Lebanon imposes visa restrictions on Syrians

Lebanon started early this week imposing entry visas restrictions on Syrians fleeing the civil war in their country.
"The step is meant to stop the influx of Syrian refugees into Lebanon and limit it to the humanitarian cases," Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas told KUNA.
He pointed out that the measure was taken after the number of Syrians seeking refuge in Lebanon ballooned to 1.5 million.
"The situation in Lebanon has reached an unprecedented critical point, due to the hosting of the biggest number of Syrian refugees in the world," Derbas said.
"The presence of this huge number of refugees impacted the economic and social situation and started to threaten the country's stability." He described the refugees' burden as "backbreaking".
"Poverty rate is steadily growing, and there are over one million Lebanese who live under the poverty line," he clarified.
Derbas unveiled that the new measure started to bear fruit and significantly reduced the number of Syrians entering Lebanon.
The Lebanese Public Security Department has announced that as of Monday, Syrians seeking to enter Lebanon have to provide documentation identifying their reason for being in Lebanon.
It added that the categories of visas Syrians can apply for include tourism, business, medical treatment and work. Applicants who own property in Lebanon will also be granted visas.
Syrians coming to work in Lebanon will also have to be sponsored by a Lebanese individual or company.
The latest UNHCR figures show a total of 3.2 million Syrians registered as refugees, including 1.1 million in Lebanon.
The Syrian refugees in Lebanon are putting a huge strain on the country's infrastructure, resources and labor market.