Jordan to legalise undocumented migrant workers

Jordan has offered undocumented foreign workers, including Bangladeshis, a chance to regularise their status or leave the country without penalty under an amnesty programme running until September 30, the Bangladeshi embassy said on Monday.

The scheme, which takes effect from June 15, allows workers without valid residency permits (iqama) or work authorisation (tasriya) to renew their documents and change employers or occupations under certain conditions.

Only those who entered Jordan before 25 February 2025 are eligible. People facing criminal charges or serving sentences are excluded.

Those wishing to return home permanently will have all accumulated fines waived and can withdraw their social security savings by paying a processing fee of just 10 Jordanian dinars. Employer consent is not required to access social security funds — workers need only their social security number.

Workers can verify whether they have any pending legal cases by calling 117111. Those with valid passports or travel documents can purchase return tickets and leave directly.

Those without passports must obtain a travel document from the embassy, which requires filing a police report, submitting three photographs and paying a fee of 30,000 Jordanian dinars.

Workers who have been undocumented for two or more years do not need their previous employer's permission to renew their iqama. Applications for work authorisation should be made to the Labour Ministry, while residency renewals must be processed at the nearest police station.

The embassy urged workers to deal only with official Jordanian authorities and avoid brokers or fraudsters, warning against any financial transactions outside official channels.