News Gov’t considers enabling employment, property ownership for refugees and asylum seekers
By Sisay Sahlu
July 13, 2024
Draft legislation prepared by experts at the federal agency responsible for refugee affairs envisages paving the way for asylum seekers and legally recognized refugees to obtain work permits, own property, and hold the right to establish businesses.
Preparation of the ‘Directive to Implement Working Rights of Recognized Refugees and Returnees’ has been finalized by the federal Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS). The legislation’s preamble states that “the existing proclamation and legislation introduced to determine the work rights of refugees and returnees allows more rights to foreign refugees. Hence, it needs balancing considering current updates.”
The Service sets out a list of criteria that a recognized refugee or asylum seeker must fulfill to be eligible for owning property or obtaining a work permit. It requires the individual to be part of a co-developed housing project and to have lived in Ethiopia for a minimum of three years to be able to buy property. A refugee or asylum seeker in the process of obtaining legal recognition, or one with a criminal record, is ineligible.
After securing property, the refugee or asylum seeker will be free to move from place to place, according to the draft. RRS also prohibits refugees who gained access to property through becoming a member of an Ethiopian family from using their living permits as work permits.
The Service proposes to revoke the permits of refugees or asylum seekers who fail to inhabit any property they may own for three consecutive months. Revocation is also a possibility in the case that RRS
If a recognized refugee or asylum seeker is married to an Ethiopian citizen, the foreigner can participate in various local projects without the need to fulfill stringent requirements.
The draft sets out that recognized refugees or asylum seekers can secure a business license and establish private limited companies (PLCs) or other forms of businesses after fulfilling other standard trade requirements such as obtaining a tax identification number. However, dissolving the business can trigger a revocation of the business license by the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration.
Work permits might also be revoked if the holder is found to be engaging in work outside the scope of the permit, if the employer terminates the business, if the permit has expired for more than three months, or if there is evidence of fraud in obtaining the permit.
RRS will require refugees and asylum seekers to renew work permits at least a month before the expiration date, and those who fail to do so will be subject to a fine equaling the payment for renewal.
The Service prohibits refugees and asylum seekers from any form of employment without its prior confirmation, and limits employers and organizations from recruiting refugees and asylum seekers for jobs outside of the scope recognized by RRS. Employers are required to register detailed information on the individual in question before recruitment.
The draft instructs employers to notify the Ministry of Labor and Skills if the refugee or asylum seeker fails to appear at the workplace for five days.