Jordan deports 2,000 undocumented foreign workers

Jordan’s Ministry of Labor has apprehended 2,419 foreign workers violating labor laws during January and February 2025 as part of a joint inspection campaign conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior and the Public Security Directorate.

More than 2,000 of those detained have already been deported, including 104 domestic (household) workers, the ministry confirmed.

Some of the remaining workers are still undergoing deportation procedures, while others are in the process of legalizing their status after employers paid fines to cancel their deportation, in accordance with labor regulations.

The ministry emphasized that the inspection campaign is ongoing. The initiative follows regulatory measures introduced in the final two months of 2024, which allowed non-Jordanian workers to transition between sectors, giving employers greater flexibility in utilizing available labor.

In late 2024, the ministry urged employers to regularize undocumented foreign workers to avoid penalties. Under Jordanian labor law, businesses found employing undocumented workers face fines of no less than JD 800 per worker.

The ministry reaffirmed that employers still have the opportunity to legalize the status of undocumented workers by paying outstanding work permit fees and fines before they are apprehended in the ongoing inspection campaign.