US embassy cable - 02AMMAN5144

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005144 
 
SIPDIS 
 
CAIRO for REGIONAL REFUGEE COORDINATOR 
DEPT FOR PRM 
GENEVA FOR RMA 
USEU FOR DALLAN 
USUN FOR ECOSOC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF, JO, UNHCR 
SUBJECT: JORDAN - MONITORING OF REFUGEE REGISTRATION 
 
REF: (A) STATE 148221; (B) STATE 57477 
 
1.   Cairo's Regional Refcoord and Amman's Refugee 
   Admissions Specialist met with UNHCR Amman's Senior 
   Protection Officer and Acting Chief of Mission, Ms. 
   Jacqueline Parlevliet, to obtain the information 
   requested in Reftel A. Below are the answers to your 
   questions in the order in which they were presented. 
 
Numbers 
 
2.   There are around 5,500-5,800 registered asylum 
   seekers pending eligibility interviews and/or Refugee 
   Status Determination (RSD).  This number does not 
   include the 150,000-300,000 Iraqis who reside in Jordan 
   illegally. 
 
3.   The current recognition rate of UNHCR is 10-12 
   percent. There are 1,000-1,100 recognized refugees, of 
   which 85-90 percent are Iraqis.  All recognized 
   refugees are eligible for resettlement. 
 
Time of Registration and Verification 
 
4.   The registration of refugees (asylum seekers) is 
   an on-going process, which takes place twice a week. 
   Verification of refugees occurs automatically every 6 
   months in order to renew the Refugee Identification 
   Card.  The card is only issued once and expires after 
   six months.  Upon the card's expiration, an attestation 
   letter is then issued as a renewal of the Refugee Card; 
   the letter is renewable every three months. 
 
Kind of Data Collected 
 
5.   UNHCR's standard registration software RICS 
   (Registration of Individual Cases System) is used by 
   UNHCR Amman.  It contains a basic bio-data folder on 
   the PRA, one on the dependants, one folder on the 
   person's refugee status determination process, one on 
   his/her durable solutions process.  The data contained 
   in the folders is fairly detailed. 
 
Who Conducts the Registration? 
 
6.   One person, under the supervision of the 
   Protection Officer, conducts registration at UNHCR. 
 
Type of Registration System Used 
 
7.   The registration of refugee applicants is both a 
   manual and a computerized process. The hard copy file 
   contains the refugee status application and all related 
   documents. 
 
Are UNHCR Guidelines Followed? 
 
8.     UNHCR registration guidelines and UNHCR's 
   Executive Committee (Excom) Conclusion No. 91 have been 
   used in drafting UNHCR Amman's Standard Operating 
   Procedures (SOPs) for the registration and 
   documentation of refugee applicants and refugees. 
 
Type of Identification Document 
 
9.     UNHCR gives refugees a refugee identification 
   card; the format was worked out with the GOJ.  Upon 
   registration, individuals are given an Asylum Seekers 
   Card with a validity of one month after their Refugee 
   Status Determination Interview.  Once recognized, 
   refugees are then issued a Refugee Identification Card, 
   which is valid for six months only.  Once it expires, 
   refugees are then given an attestation letter, which is 
   valid for three months and can be renewed repeatedly. 
 
What happens to the Data? 
 
10.   UNHCR Amman continuously uses the data contained 
   in RICS.  The data is shared with UNHCR Beirut, 
   Damascus, Bangkok and Indonesia.  It will soon be 
   shared with Yemen and the sub-region. The Ministry of 
   Interior in Jordan has "read-only version" access to 
   the information on RICS.  Upon the resettlement of a 
   refugee to a third country, the files are closed, but 
   the data remains in the system. 
 
BERRY