New Residency Rules to Force Afghan Migrants Out of Iran

An Iranian official has stated that Iran will only allow specific categories of Afghan migrants to remain in the country, while others will face deportation and the loss of basic services under new regulations.

Nader Yar-Ahmadi, head of the immigration department at Iran’s Ministry of Interior, told Iran’s ISNA news agency on March 9 that only six categories of Afghan migrants who have completed the census process will be permitted to stay. He warned that the rest of the Afghan nationals residing in Iran “must leave the country” starting March 20.

“Services will only be provided to those who meet the eligibility criteria. Otherwise, services - such as education, healthcare, medical treatment, property transactions, renting, and others - will not be available to them,” he said.

“For other Afghan nationals, given the relative stability that has been established and the announced policies of the current Afghan government, there are no obstacles to their return to their country,” the official added.

Iran recently conducted a census of Afghans to regulate their stay or removal. Almost all Afghan migrants now hold either a Census Paper or an Amayesh Card.

The Census Paper is a temporary document for undocumented Afghan migrants, while the Amayesh Card - an annually renewed identification and residency permit - entitles holders to public services such as education and healthcare, though with some job restrictions.

Iran has used the Amayesh system for decades to manage its large Afghan refugee population, but in recent years, obtaining and renewing the card has become increasingly difficult for many Afghans.

Afghan families with school-aged children who are not included in the six eligible categories must obtain a three-month exit permit from immigration offices and leave Iran once the school year ends.

Yar-Ahmadi said last November that six million Afghan migrants reside in Iran. Later, the Iranian interior minister stated that the country could not handle this influx of people and would gradually deport them with the Taliban’s “agreement.”

Iran and Pakistan have already deported around two million Afghans over the past two years. According to the Iranian government, 90% of migrants in the country are from Afghanistan, and most do not possess immigration documents.

Iran and Afghanistan share a 921-kilometer border, which has long been a conduit for people smuggling, drug trafficking, and the operations of militant groups in Iran’s southeast, further complicating their relations.

As part of its border control measures, Iran is constructing a 300-kilometer barrier along its border with Afghanistan, expected to be completed by late 2025. This comes as Iran continues to host an estimated six million Afghan migrants, including thousands of former Afghan security personnel who fled after the Taliban takeover in 2021.

Following the takeover, Iran initially called for the establishment of an “inclusive government” in Afghanistan but has since abandoned this demand.

The Taliban agreed to the gradual return of Afghan migrants during the Iranian foreign minister’s official visit to Kabul on January 26. However, Taliban authorities often downplay the scale of the migrant influx.

Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, the Taliban’s spokesman for the Ministry of Refugee Affairs, said on March 10 that over 280,000 Afghans had returned home in the past 11 months, either “voluntarily or deported” from neighboring countries. “Two-thirds of the returnees had come from Iran, with the rest from Pakistan,” he added.

Further complicating matters, Afghanistan’s Shia community continues to face significant discrimination and frequent attacks by armed groups, including the Islamic State’s faction in the country.