Following inspection campaigns

Iraq to deport 691 foreign workers for residency violations, threatens legal action against facilitators

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Ministry of Interior has arrested 691 foreign workers for violating residency laws and plans to deport them to their home countries, according to an official statement.

Ministry spokesperson Miqdad Miri said, “In line with Cabinet Resolution No. 24832 regarding the legal status adjustment of foreign workers and the expiration of the adjustment deadline set for Dec. 31, 2024, we urge company owners, professionals, artisans, restaurant operators, and those harboring foreign nationals in violation of Residency Law No. 76 of 2017 to facilitate their deportation no later than Jan. 15, 2025.”

The ministry said security and intelligence agencies launched extensive inspection campaigns after the deadline to identify violators. “A total of 691 individuals have been apprehended and will be deported in accordance with Article 24 of the referenced law. Legal action will also be taken against those who provided shelter to the violators,” the statement said.

On Nov. 20, 2024, Iraq’s Minister of Labor, Ahmed Al-Asadi, announced that the number of unregulated foreign workers in the country had reached an estimated 1 million. According to Al-Asadi, these workers earn an average of $3,000 per month, compared with about $500 earned by Iraqi workers. Though many of those detained in this current campaign are presumed to be low-paid workers.

Al-Asadi noted foreign workers send between $5 billion and $6 billion out of Iraq annually in remittances, prompting the government to intensify efforts to regulate foreign employment and address labor market imbalances.

Residency Law No. 76 of 2017, officially titled the “Law on the Residence of Foreigners,” governs the entry, stay and exit of foreign nationals in Iraq. Enacted on Oct. 2, 2017, and published in the Official Gazette on Oct. 23, 2017, it replaced the previous Residency Law No. 118 of 1978.

On May 14, 2024, the Iraqi Directorate of Residence Affairs reported that 4,658 foreign residency law violators had been arrested since the start of the year. According to Human Rights Maj. Gen. Hussein Al-Yassari, head of the directorate, many violators enter Iraq due to the country’s comparatively better economic conditions. Without valid employment contracts, however, these individuals violate both the Residency Law and Labor Law.

Al-Yassari said violators face arrest, fines, deportation, and a two-year entry ban following deportation under Residency Law No. 76 of 2017. He emphasized that foreigners are not permitted to work in Iraq without approval from the Ministry of Labor.

In 2024 alone, 4,658 foreign violators have been arrested, with 1,600 still in custody awaiting deportation, Al-Yassari said. That follows the arrest and deportation of 8,045 violators in 2023.