Amman: Minister of Labor Khaled Bakkar announced details of a Cabinet decision to legalize and regularize the status of non-Jordanian workers of all nationalities in accordance with the Labor Law and related regulations and instructions. The initiative is effective from Monday through September 30.
According to Jordan News Agency, the decision aims to address ongoing labor market distortions and encourage employers to rectify the status of non-Jordanian workers who have not secured or renewed their work permits in previous periods. These measures are expected to alleviate the financial burden on employers while ensuring compliance with labor regulations and improving governance.
The minister clarified that workers in the garment and knitwear manufacturing sector and complementary production-input industries within development zones, Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZs), and free zones, as well as those holding permits in specialized-skills professions, are excluded from this decision. Employers are encouraged to take advantage of the exemption period to regularize the status of their workers.
The Ministry of Labor, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and the Public Security Directorate, will launch a comprehensive inspection campaign during the regularization period to identify labor violations across all sectors. Post the grace period, deportation measures will be enacted against non-Jordanian workers whose work permits have expired for three months or more and who fail to regularize their status.
Under the Cabinet's decision, employers and non-Jordanian workers across all economic sectors, including domestic workers, will be exempt from 50 percent of accumulated work permit fees for previous periods. There is also a full exemption from late-payment penalties for renewing expired work permits or transferring workers between employers. Non-Jordanian workers covered under the Residence and Foreigners Affairs Law No. 24 of 1973 will receive a full exemption from overstay fines if they regularize their status within the specified period.
The decision specifies that only the work permit fee for the most recent valid permit year will be collected. Workers opting for permanent departure will have all previous work permit fees and fines waived, and will be exempt from residency overstay penalties, provided their files are settled prior to departure. Departing workers can collect their social security entitlements directly from the Social Security Corporation.
The decision further allows for hiring non-Jordanian workers who benefitted from past exemption programs or who opted for permanent departure but remain in Jordan, enabling them to obtain work permits and new exemptions. It also permits non-Jordanian nationals who entered Jordan for non-work reasons to obtain work permits for the first time.
The decision allows for the transfer of non-Jordanian workers between economic sectors, subject to conditions. However, workers with specialized-skills permits are restricted in their ability to transfer to other professions, except under self-employment permits. Holders of self-employment permits may transfer to building services occupations, and workers in the garment and knitwear sector can move to different employers without previous employer clearance.
In general, the decision eliminates the requirement for a clearance certificate from a previous employer for permit transfers. Workers reported as absconding can benefit without employer approval, provided their work permit expired more than a year ago.
For domestic workers, measures are introduced to facilitate transfers and regularization. Domestic workers reported absent and replaced can transfer to a new employer without former employer approval, provided the absence report is withdrawn. Those not replaced may transfer after two years with the absence notification withdrawn.
Additionally, female domestic workers married to Jordanian citizens can obtain new work permits following divorce or widowhood. Individuals who entered Jordan for employment may obtain domestic worker permits with Ministry of Interior approval. Domestic workers with expired permits can transfer to other sectors after two years without previous employer approval.