Jordan Times
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Iraqis exempted from
fines
By Linda Hindi and Hani Hazaimeh
AMMAN - Iraqi nationals residing in the Kingdom
who wish to leave permanently will be fully exempted from accumulated fines,
while those who wish to stay have two months to rectify their residency status
and will have their fines slashed in half, the government announced on
Wednesday.
Interior Minister Eid Fayez also announced that Iraqis who leave Jordan and
intend to return or newcomers will have to obtain a visa from offices that will
soon open in Iraq.
“All the regulations and measures in connection with fine exemptions or visa
applications will be announced shortly through the Interior Ministry,” Fayez
said yesterday.
The two-month duration for Iraqis who want to apply for a yearly residency
starts on February 17.
The minister pointed out that the decision was taken based on His Majesty King
Abdullah’s directives to facilitate outstanding residency issues for Iraqis, who
are guests in the Kingdom, and extend all possible assistance.
Furthermore, Fayez called on all Iraqis to move quickly and rectify their status
within the two-month period.
A government source told The Jordan Times that the vast majority of Iraqis
living in the Kingdom are “illegal” and have long overstayed their visas.
According to regulations, any visitor who overstays is charged JD1.5 per day,
which means tens of thousands of Iraqis owe thousands of dinars each in
accumulated fines.
Iraqi Ambassador to Jordan Saad Hayyani recently told The Jordan Times that
there are many Iraqis who now wish to return home, but cannot afford to pay
their dues.
Meanwhile, the visa system was introduced at the request of the Iraqi government
to organise the flow of Iraqis to the country.
Many Iraqis have complained that it is a risky and costly endeavour to reach the
Jordanian border only to find out that they are refused entry for certain
reasons.
UN figures place the number of Iraqis in Jordan at around 750,000.
According to the results of an independent research institute, Jordan currently
hosts around half-a-million Iraqi nationals, who mainly reside in the capital.
The survey’s findings also showed that one in every five Iraqis in Jordan has
concrete plans to emigrate to a third country.