 UNDERSTANDING STATELESSNESS IN THE SYRIA REFUGEE CONTEXT 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 Prior to the conflict, all of the neighbouring countries were easily accessible to Syrians and there were no complicated visa procedures. Therefore, at the outset of the crisis, gaining legal entry to these countries was not difficult for the displaced. However, with the growing influx of refugees, the situation changed and more stringent entry requirements are now widely imposed. For example, until mid-2013, Syrian refugees fleeing to Jordan were allowed to enter through informal border crossings, although entry was denied to many single Syrian men crossing without relatives, Palestinian refugees from Syria and undocumented persons. From mid-2013 some restrictions were introduced on most informal border crossings into Jordan and from late March 2015 these restrictions were tightened still further.80 Following a border security incident in June 2016, the Jordanian/Syrian border has been declared a militarised zone and sealed. Currently no admissions are permitted. Initially the Lebanese reception policy was very flexible. Since January 2015, Syrian nationals wishing to enter Lebanon must disclose their purpose for entry and comply with the requirements of one of a number of categories (transit, student, tourism, etc.). For each category, specified documents must be presented at the border. There is currently no category for refugees who are fleeing conflict or persecution and seeking safety in Lebanon. Similarly, July 2013 marked a shift in Egyptian migration policy that aimed to prevent Syrian refugees from entering Egypt; visa renewals were restricted and all Syrians were obliged to obtain a visa in order to enter. Under this new policy, Syrians must approach the Egyptian embassy in Damascus to request a visa and also obtain a security clearance from Egyptian National Security.81 Across the region, this changing environment and narrowing protection space is problematic for many reasons, but one consequence is that it has led to many refugees entering the countries without the host State’s permission, through informal borders and/or by smuggling. Their 68 There are over 2 million registered Palestinians in Jordan and over 10 camps, see UNRWA, ‘Where We Work: Jordan’, available at: http://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/jordan. For more data on PRS in Jordan see UNRWA, ‘PRS in Jordan’, available at: http://www.unrwa.org/prs-jordan. 69 UNHCR, Registered Syrians in Jordan, supra n67. 70 71 As discussed later in section 3.1.2, entering and exiting the camp is closely regulated. See, among others, Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Jordan Response Plan for the Syria crisis: 2016 – 2018, 2015, available at: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/ JRP16_18_Document-final+draft.pdf. 72 Estimated arrivals December 2015 (as of 8 September 2016). Data from Syria Refugee Response Inter-Agency Information Sharing Portal, ‘Lebanon’, available at: http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/ country.php?id=122. 73 Ibid. 74 UNHCR, ‘Lebanon’, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e486676.html. 75 Syria Refugee Response Inter-Agency Information Sharing Portal, supra n24. 76 UNHCR, Thematic Update: Turkey: Refugee Outreach Volunteers External Update, 2016, available at: http://reliefweb.int/report/turkey/turkey-refugee-outreach-volunteers-rov-external-updateseptember-2016. 77 A. Icduygu, Syrian Refugees in Turkey: the long road ahead, Transatlantic Council on Migration, a project of the Migration Policy Institute, 2015, available at: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/syrianrefugees-turkey-long-road-ahead, page 8. Data from Directorate General of Migration Management, available at: http://www.goc.gov.tr/icerik6/gecici-korumamiz-altindaki-suriyeliler_409_558_560_icerik. 78 International Labour Organisation (ILO), The ILO response to the Syrian refugee crisis: February 2016 update, 2016, available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---exrel/documents/ publication/wcms_357159.pdf. Sudan is one of the few remaining countries with no visa requirements for Syrians, so refugees travel to Khartoum by plane and continue the journey to Egypt by road. Information provided by UNHCR, September 2016. HRW, Jordan: Syrians blocked, stranded in desert, News, 3 June 2015, available at: https://www.hrw. org/news/2015/06/03/jordan-syrians-blocked-stranded-desert. Boston University Law Clinic, Protecting Syrian Refugees: Laws, Policies, and Global Responsibility Sharing, 2014, available at: http://www.bu.edu/law/files/2015/07/FINALFullReport.pdf. 79 80 81 22 RESEARCH REPORT