International labour office geneva

International migration agreements signed by Egypt 

Regarding bilateral agreements, Egypt has a number of them with Libya, Sudan, 

Qatar and Jordan that regulate the right of entry, movement, ownership, and work. Some of 

these agreements, such as those with Sudan and Libya are reciprocal. However, as revealed 

by interviews, the four freedoms agreement signed between Egypt and Sudan is not fully 

implemented

6

 as stated by officials. For example, the Sudanese are allowed to own 

buildings and land in Egypt, whereas Sudan still does not provide the same treatment for 

Egyptian migrants. Egyptian officials stated that Egypt abides by its agreement 

determining the status of Sudanese refugees, as well as other refugees as determined by the 

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Existing studies show that 

Egypt does not always meet its obligations under this agreement (Hilal and Samy, 

2008).The four freedoms agreement with Sudan is the only one of its kind on detailed 

migration bilateral agreements to be signed by Egypt, perhaps because the Sudanese 

represent the largest immigrant community in Egypt, estimated at around 3–5 million. 

There are also agreements with Libya and Jordan. The agreement with Libya remained 

modest and emphasized the need for cooperation. The agreement with Jordan is not 

reciprocal and focuses mainly on managing the flows of Egyptian emigrants to Jordan. 

None of these agreements mention explicitly irregular migration, although in fact they 

were mainly enacted to manage irregular migration. For example, among the provisions of 

one of the agreements, it was stated that it is the role of GOE to enhance awareness among 

Egyptian migrant labour on the conditions of work and living in Jordan. Another provision 

emphasizes that Egyptian migrant labour must hold a valid work permit issued by 

Jordanian authorities. Efforts undertaken to renew such agreements are taking place, 

including the recent renewal of agreements with Jordan, Qatar and Libya. 

Past efforts used to depend on official bilateral agreements. For example, between 

1974 and 1993, Egypt signed labour migration agreements with 11 countries. However, 

such agreements were less successful compared to the informal arrangements undertaken 

 

5