Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Permanent Residence Permit

According to the website of the General Directorate of General Security of Lebanon, a permanent residence permit of three years can be granted to a foreigner or an Arab citizen provided an individual meets one of the following conditions:

1. The applicant is Lebanese or of Lebanese origin certified by official documents and holding a foreign or Arabic nationality.
2. The applicant is the son/daughter of a Lebanese mother.
3. The requester of the residence should be the wife of a Lebanese man or the husband of a Lebanese woman certifying the validity of the marriage and presenting a marriage certificate implemented according to the rules.
4. The applicant should certify that his monthly income is not less than five million Lebanese pounds [C$ 3,466 (XE 5 Nov. 2013a)] or its equivalent in foreign currency originating from financial transfers or retirement from abroad sufficient to support his living. He should also include an engagement before the Notary Public in which he commits not to perform any hireling jobs in Lebanon.
5. The applicant should prove by a saving passbook that he is the owner of an account of not less than three hundred million of Lebanese pounds [C$ 207,962 (XE 5 Nov. 2013b)] in one of the active Lebanese banks frozen for more than three months including an engagement before the Notary Public in which he commits not to perform any hireling jobs in Lebanon provided the inclusion of a photocopy of the savings passbook and certified by the chief of the General Security office in person.
6. The requester of the residence (he or she) should be a permanent or retired employee or worker in one of the embassies or international organization accredited in Lebanon, according to the request of the embassy or organization and until the end of the mission he is entrusted with.
7. The applicant is an Arab or foreign investor; the quality will be left to the assessment of the General Directorate of the General Security upon presentation of necessary documents. (Lebanon n.d.)

In order to obtain a permanent residence permit, an individual must submit to the regional department of the General Security the following:

• A passport valid for at least three years or a valid identity card with a return coupon if the applicant is Syrian;
• Two recent coloured 4 x 4 photo[graphs]. (ibid.)

The website of the General Directorate of General Security notes that individuals who are permanent or retired employees in one of the embassies or international organizations accredited in Lebanon may submit their applications to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ibid.). There is no application fee for applicants of Lebanese origin (ibid.). The application fee for other applicants varies from 900,000 [C$ 624 (XE 5 Nov. 2013c)] to 5,400,000 [C$ 3,744(XE 5 Nov. 2013d)] Lebanese pounds (ibid.).

According to the Lebanese Law Governing Foreigners, holders of a permanent residence card are entitled to enter Lebanon with a valid residence card "provided they also hold regulation passports authorising them to return to their country" (Lebanon 1962, Decree 10188, Art. 16). Article 12 notes that individuals with a permanent residence card may travel to and from Lebanon "several times" (ibid., Title III, Art. 12). The Law Governing Foreigners and the website of the General Directorate of General Security, both indicate that a holder of a permanent residence card loses his or her right to a permanent residence card if he or she resided outside of Lebanon for 12 months without interruption or for a total period of more than 18 months during three years (ibid. n.d.; ibid. 1962, Decree 10188, Art. 17). A copy of the Law Governing Foreigners is attached to this Response.

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Director of the Lebanese Emigration Research Center (LERC), an academic initiative of Notre Dame University dedicated to the study of migration (LERC n.d.), stated that the permanent residence permit in Lebanon is "not like" in the US; "[i]t is a temporary permission to stay in the country but [it] does not lead to citizenship or any long term residency" (LERC 8 Nov. 2013).

The Director further noted that in order to have access to social services (SS) in Lebanon, an individual "has to be registered with the SS through his [or] her employment" and has to "contribute regularly to the SS," as well as "work for a long period of time in order to have full benefits" (ibid.). According to the Director, "Lebanon does not have a welfare system per se" (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Renewal of Permanent Residence Permit

Article 15 of the Lebanese Law Governing Foreigners indicates that

[a]pplication[s] for the renewal of a residence card must be filed with the Directorate of the General Security, at least five days before the expiry of the validity period. In exceptional cases, the application may be received on the very day of expiry of the residence card.

Cards for annual or permanent residence are not renewable if their holders reside outside Lebanon. (Lebanon 1962, Decree 10188, Art. 15)

Further information on the permanent residence permit could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Lebanese Emigration Research Center (LERC). 8 November 2013. Correspondence from the Director to the Research Directorate.

_____. N.d. "About Us." <http://www.ndu.edu.lb/lerc/aboutus.htm> [Accessed 7 Nov. 2013]

Lebanon. 1962. Law Governing Foreigners. <http://209.200.107.14/english/law2_disp.asp?sublawcode=SUB544964121312101015&lawcode=LAW285108101168111016 &country=Lebanon> [Accessed 28 Oct. 2013]

_____. N.d. General Directorate of General Security. "Residence in Lebanon/Permanent Residence." <http://www.general-security.gov.lb/residency_in_leb/sub2.aspx> [Accessed 29 Oct. 2013]

XE. 5 November 2013a. "Currency Converter Widget." <http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=5000000&From=LBP&To=CAD> [Accessed 5 Nov. 2013]

_____. 5 November 2013b. "Currency Converter Widget." <http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=300000000&From=LBP&To=CAD> [Accessed 5 Nov. 2013]

_____. 5 November 2013c. "Currency Converter Widget." <http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=900000&From=LBP&To=CAD> [Accessed 5 Nov. 2013]

_____. 5 November 2013d. "Currency Converter Widget." <http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=5400000&From=LBP&To=CAD> [Accessed 5 Nov. 2013]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Attempts to contact the following organizations were unsuccessful within the time constraints of this Response: Lebanon – General Directorate of General Security.

A representative of the Embassy of Lebanon in Ottawa did not provide information within the time constraints of this Response.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Beirut Times; The Daily Star; ecoi.net; Factiva; Freedom House; Integrated Regional Information Networks; Lebanon – Embassies of Lebanon in Ottawa and Washington D.C., Lebanese Republic Portal, Ministry of the Interior and Municipalities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants; Lebanon Opportunities; Middle East Research and Information Project; Natlex; United Nations – Refworld, UN Relief and Works Agency; United States – Department of State; University of Oxford, Refugee Studies Centre.

Attachment

Lebanon. 1962. Law Governing Foreigners. <http://209.200.107.14/english/law2_disp.asp?sublawcode=SUB544964121312101015&lawcode=LAW285108101168111016 &country=Lebanon> [Accessed 28 Oct. 2013]