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Jordan stops charging Palestinians for work permits

January 11, 2016 at 1:27 pm

The Jordanian Cabinet yesterday issued a decision to exempt temporary Jordanian passport holders from work permit fees, noting that stamps and any additional costs should be collected under the Labour Law.

Jordan had previously imposed fees on the work permits of temporary Jordanian passport holders, most of whom are Gazans residing in Jordan. The decision sparked protests and criticism in light of the deteriorating living conditions of people in the Gaza Strip.

According to unofficial estimates, the number of Gazan Palestinians living in Jordan ranges from between 700,000 and 900,000. They do not enjoy full citizenship rights, and they are not allowed to work in the official state institutions or study in government schools and universities. Rather, they study under the “parallel” education system or the international system applied in Jordanian state universities.

Gazans in Jordan are given identity cards and a passport without a national number.

Palestinian refugees living in Jordan who are not from Gaza and who came to the country after the 1948 and 1967 wars enjoy full citizenship rights.