Sdanese Fear the Future Due to Changes in Residency Procedures in Egypt

Author: Salma Khattab, BBC Arabic – Cairo

It was not an easy journey for Musab and his family from Khartoum to Cairo. The family traveled through the desert for a week, searching for safety from the ongoing battles in Sudan.

The family arrived in Egypt at the end of December last year. Upon their arrival, Musab, his mother, and his siblings immediately went to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to register as asylum seekers.

The mother and two of Musab’s siblings managed to register in February of this year. Musab and three other siblings received appointments spread out over several months.

Musab is now anxiously awaiting his registration appointment as an asylum seeker this August, following an official Egyptian decision giving foreigners and those residing illegally in the country until September to regularize their status.

From his home, filled with the scent of Sudanese incense, Musab told the BBC: “When we decided to come to Egypt, we hoped to start a new life because life in Khartoum had ended. I preferred to regularize our legal status so that we could move freely, but the amount required is large for someone coming from a war zone — $1,000 per person, and we are four people. This is a large amount that we don’t have.”

“Continuous Fear”

The alternative for those who cannot meet these requirements is to register as an asylum seeker with the UNHCR. However, this registration process can take months, especially given the thousands of Sudanese who have flocked to Egypt since the war in Sudan broke out in April 2023.

Musab’s younger brother, Mohamed, managed to register as an asylum seeker with the UNHCR in May, but that has not alleviated his feelings of fear and anxiety. He told the BBC that he always carries his asylum-seeker card with him wherever he goes.

“In recent times, the situation has been difficult. Even though I carry the yellow card (asylum-seeker card), if the police stop me and I don’t have the card with me, I will be deported immediately. They won’t give me the chance to make a phone call or return home to bring my card,” he added.

Mohamed says he now avoids main streets and using public transportation, preferring only to leave the house when necessary. “Sometimes things happen on the street that cause problems, so I prefer not to go out. If I do go out, it’s to places near home — the market or visiting some friends who live nearby.”

While there are no official figures on the number of foreigners deported from Egypt over the past year, Amnesty International estimated that around 800 Sudanese were deported between January and March of this year.

Amnesty’s report, released in July, stated that “those deported were denied the opportunity to seek asylum, including the chance to communicate with the UNHCR or appeal their deportation.”

In Sudan, Musab worked as an electrical technician, while his younger brother Mohamed worked for an electronic payment application. Now, neither Musab nor any of his family members have been able to find work in Egypt.

“Egypt is safe, but work here is difficult — long hours and wages that are barely enough to cover rent. Without legal documents, the situation becomes even harder, and going out becomes risky,” Musab said.

“Increased Security Measures”

In recent months, the Egyptian government has intensified security campaigns targeting the verification of foreigners’ residency status in the country, and hundreds of people have been deported in recent months.

Immigration lawyer Ashraf Milad says there has been confusion since the announcement of this grace period: “Many people are afraid to move around, some don’t leave their homes, especially those waiting for their turn to register with the UNHCR, because this group is vulnerable.”

Milad added, “There is a tightening of security, and in the case of any problem or dispute between two people, the one without legal residency is immediately deported.”

This strictness has driven large numbers of people to flock to the UNHCR in a short time, according to Milad: “Thousands are now heading to the UNHCR to get registration appointments that are months away.”

Milad continued, “The new government decision eases the process but has not been well received by many because of the amount required. A thousand dollars is a large sum, and perhaps if the state reduced the fine, there would be a middle ground between waiting for the turn at the UNHCR, which is trying to accommodate large numbers, and asking the person who came illegally to pay a large sum of money.”

The Number of Asylum Seekers Increases Daily

On the other hand, the UNHCR says it has doubled its capacity to accommodate the increasing number of asylum seekers arriving daily.

UNHCR spokesperson Christine Beshai explained that the number of registered asylum seekers before the war in Sudan started was about 294,000 people. Today, this number has reached 731,000 people, and it continues to increase daily.

According to Beshai, Sudanese represent 61% of the registered asylum seekers with the UNHCR.

In the early days of the war in Sudan in April last year, Egypt facilitated the entry procedures for Sudanese fleeing the war. However, about two months into the conflict, the Egyptian government required all Sudanese to obtain a visa to enter the country, stating that this measure was taken after detecting “illegal activities,” including the issuance of forged visas.

Obtaining a visa was not easy for everyone wanting to leave the conflict zone, leading thousands of Sudanese to enter Egypt illegally through the desert, often on unsafe journeys.

Upon arriving in Egypt, many Sudanese seek to go to the UNHCR to obtain an asylum-seeker card, which serves as a legal document that provides them protection against forced return to the countries they fled from, according to international law. It also grants them access to various services, most notably health services.

After obtaining the yellow card, asylum seekers are given an appointment at the Egyptian Passport and Immigration Department to apply for official residency in the country. However, due to the overwhelming number of applicants, the waiting time for this appointment has extended to more than a year.

Organizing the Residency of Foreigners in Egypt

The Egyptian government estimates that there are about 9 million foreigners and residents on its land and says it spends around $10 billion annually on them, according to statements by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly in May.

The government says that the purpose of the decision to regularize the status of foreigners, issued in August last year and for which the deadline has been extended several times, is to organize the residency of foreigners in Egypt to ensure the continued provision of services to them, such as education, health services, and others.

However, this decision has doubled the concerns of those unable to meet the residency regularization requirements, as they may be at risk of deportation at any time.

According to the government’s decision, all unregistered residents who do not regularize their status will be denied access to any government services.
Agencies