Key Takeaways
• Jordan approved the 2025 Work Permit Fee Regulation, protecting migrant worker rights and clarifying employer responsibilities.
• Migrant workers now have better protections for workplace injuries, clear reporting systems, and more opportunities for union participation.
• Collaborations with the ILO aim to align Jordan’s labor laws with international standards, but challenges such as the kafala system remain.
Jordan 🇯🇴 has approved a set of changes aimed at making the country’s labor market fairer and safer for people who come from abroad to work. The most important new rule, called the “2025 Work Permit Fee Regulation,” was recently endorsed by Jordan’s Cabinet. This move is part of a broader effort to improve how migrant workers are treated and to protect their rights in the workplace. Many groups, like Tamkeen for Legal Aid and Human Rights, have spoken in favor of these reforms, calling them an important step toward a more fair work environment.
What is the 2025 Work Permit Fee Regulation?
The 2025 Work Permit Fee Regulation is a new set of rules that changes how non-Jordanian workers get permission to work in Jordan 🇯🇴. It’s designed to make sure that migrant workers are better protected and that their rights are respected. This regulation also aims to create a better balance between what employers and employees need.
Some key parts of the regulation include:
- Changing and organizing the rules for employing migrant workers.
- Setting clear steps to take when someone breaks employment rules.
- Making sure that any medical check for injuries at work follows the same standards.
- Treating any occupational disease as a work injury for the purpose of benefits.
- Making rules to protect workers hurt on the job, even if they are not part of the country’s social security system.
These steps are meant to help migrant workers feel safer and more secure at work. They also show that Jordan 🇯🇴 is serious about ending mistreatment and making the labor market fair for everyone.
The regulation matters not just to workers, but also to employers, industry groups, and organizations that defend migrant worker rights. It changes the way companies must hire and treat non-Jordanian workers and gives everyone involved more clarity about their responsibilities and protections.
Migrant Workers in Jordan: A Closer Look
Jordan 🇯🇴 is home to tens of thousands of migrant workers, many of whom arrive from countries such as the Philippines 🇵🇭, Sri Lanka 🇱🇰, and Indonesia 🇮🇩. In 2024, there were about 49,000 documented migrant domestic workers in Jordan 🇯🇴. Most of these workers are women who take on domestic jobs, like caring for homes and families.
Despite their vital role, these workers often face serious problems such as:
- Delays or non-payment of wages (wage theft)
- Unsafe or unsanitary working conditions
- Being forced to work too many hours
- Having their passports taken away by employers
- Facing different forms of abuse
Groups like Human Rights Watch have reported these issues and called on Jordan 🇯🇴 to offer better protection.
Steps Toward Change
Jordan 🇯🇴 has made efforts in recent years to improve the situation of migrant workers. In 2010, the government allowed migrant workers to join trade unions. They now can vote in union elections and join worker groups at the workplace. This was a big change, especially in sectors where migrant labor makes up most of the workforce.
For example, in Jordan’s Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ) and the garment sector, 75-80% of workers are migrants. Giving these workers a voice in unions has helped them demand better treatment. Workplace committees have also been set up so that workers and managers can talk more openly about job concerns.
The Broader Push for Labor Reform
The 2025 Work Permit Fee Regulation is only one piece of a larger plan to reform labor laws in Jordan 🇯🇴. In September 2024, the country’s lawmakers came close to passing several new changes aimed at:
- Giving Jordanian citizens a higher chance at jobs before foreigners are considered for the same role
- Encouraging more women to take part in the workforce
- Expanding social security to cover more types of workers, including some who might have been excluded before
These changes are happening alongside the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) for 2025-2027. This program is built to support Jordan’s “Economic Modernization Vision 2023-2033,” which wants to help the country create up to one million new jobs in the next 10 years.
The government hopes that with better rules and a more open job market, both Jordanians and people coming from other countries will have a fair shot at stable work.
Working With International Partners
Jordan’s journey to better migrant worker rights is not one it is taking alone. The General Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions (GFJTU) has teamed up with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to tackle difficult issues, such as:
- Making labor laws clearer and fairer
- Improving the social security system
- Defending the rights of all foreign workers
The ILO and Jordan 🇯🇴 have started special projects to make sure that the changes in law are not just on paper but also happen in real life. Their project focuses on:
- Promoting respect for workers’ rights as recognized in international agreements
- Making workplaces and living spaces safer and healthier for foreign workers
- Offering better protection and services to migrant workers, so they can report problems without fear
These efforts help create a safer place to work while moving Jordan 🇯🇴 closer to meeting international labor standards.
Remaining Challenges and Next Steps
While the new rules are a step forward, problems do remain for migrant worker rights in Jordan 🇯🇴. The country has not yet agreed to all major labor treaties of the ILO. One key treaty is Core Convention 87. This convention would give workers the right to form and join trade unions freely, without interference. Many believe that signing on to this treaty would show even more support for worker rights.
VisaVerge.com’s investigation reveals that many advocacy groups want the Jordanian 🇯🇴 government to consider more measures, such as:
- Ending the kafala system, where migrant workers’ residency is tied to their employer, often leading to abuse
- Making the work permit process simpler and less costly for workers
- Providing health insurance and easier access to medical care for migrant workers
- Giving more legal protection to workers who face unsafe conditions or who wish to report abuse
These suggestions point toward a need for continued improvement, especially in making sure that changes in law are felt in day-to-day life for workers.
Reorganizing Employment Regulations
One of the strengths of the 2025 Work Permit Fee Regulation is that it reorganizes how migrant workers are employed in Jordan 🇯🇴. Instead of having a patchwork of rules, the country is setting clear expectations and procedures for both employers and workers.
This change helps in several ways:
- Migrant workers know their rights and can ask questions if they are unsure.
- Employers understand their responsibilities and the importance of following good labor practices.
- Labor inspectors have clearer rules, so they can do their job better and protect workers experiencing problems.
Making these rules simple and clear also means that businesses of all sizes can understand them. Smaller businesses, which often rely on hiring migrant labor, now have a guide they can follow. That helps reduce confusion and cut down on abuse that sometimes happened simply because the old rules were hard to follow or poorly explained.
Medical and Injury Protections
Under the new rules, injuries that happen at work or diseases caused by a job will be treated more fairly. The legislation:
- Uses one medical standard for all workers when checking or treating work injuries.
- Calls for work-related diseases to be seen as work injuries, giving workers a path to get help.
- Extends support to workers not included in the regular social security plan, so no one is left without help after an injury.
This means more workers can look after their health, feel safe about reporting injuries, and get medical help if they become sick because of their job.
For more details on the official legal framework concerning migrant workers in Jordan 🇯🇴, you can visit the Jordanian Ministry of Labour’s regulatory page.
Addressing Violations and Enforcing Accountability
The move to set out concrete measures against anyone who breaks employment terms sends a clear message. The government is serious about cutting down on:
- Wage theft and late payments
- Working in unsafe conditions
- Forced overtime beyond legal limits
- Abuse, threats, and unfair treatment
By targeting these key violations, the rules help migrant workers feel safer and more confident about their situation. Employers are now on notice that mistreatment won’t be tolerated. There are also clearer ways for workers to report mistreatment and trust that their cases will get fair attention.
Women’s Role and Participation
Another important goal of the regulation, and Jordan 🇯🇴’s wider labor law reforms, is to help more women join the labor market — both Jordanian and migrant women. Many migrant workers are female, especially in domestic work, and they often face double discrimination — as women and as foreigners.
The government wants to address this by:
- Encouraging more job opportunities for women
- Creating safer workplaces for everyone
- Making legal help and social support more available to women facing abuse
If these changes work as planned, they could boost family incomes, help women support their loved ones, and make Jordan 🇯🇴 a more equal society.
Social Security and Economic Growth
An expanded social security program is another feature in Jordan’s plan. By including more categories of workers — such as part-time, contract, or domestic workers — in social security, the government hopes to build a stronger safety net. This means better support during times of illness, injury, or unemployment for everyone working in the country.
In turn, these changes could help the country’s wider vision for economic growth. If migrants and locals alike feel safer at work, they’re more likely to work hard, stay healthy, and help the nation reach its target of creating one million new jobs within the next 10 years.
The Importance of International Standards
Working closely with groups like the ILO is important for Jordan 🇯🇴 to make sure new laws measure up to global standards. When laws and practices in one country match standards agreed to by many nations, it:
- Protects everyone in the system, not just locals
- Makes it easier for businesses in Jordan 🇯🇴 to trade and connect with companies overseas
- Builds trust that the country is committed to fairness and worker safety
It also means that Jordan 🇯🇴 can look to the experiences of other countries and bring home the best ideas for its own system.
Conclusion: Looking Ahead
The approval of the 2025 Work Permit Fee Regulation is a big step for migrant worker rights in Jordan 🇯🇴. It promises better treatment for workers, clearer rules for employers, and a push toward fairness in the labor market. Still, these laws will only be as strong as their enforcement. Continued attention to migrant worker rights, stronger ratification of international treaties, and ongoing collaboration with world bodies like the ILO will be essential.
As the country rolls out the Decent Work Country Programme and pursues economic modernization, success will be judged not just by new jobs, but by the well-being and dignity of everyone who calls Jordan 🇯🇴 their workplace. Groups and organizations, including VisaVerge.com, will watch closely to see whether these new rules make a true difference in daily life for migrant workers. All eyes are now on Jordan 🇯🇴 as it moves toward a fairer and more secure future for everyone on its soil.
Learn Today
2025 Work Permit Fee Regulation → A new Jordanian rule reorganizing work permit fees, aiming to protect migrant workers and clarify employment responsibilities.
Kafala System → A sponsorship system tying migrant workers’ legal status to employers, often causing dependency and vulnerability to abuse.
Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ) → Designated areas in Jordan where a large proportion of the workforce consists of migrant laborers, especially in manufacturing.
Occupational Disease → A medical condition caused by one’s job, now recognized as a work injury for benefit eligibility.
International Labour Organisation (ILO) → A United Nations agency collaborating with Jordan to promote fair labor standards and improve worker protections.
This Article in a Nutshell
Jordan’s 2025 Work Permit Fee Regulation marks a major advance for migrant worker rights, ensuring fairer treatment and protection from abuses such as wage theft and unsafe conditions. By clarifying employer responsibilities and collaborating with the ILO, Jordan moves toward meeting international standards, although significant challenges for full worker protection persist.
— By VisaVerge.com
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