‘Gov’t mulls fines on overstaying guest workers’

AMMAN – The government is considering imposing fines on illegal guest workers who overstay their visas without renewing their work permits, an informed source told The Jordan Times recently. 

Under the new move recommended by the Labour Ministry, guest workers of any nationality who do not have work permits and wish to leave the Kingdom will have to pay fines –– to be determined by the ministry –– for the period they spent in Jordan without permits. 

The decision is likely to be approved by the government in the coming weeks, said the source, who asked to remain unnamed. 

The source said the planned measures aim to address flaws in the domestic labour market as there are hundreds of thousands of guest workers illegally employed in various sectors. 

“The planned fines would generate revenue as illegal workers will either pay before leaving the country or renew their work permits,” said the source, who added that official estimates put the number of guest workers at around 1 million, nearly half of whom do not have work permits. 

The majority of illegal workers are Egyptian, the source said. 

According to the national population census, conducted late last year, around 635,000 Egyptians reside in Jordan.