Amman, June 14 (Petra) — Minister of Labor Khaled Bakkar on Sunday
announced details of a Cabinet decision to legalize and regularize
the status of non-Jordanian workers of all nationalities in
accordance with the Labor Law and related regulations and
instructions, effective Monday through September 30.

Bakkar said the decision is part of the government’s ongoing efforts
to regulate the labor market, address existing distortions and
encourage employers to rectify the status of non-Jordanian workers
who failed to obtain or renew work permits during previous periods.

He said the measures aim to reduce the financial burden on employers
while ensuring compliance with labor regulations and improving labor
market governance.

The minister noted that the decision excludes non-Jordanian workers
employed in the garment and knitwear manufacturing sector and
complementary production-input industries operating in development
zones, Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZs) and free zones, as well as
workers holding permits in specialized-skills professions.

Bakkar urged employers to take advantage of the exemption period to
regularize the status of non-Jordanian workers and ensure their
employment remains lawful.

He said the Ministry of Labor, in cooperation with the Ministry of
Interior and the Public Security Directorate, will carry out a
comprehensive inspection campaign during the regularization period to
identify labor violations across all sectors. He added that,
following the end of the grace period, deportation measures will be
taken against any non-Jordanian worker whose work permit has expired
for three months or more and who fails to regularize their status.

Under the Cabinet decision, employers and non-Jordanian workers
across all economic sectors, including domestic workers, will be
exempted from 50 percent of accumulated work permit fees for previous
periods.

The decision also grants a full exemption from late-payment penalties
associated with renewing expired work permits or transferring workers
between employers. In addition, non-Jordanian workers covered under
the Residence and Foreigners Affairs Law No. 24 of 1973 and its
amendments will receive a full exemption from overstay fines if they
regularize their status during the specified period.

The decision stipulates that only the work permit fee for one year,
or part of a year, related to the worker’s most recent valid permit
will be collected.

For workers wishing to permanently leave the Kingdom under a
“departure without return” arrangement, all previous work permit fees
and fines will be waived. They will also be exempted from residency
overstay penalties, provided their files are settled before
departure.

The measures further allow departing workers to receive their social
security entitlements directly from the Social Security Corporation.

The Cabinet decision also permits employers to hire non-Jordanian
workers who previously benefited from exemption programs or who opted
for permanent departure but remain in the Kingdom, enabling them to
obtain work permits and benefit from the new exemptions.

In addition, non-Jordanian nationals who entered Jordan in previous
years for non-work reasons will be allowed to obtain work permits for
the first time.

The decision permits the transfer of non-Jordanian workers between
economic sectors and activities, subject to specific conditions.
Workers holding permits in specialized-skills professions will not be
allowed to move to other occupations, while recruited workers who
entered Jordan after February 25, 2025, will not be eligible for
transfers.

Workers holding permits as specialized skills workers will not be
allowed to transfer to other professions except under self-employment
permits.

The decision allows holders of self-employment permits to transfer to
building services occupations and permits workers in the garment and
knitwear sector, whose permits have expired or been canceled for two
years or more, to transfer to any employer and work in permitted,
restricted or specialized-skills occupations without obtaining
clearance from a previous employer.

It also allows workers in all sectors to transfer to self-employment
permits, while maintaining self-employment as a closed category from
which transfers are not permitted.

Among the general provisions, the decision eliminates the requirement
for a clearance certificate from a previous employer when a worker
transfers after a permit expires or is canceled.

Workers reported as absconding by previous employers may also benefit
from the decision without obtaining employer approval, provided they
remain in the Kingdom and their work permit expired more than one
year ago.

The decision further allows workers whose recruitment contracts have
expired before completing work permit procedures to obtain permits,
and permits the employment of workers already present in the Kingdom
who were recruited as replacements for other workers.

Regarding domestic workers, the decision introduces a number of
measures to facilitate transfers and regularization procedures.
Domestic workers previously reported absent and subsequently replaced
may transfer to a new employer without obtaining approval from the
former employer, provided the absence report is withdrawn before
submitting the application.

Domestic workers reported absent but not replaced may also transfer
to a new employer after two years have elapsed from the date of the
report, subject to the withdrawal of the absence notification.

The decision also allows female domestic workers who married a
Jordanian citizen and changed their residency status to obtain new
work permits following divorce, widowhood or if they wish to return
to employment.

In addition, individuals who entered Jordan for employment purposes
may obtain domestic worker permits, subject to Ministry of Interior
approval.

Domestic workers whose permits have expired or been canceled may
transfer to another economic sector if more than two years have
passed since the expiration of their last permit, without requiring
approval from a previous employer.

//Petra// AJ