The Government is responsible for the registration of refugees in Iran. In October 2020, UNHCR received updated data on the total number of Amayesh and Hoviat cardholders (documents giving certain Afghans and Iraqis respectively de facto refugee protection), passport holders and undocumented persons. In the absence of disaggregated data, UNHCR also registers in its ProGres database the people of concern who approach UNHCR for identification, assistance and/or referral to appropriate services and partners.
According to the latest data received from the Government in October 2020, on which consultations are ongoing, 800,000 refugee card holders reside in Iran, amongst whom an estimated 780,000 are Afghan and 20,000 are Iraqi. It is estimated that 96% live in urban areas, while 4% live in 20 refugee settlements across the country, managed by the Government. Some 586,000 Afghans who hold Afghan family passports with Iranian visas also live in Iran. Additionally, it is estimated that some 2.1 to 2.25 million undocumented Afghans live in Iran. Most Iraqi refugees reside in urban areas, while some 600 reside in 10 settlements.
Undocumented Afghans are largely tolerated in Iran. Undocumented children can receive formal education in public schools and can access free primary healthcare, in the same way as nationals. In 2017, BAFIA conducted a ‘headcount’ exercise of various groups of undocumented foreign individuals. Participants in the exercise received a paper slip from the Government, which has so far proven to offer protection against arrest and deportation, although it remains unclear if and when the Government will issue any additional formal documents for them. In September 2020, the Afghan Government started an identity verification exercise, targeting all Afghan citizens in Iran, including the undocumented population, which can be a first step toward their further regularization. UNHCR remains committed to providing technical and financial support to both Governments throughout the process, if requested and if resources allow.
Durable solutions for refugees in Iran have steadily declined in 2020. By the end of 2020, only 947 Afghan refugees voluntarily returned to their country of origin, while no Iraqis returned. Out of those who voluntarily repatriated, 29% were Afghan students who gave up their Amayesh cards in exchange for national passports, with which they would use to apply for Iranian student visas and come back to Iran. 534,000 undocumented Afghans have also returned spontaneously from Iran in 2020 – a 138% increase compared to 2019, presumably due to loss of livelihoods in Iran linked with COVID-19.
Resettlement quotas are also very limited for refugees in Iran, although resettlement continues to be a strategic protection tool, offering a durable solution to extremely vulnerable refugees. In 2020, UNHCR Iran received a resettlement quota of only 120 refugees; an all-time low since the start of its resettlement programme in 1999. By the end of 2020, UNHCR had facilitated the departure of 114 individuals (30 families) for resettlement to Australia, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom – the majority of whom had already been accepted in 2019. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, no departures could take place from late February until November.
In 2020, Afghans were the second most common nationality to claim asylum in Europe, after Syrians. There are multiple possible reasons behind these onward movements, including misinformation on asylum opportunities in Europe, the worsening security and human rights situation in Afghanistan, deteriorating socio-economic conditions in Iran and the related decrease in livelihoods opportunities, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.