Iran Launches Online System for Hiring Foreign Workers

Iranian authorities have launched an online platform to manage the employment status of foreign nationals in the country. According to local media reports, the new system, accessible at eatba.mcls.gov.ir, allows Iranian employers to submit their applications for hiring foreign workers through a digital portal.

At this stage, employers seeking to hire non-Iranian workers, particularly Afghans, are required to use this system to obtain official work permits. Once an application is submitted, administrative procedures will begin to review the applicant’s residency and employment status.

Although Iran has long been a key destination for Afghan labor migration, its administrative infrastructure for regulating the migrant labor market has frequently faced criticism. With the digitization of the work permit process, Iranian officials aim to exert more control over the employment conditions of foreign nationals.

This development comes as thousands of Afghans in Iran continue to live under challenging economic conditions without valid residency documents or official work permits. Human rights organizations have repeatedly called for improved treatment of Afghan migrant workers in Iran, but concrete measures have been scarce. Moreover, pressures from the Taliban regime within Afghanistan have made labor migration to Iran an urgent necessity for many Afghans.