Bandar-e Anzali City of Iran Bans Employment of Afghan Nationals

Mohammad Pour Khosh Saadat, the governor of Bandar-e Anzali in Gilan Province, announced that employing illegal immigrants in this city has been prohibited.

Saadat warned that in case of violation of the ban, the employers face fines and even imprisonment.

According to Saadat, if the employers violate the ban, they will be fined more than 210 US dollars for each working day, and in case of repeated violations, the amount will be more than 419 US dollars.

He added that according to Article 181 of the Labor Law of the Islamic Republic of Iran, employers who hire "foreign nationals without work permits" will be sentenced to imprisonment between 91 and 180 days.

The governor of Bandar-e Anzali described the presence of foreigners in this city as a social phenomenon with negative consequences.

Saadat told ISNA news agency, "This trend has become more intense recently, and the impact of the presence of Afghan nationals can have many negative consequences on the situation of Gilan province and Bandar-e Anzali city."

He stressed that hiring Afghans who lack work permits, results in an increase in the unemployment rate of the city, social anomalies, changes in the demographic structure of the city, as well as illegal marriages of foreign nationals with Iranian nationals.

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the migration of Afghans to Iran intensified. Many Afghans immigrate to Iran due to the tough economic situation and the Taliban’s repressive practices. However, according to the official announcement of the Taliban, Iran continues to deport Afghans more intensively, and according to reports, about 18,000 people have been returned to Afghanistan in the last ten days.