several other nationalities residing in Jordan, often must first have employment to obtain residency. MOL Assistant Secretary General Saleh Khreis explained that a residency permit did not automatically grant permission to work, that foreign nationals must already be legal residents in order to obtain work permits, and that both residency and work permits need to be re-verified and renewed annually. As a result, many Iraqis simply work illegally. Khreis said MOL always held a forgiving attitude toward violations, but recently had been forced to adopt a much stricter enforcement policy because of several recent "serious" problems, such as Iraqis in medical positions with outdated work permits. Khreis reported that most Iraqis worked odd jobs such as peddling cheap items and food on the streets, which, he claimed, posed additional risks to public health, food safety, and consumer rights. Growing Concerns about Impact of Cash-Strapped Iraqis -------------- -------------- ¶10. (SBU) The deteriorating financial condition of the Iraqi community in Jordan has amplified GOJ concerns about the continued presence of Iraqi refugees. UNHCR Representative in Jordan Imran Riza reported that Jordanian officials had expressed concerns to him regarding the growing Iraqi dependence on international aid, fearing "it gives them a reason to remain in Jordan." Feda Ghribeh, Head of the Iraqi Coordination Unit at the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, also mentioned GOJ fears that cashless Iraqis would depend more and more on government-subsidized services, particularly education and healthcare, further burdening the system. Ghribeh added that Jordanian security agencies are also concerned about the potential for increased crime rates as the financial conditions of the Iraqis worsen. Despite Hardships, Most Do Not Seem Eager to Leave -------------- -------------- ¶11. (SBU) The GOJ expects (and hopes) the majority of Iraqis will eventually return home or depart for a third country. To facilitate this, the GOJ announced in January 2008 a waiver of portions of the penalties assessed on those who over-stay (refs C and D). Nonetheless, despite their hardships, diminishing savings, and inability to work, Iraqis are not leaving in any great numbers. According to the Iraqi Embassy in Amman, UNHCR and other NGOs, as well as members of MNF-I Civil Affairs Liaison Team (CALT) assigned to Embassy Amman who have regular access to both sides of the border, there are several reasons for this lack of exodus, including on-going concerns regarding the security situation in Iraq, a lack of confidence in the Iraqi Government, uncertainty regarding the new Jordanian visa system, as well as hope for eventual third country resettlement (which they are more likely to obtain while in Jordan than while in Iraq). Because of these reasons, most Iraqis in Jordan seem determined to remain -- at least for the time being -- AMMAN 00001049 003 OF 003 right where they are. Visit Amman's Classified Website at: http://www.state.gov.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ HALE