iraqis in jordan and the cost of return-part 27326

Catharsis/whatever he's calling himself now/an Iraqi blogger living in Jordan has a post on the Jordanian government cutting subsidies for fuel in the middle of what's been an especially harsh winter, not just for Jordan but the MENA region in general, causing heating costs to go through the roof. Meanwhile salaries were raised for government workers which, of course, doesn't help a lot of people including Iraqis living entirely off their savings there. At the same time fines for Iraqis overstaying their visa limits were dropped (or reduced??) to encourage them to return(these would have been paid upon their exit from the Kingdom.) However, there seem to be a few exceptions that were never subject to them:

There is a category of Iraqis in Jordan that have legal residency permits that enable them to travel and return again to Jordan whenever they want.
Part of that category is represented by Iraqi businessmen and investors that obtained legal residency permits in Jordan after making deposits of 75 – 100 thousand U.S. dollars in bank accounts based in that country. The other portion of this category are Iraqis hired, according to formal contracts, by Jordanian, Arab, or International organizations that operate in Jordan, such as Iraqi physicians and college professors

Good to know-though not very surprising. Regardless, there doesn't appear to be any respite from arrest or deportation, the same post details the continuing crackdown on non-wealthy Iraqis trying to live in the Kingdom, and that some of their employers pre-emptively firing them in anticipation of being searched by Jordanian authorities. Last of Iraqis recently posted about another rejection by customs in Amman despite having the paperwork for his visit and intending to only stay briefly on the way to London, which is an old story but still a heartbreaking one and his post is very strongly recommended reading.

Like I mentioned in the post below, Refugees International has criticized the Iraqi government not only for not doing enough to assist its citizens but also encouraging neighbouring countries to close their borders. Meanwhile the government continues organizing buses for those that want to return from Syria, and is now offering to pay half your plane fare from Beirut. Money (and the lack of it) remains a main motivator for returnees, not a perception of reduced danger. Noah Merrill also points out that returnees are expected to be accompanied by government forces, which may also be a factor in fear of returning as many were originally displaced by militia members that had infiltrated the Iraqi forces.

Finally, Iraq's IDPs really don't get nearly enough attention so here's a brief report on some trying to survive in Sadr city. Angelina Jolie may or may not know they exist.