The memorandum also adopts the refugee definition contained in the UN Refugee Convention and forbids the refoulement of refugees and asylum seekers. Iraqis Estimates of the number of Iraqis living in Jordan range from 50,000 to 180,000. It is unclear how many are refugees. Many Iraqis fearing persecution in Iraq are believed to slip across the border into Jordan, where they remain without status or seek to move on to other countries. The government generally allows Iraqis, documented or not, to remain in Jordan for up to six months, after which they must either return to Iraq or depart to a third country in order to renew their visa.
Recognized refugees are exempt from overstay fines.
USCR observed that many are among the poorest in Jordanian society, eking out meager existences in such jobs as street vendors and living in overcrowded and, at times, unsanitary conditions. USCR interviews with numerous Iraqis in Amman also revealed that some Iraqi women, desperate and feeling they have no alternatives, resort to jobs as prostitutes. Although there were no confirmed incidents of refoulement from Jordan in 1999, some press reports suggested that arrests and deportations of Iraqis took place during the year. In August, Amnesty International also reported the arrest in Jordan of several Iraqis whom Amnesty considered to be at risk of serious human rights violations if returned to Iraq. Amnesty International reported that the Iraqis were last seen in a van that appeared to be heading for the Jordanian-Iraqi border.