Trucks carrying luggage for Syrian refugees returning to Syria, Nov. 5, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Bekaa correspondent Sarah Abdallah)
“I'm not illegal,” Amir* keeps repeating on the other end of the phone, as if to convince himself that everything will be all right. But this Syrian national, who has been working in Lebanon for almost 20 years and has a residence permit, is afraid of being “expelled” from the country.
On Wednesday, General Security announced a series of restrictive measures aimed at “containing and regulating Syrians present in Lebanon.” These include stricter conditions for obtaining or renewing residence permits. General Security said that it will no longer issue residence permits on presentation of a rental contract or a guarantor, and announced “a change in the conditions for renewing residence permits by means of a financial guarantee.” This announcement comes at a time when Syrian migrants and refugees are facing the resurgence of a political campaign and popular discontent calling for their departure – despite the reservations of NGOs and international organizations – to which have been added multiple acts of violence against them since the murder in early April of Pascal Sleiman, a Lebanese Forces official in Jbeil, for which Syrian suspects were arrested.
These acts of violence have forced Amir, a janitor in a Beirut building, to separate from his wife and infant son for fear of being “attacked in the street.” “They are now in Syria,” said the father, who cannot return to his country because he is “wanted” by Syrian authorities.
Since Wednesday's announcement, the situation for Amir, who has a so-called “personal” guarantor, is likely to become more complicated. “Now it doesn't work,” says a source at General Security, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Before, it was possible to obtain a residence permit if the Syrian national had proof of residence or a personal guarantor. Both conditions have now been canceled. Any Syrian who has obtained a residence permit under these conditions and who leaves Lebanese territory loses this residence permit when he or she leaves at the Lebanese border, and can no longer return. From now on, to obtain or renew their residence permit, Syrians must have a work permit from the Ministry of Labor or own a home. “Only these two conditions can now justify obtaining a residence permit,” explained the security source. They were unable to give us the number of Syrians affected by these changes.
Eviction
“I'm a janitor, so I can only rely on a personal guarantor,” lamented Amir, who has always “renewed [his] papers on time.” When, three months ago, he began the procedure that cost him LL 13 million (around $145 at the current market rate) while his monthly salary is $150, he expected to obtain his new residence permit “as always two weeks later.” But so far, nothing. “I'm not the only one in this situation. I'm afraid I'll be expelled from Lebanon," he said, adding that “they want to deport us all, with or without papers. They lump everyone together.”
Malek*, 21, is “in shock”. The young man, whose stay in Lebanon dates back to before the start of the war in Syria in 2011, thought he would be able to renew his residence permit, but he is not so sure anymore. “I'm lost, I don't understand anything,” he said. Since 2018, he has been unable to take this step for lack of a “guarantor,” This year, with the NGO he works for, he thought he finally solved the case. “I don't know if I still meet the conditions. I think the guarantor got scared, he called me and told me we had to talk about these new rules tonight,” he worried.
'One-upmanship'
For some Syrians who do not yet have a work permit, there is nothing to fear despite these measures. This is the case of Ahmad*, who works in the Bekaa and went to General Security on the day the new measures were announced to renew his papers. “They didn't ask me anything else. I don't think they'll refuse my request," said the man who has been working in Lebanon for 22 years.
The associations believe that the new restrictive measures do not bode well. “We are facing a very dangerous extremist one-upmanship. But in any case, the Lebanese state does not have the means to apply these new laws," said Wadih al-Asmar, President of the Lebanese Center for Human Rights. “Syrians who lose their residence permits will not leave the country. They will stay here illegally. They will take on much more precarious, less well-paid work," he warned. According to him, the Lebanese state is “mixing everything up when it should be regulating the presence of Syrians in Lebanon.” “They are pushing more Syrians into illegality. These measures are affecting people who are going to find themselves even more in situations of distress and exploitation.”
*First names have been changed to protect the safety of respondents.
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
