KABUL/ TEHRAN (SW) – Officials of Iran’s Ministry of Interior have announced that all illegal Afghan migrants will be expelled from Iran starting in late March, 2025.
Nader YarAhmadi, Director General of the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs at the ministry, has stated that six categories of Afghan migrants holding census registration documents will be permitted to stay legally in the country under a new directive aimed at regulating their status.
“We are working to ensure that both illegal migrants and even those who are legally registered but wish to return to Afghanistan do so. Foreign migrants who have a census registration document must cooperate according to the policies and programs of this center to remain in Iran legally,” he said.
According to him, these six categories include individuals or their spouses who hold an Amayesh card and a census registration document, individuals whose children have a census registration document along with an Amayesh card, individuals holding valid passports and visas, individuals with a work permit or job identification card, individuals who were government employees or military personnel during the previous Afghan government, and those who legalize their status in Iran by obtaining a valid passport.
On the other hand, some undocumented Afghan migrants in Iran say they were forced to enter the country illegally due to unemployment.
Mursalin Omari, an Afghan migrant in Iran, says, “If job opportunities were available for Afghans, everyone would voluntarily return. Economic problems push us to other countries to meet our families’ needs.”
Farkhunda Hashemi, another Afghan migrant in Iran, says, “We are living here in great difficulty; we are unemployed. I went to several places for sewing work but didn’t get paid. There are no jobs, and my children can’t go to school. If we go outside, the police arrest us.”
Meanwhile, officials from the Ministry of Repatriations and Refugees (MoRR) under the Islamic Emirate urge host countries not to forcibly expel Afghan migrants.
“We have made preparations and established a committee. All necessary services such as employment and housing have been arranged, and all their needs will be addressed,” said Abdul Mutaleb Haqqani, the ministry’s spokesperson.
Earlier, Mohammad Abdul Kabir, the acting minister of the MoRR, requested that Afghan migrants be returned to Afghanistan through a structured program in a meeting with Alireza Bikdeli, the Iranian ambassador in Kabul.
