Jordan adding visa requirements for Iraqi refugees

An Iraqi refugee family in Jordan. Jordan has recently made it harder for Iraqi refugees to get in, including rejecting those between the ages of 20 and 40 and requiring a new version of Iraqi passports. There are at least 500 asylum seekers daily, according to Jordanian officials. The UN says that there are possibly 750,000 Iraqi refugees in Jordan and one million in Syria.

Iraqis fleeing sectarian violence in their country will soon have to get visas from the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad before arriving at the kingdom's borders, a senior government official told IRIN.

No date has been set for the implementation of the move and it is not intended to curb the number of Iraqis entering the kingdom, said the official on condition of anonymity. "We want to make it easier for them so they are not refused entry at the borders," he said.

Read the rest at Reuters/Alternet

Related Link:
Jordan tightens rules on Iraqi immigrants

Related Link:
Perspective: War in Iraq Propelling A Massive Migration

Related Link:
Kurdish leaders deny deal to allow Palestinians in Iraq safe haven

Related Link:
Report: Syria tightens access for Iraq refugees under new rules

Related Link:
Report: 1.5 million Iraqis now internally displaced, most due to threats

Related Link:
Syria rejects accusations by Iraq over refugee restrictions; Says some 'linked to Washington' trying to stir split

Related Link:
Tensions rise as Iraq blames Syria over treatment of refugees, restrictions on travel; Decries Assad meeting with al-Dhari