For refugees who are not registered with UNHCR, an additional requirement includes a „pledge of responsibility”. This commitment can be either a sponsorship for an individual work permit by a Lebanese person, or a collective commitment by a registered entity hiring a certain number of Syrian nationals.63 Syrians in Lebanon are currently only allowed to work in three sectors: agriculture, construction, and the environment (formerly known as „cleansing”). Asked about these restrictions, a government official said: „These are the selected areas because Lebanon sees the need for these areas and because Syrians are experts in these areas. 64 This classist notion of who a „Syrian” is and the work he or she can do can be partly explained by the fact that Lebanon has long relied on the presence of a large low-wage Syrian workforce.65 Although exact figures are not available, estimates for the early 2000s claimed that Syrians made up between 20 and 40 percent of the Lebanese workforce.66 Difficulties, The number of Syrian refugees who do not have valid legal status in Lebanon has led to a drastic increase in the number of Syrian refugees who do not have valid legal status in Lebanon. One study suggests that the proportion of Syrian households without valid residence has steadily increased from 9% in January 2015 to over 61% at the end of July 2015. [80] Another study estimates that 70 percent of Syrian refugees in Lebanon did not have legal residence in the country in 2015. [81] The situation of Palestinian refugees from Syria is much worse. As of September 2015, 90 percent did not have valid residence documents.82 Without a valid residence permit, refugees violate Lebanese law and can be detained by the security services and forcibly returned to Syria in accordance with the Entry and Exit Law. Inter-Agency Coordination Lebanon, Monthly Protection Dashboard, April 2015; Amnesty International, New Entry Requirements for Syrians Likely to Block Möchtegern-Flüchtlinge, London, öffentliche Erklärung, Amnesty International, 2015, abrufbar unter: www.amnesty.eu/content/assets/public_statements/Lebanon_New_entry_requirements_for_Syrians_likely_to_block_would-be_refugees.pdf (zuletzt besucht am 1. Oktober 2016).

UNHCR, Syria Regional Refugee Response: Lebanon, Inter-agency Information Sharing Portal, undatiert, verfügbar unter: data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/country.php?id=122 (zuletzt besucht am 1. October 2016); Norwegian Refugee Council and International Rescue Committee, Legal Status of Refugees from Syria: Challenges and Consequences of Maintain Legal Stay in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC), Juni 2015, verfügbar unter: www.refworld.org/docid/56cabc8c4.html (zuletzt besucht am 1. October 2016). One aspect of this policy of dissociation was Miqati`s application of the term „expelled” („nazihoun” in Arabic) as legitimate terminology instead of „refugees” („lajioun”). The government fundamentally rejects the integration of refugees and does not see itself as a country of asylum, but as a country of transit. [13] One explanation for this lies in the strong association of „refugees” with the Palestinians; „Displaced” then appears as an indication of a less permanent status.14 However, the use of this term can also be seen as an attempt to circumvent all the obligations and privileges to which these people are entitled by virtue of their refugee status.15 As one government official explained to me, „From the government`s point of view, the refugee is more difficult because he has rights. Displaced people have fewer rights. 16 Such statements point to a difficult and complicated relationship between Lebanon and the international refugee regime, although Lebanon is not a party to the main refugee protection instruments. However, as this article seeks to show, the Lebanese government views the growing number of Syrian refugees in the country as a serious threat to security, political, economic and social stability and has enacted laws and policies that treat Syrian refugees as undesirable foreigners. Before they imposed the residence permit [new regulations], I was very careful before renewing my papers legally. By nature, I like to be the law [to do everything legally], and I like to give everything its right, legally.

But when they imposed sponsorship, it was difficult for us and we couldn`t do it and yet I try to do it because I like to respect the law. Syrian refugees entering Lebanon through an official border point with a valid Syrian national identity card or passport received an „entry coupon” and an „entry stamp” that granted them legal residency for an initial period of six months (free of charge) and could be extended for another six months free of charge.44 After one year, Syrian refugees were forced to revoke their residence permits at a cost of USD 200 per person per year to extend 15 or more. While those who stay in Lebanon in violation of the Entry and Exit Law, for example through unofficial entry or expiration of legal residence, would be arrested, prosecuted and deported, those who enter Lebanon illegally could, in principle, legalize their presence by paying a high fee. [45] In the early stages of Syrian expulsion, Lebanon was protected by human rights groups and UNHCR praised its open borders and non-stockpiling policy. [7] On closer inspection, however, he suggests that this policy was not the result of a specific and deliberate approach by the government towards Syrian refugees, but rather symptomatic of the current political impasse. This stalemate within constitutional institutions has paralyzed public policy on the displacement of Syrians and, in fact, left the government without any strategy to respond to the influx of refugees in the early stages of Syrian displacement. This, in turn, has provoked varied and sometimes contradictory reactions within government agencies and communities.8 The Lebanese government turns a blind eye because the government knows that it is necessary for it to work to avoid committing crimes. They have two choices: work illegally or commit crimes. 106 Human Rights Watch, Lebanon: Least 45 Local Curfews Impose on Syrian Refugees, New York: Human Rights Watch, 2014, available on www.hrw.org/news/2014/10/03/lebanon-least-45-local-curfews-imposed-syrian-refugees (last accessed 1. October 2016); Lebanese Centre for Human Rights, Conclusions and Recommendations on the National Conference on the Rights of Syrian Refugees, including the Most Vulnerable Groups, Beirut, Lebanese Centre for Human Rights, 2014, available at: www.rightsobserver.org/files/Conclusions_and_recommendations_of_the_conference_EN.pdf (last visited 1 October 2016). Many Syrian refugees are unable to produce the documents required by the new regulations. Most have no formal leases or means to prove they have the financial means to live in Lebanon.70 In many cases, local councils have decided not to register leases signed by Syrians.

[71] Although a study conducted in 2014, prior to the recent regulatory changes, found that almost all leases for Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Beirut governorates were informal arrangements, which contained no contracts, 72 A recent study found that up to 82 percent of Syrian refugees who pay rent do not have a written lease with their landlords, especially in the low-cost housing market. [73] And for those who are able to provide all the necessary documents and pay the necessary fees, their application to renew their residence permit may be refused by General Security. for reasons that are often unclear.