TEHRAN – A total of 33,000 undocumented Afghan refugees were sent back to their home country from Iran on Wednesday in an unprecedented move.
Ahmadura Muttaki, director of information and culture for the Taliban Herat, posted the same numbers on X, noting that additional buses carrying Afghan immigrants are still on the way from Iran.
According to AMU TV, the scale of deportation is very unusual, and prior to the July 5 deadline issued by Iranian authorities, undocumented Afghan migrants ordered voluntarily to leave the country or face arrest and forced expulsion.
Iran’s national police commander previously warned that those who have passed the deadline will be subject to detention and deportation.
Previously, the country sent back 3,000 Afghan refugees every day.
Which Afghan nationals are allowed to stay in Iran?
Afghan citizens who are university students, vulnerable female household heads, children with Iranian parents, and those with job codes are permitted to live in the country.
Students whose parents do not have legal permission to reside in the state must return to Afghanistan by July 6th. However, this incident is different for university students. With passports they could extend their stay in the country, and the IRNA cited Nader Yar-Ahmadi, head of the National Immigration Agency.
Heads of households whose lives are confirmed to be threatened by returning home can temporarily stay in the country and benefit from treatment services.
According to the law, even if you are born in Iran, you will not be granted any Iranian citizenship. If the father of the child is Iranian and the parents’ marriage is legally registered, the child is considered Iranian and has an ID (ID) card.
If the mother is Iranian and the father is a foreigner, the child will receive the mother’s last name and ID card even if the marriage is not registered.
If undocumented citizens who voluntarily depart the country under the job code depart from the country in the event that their employer agrees, they can receive a visa to return to work. However, if they are arrested and deported, they will be banned from applying for a visa.
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