Labor Day: Iraq to launch crackdown on illegal foreign workers
Shafaq News/ Iraq will launch a major inspection campaign targeting thousands of illegal foreign workers, Labor Minister Ahmed Al-Asadi revealed on Thursday.
Marking International Labor Day, Al-Asadi expressed his ministry's commitment to defending workers' rights and improving living standards, warning that tens of thousands—possibly hundreds of thousands—of undocumented foreign workers are active across Iraq.
“We’ll begin a large-scale crackdown in coordination with relevant agencies and labor unions,” he told Shafaq News.
Illegal Labor In Iraq
The influx of undocumented foreign labor from countries like India, Bangladesh, Syria, and Pakistan has raised concerns about its impact on Iraq's economy. According to the Strategic Center for Human Rights, approximately one million illegal migrant workers are in Iraq, with only 43,000 registered with the Ministry of Labor as of 2024. These unregistered workers are estimated to remit $4.2 billion annually, significantly affecting the national economy.
A 2025 report by Shafaq News highlighted that foreign labor is expanding rapidly in various sectors, including restaurants, cafes, cleaning services, and even state institutions. This surge has deepened the unemployment crisis, leaving 15 million local workers struggling to secure opportunities.
In response, Iraq is stepping up efforts to tackle the issue, with authorities currently reviewing the records of all foreign workers. In 2024, 32,000 undocumented laborers were deported. Additionally, nearly 700 foreign nationals were arrested for violating the Foreigner Residence Law No. 76 of 2017 after their grace period expired. The Interior Ministry has urged companies, professionals, craftsmen, tradespeople, restaurant owners, and anyone housing undocumented foreigners to ensure their deportation.
Experts, however, warn that these efforts have been insufficient, criticizing the government’s failure to implement investment conditions requiring foreign companies to employ 50% local labor in their projects.
