According to the latest data received from the Government of the Islamic Republic in December 2022, 762,000 refugees currently reside in Iran, out of which some 750,000 are indicated to be Afghan Amayesh cardholders - one of the largest and most protracted refugee populations under UNHCR's mandate – and some 12,000 Iraqi Hoviat cardholders. 586,000 Afghan passport holders with Iranian visas also live in Iran; it is understood that some are previous refugee Amayesh cardholders.
In 2022, the Government of Iran undertook a headcount of all undocumented Afghan nationals in Iran, including those who newly arrived in Iran following events in Afghanistan in 2021. The Headcount was concluded on 30 June 2022 and, according to Iran’s Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs (BAFIA), some 2.6 million Afghans were registered through the Headcount exercise and received ‘laissez-passers’, providing them with a form of temporary protection against refoulment during its validity period. UNHCR has not yet received a breakdown from the Government of Iran regarding the number of in-situ undocumented versus new arrivals among these 2.6 million, although Iran previously informed UNHCR that 2.1 million Afghans without documents already lived in Iran before the Taliban Takeover in 2021. Also, according to Iran, 500,000 undocumented Afghans did not participate in the Headcount. 99% of refugees live in urban areas alongside the host community, while 1% live in refugee settlements.
UNHCR relies on the Government for information and data on population movements. Due to UNHCR not having a comprehensive presence at the border and the complexity of cross-border movements, the figures used are estimates based on information provided by the Government and other sources. As such, it is estimated that some 4.5 million of displaced people of varying statuses live in Iran and potentially need protection and humanitarian assistance.
As the situation in Afghanistan remains volatile, UNHCR foresees that Afghans, especially women and girls, will continue to flee to Iran in the coming months. Based on UNHCR estimates, 65% of all new arrivals are returned by the government. Smaller percentages include people who will continue moving to Turkey and the EU and those who chose to come to Iran for economic or family reasons before returning to Afghanistan on their own.
Within the framework of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR), UNHCR supports the Government of Iran in implementing inclusive refugee policies – in Iran, refugees can go to school and follow the national curriculum, get free primary health care, and access livelihoods opportunities. However, Iran is going through a challenging economic period due to the evolving international and regional relations. This situation is posing a substantial strain on the government's ability to maintain its inclusive policies, while at the same time, the needs and vulnerabilities of refugees are increasing.
UNHCR facilitates voluntary repatriation for Afghan refugees who wish to return to their home country once it is established that their return is voluntary, safe, dignified, and durable. Resettlement is one of the durable solutions to the plight of refugees and an essential element of international protection. However, the resettlement quota for refugees in Iran is very low, considering the large number of refugees in need of resettlement.