Nader Yarahmadi, head of the Interior Ministry’s Center for Foreign Nationals and Migrants Affairs, said around 20,000 Iranian employers have applied this year to hire foreign workers. Of these, about 6,000 requests have been approved and processed in coordination with the ministries of labor and foreign affairs.
Under the new framework, work visas are issued only to Afghan household heads and do not permit them to bring their families to Iran. Once a visa is issued, workers may remain in Iran for up to nine months, after which they must return to Afghanistan for three months before becoming eligible to re-enter and resume work, provided legal requirements are met.
Yarahmadi said the policy aims to balance labor market needs with social and economic considerations, adding that priority for job vacancies is first given to Iranian workers through an online system. Foreign workers are considered only if no Iranian applicants come forward within 15 days.
He emphasized that Afghan workers must be legally insured, taxed and registered, warning that those who enter Iran illegally for work will be detained and deported.
