Part of the reason for the lack of realistic figures is because many of the Iranians looking for employment apparently arrive as tourists on 15-day visas, then stay on without obtaining work or residence permits.
Iranians who want to work in Iraqi Kurdistan have to pass through various, time consuming bureaucratic hoops to get work or residency permits. Part of this process involves foreigners registering with the local security forces known as the Asayesh, the Iraqi Kurdish intelligence service.
The Iranian Kurds in Iraq say that they have to wait a long time to get any permits, if indeed they get one at all. They may have to return to application offices several times and often permits are only temporary, lasting just one to six months before a return visit is required. Even if they get one, they say they will often still be summoned for questioning with the Asayesh.
Given staunch Kurdish nationalism, which says that all those of Kurdish ethnicity, whether they're from Iran, Turkey, Syria or Iraq are welcome, it can be hard to understand why the Asayesh would harass Iranian Kurdish workers.
“One of the main reasons for this is a fear of terrorism,” suggests local journalist, Zanko Ahmad, who is based in Sulaymaniyah. “According to the Asayesh an Iranian was involved in bombings in Erbil in August last year.”
“The Asayesh don't always act logically,” says another local journalist based in Erbil. “They may just be worried about any strangers.”
Interviews conducted by Human Rights Watch with Iranians seeking some kind of asylum in Iraq – as opposed to migrant workers – suggest that the Asayesh also think Iranians in their region could be spies. Activists seeking refuge in Iraqi Kurdistan also say security forces have told them not to cause any trouble there, for fear of offending the Iranian regime.
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