Review of Foreign Investment Issues, Migration, and Population Management and Organization in the 7th Development Plan Bill
Abstract
The Seventh Development Plan is the country’s roadmap for the next five years. Given the importance of immigration to and from Iran, this law has established provisions in this regard. It seems that this law addresses immigration more than any previous development plans, attempting to cover various aspects of this phenomenon and different groups of immigrants, though many deficiencies remain. The Seventh Development Plan, by addressing topics such as “foreign investment,” “establishment of a national migration organization,” “creating a unified database on migrant and foreign national information,” and “health tourism,” shows attention to the diverse aspects of this phenomenon. However, the support provided is quite limited.
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Foreign Investment in the Seventh Development Plan Law: The Seventh Development Plan emphasizes the importance of attracting foreign investment for economic growth. However, the plan lacks concrete strategies and mechanisms to support this goal. While Article 101 touches on economic diplomacy and visa facilitation for foreign traders, overall support for foreign investors is minimal. Given Iran’s potential to attract investments from neighboring countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq, more focused planning is needed from the government and parliament.
Establishing the National Migration Organization to Organize Foreign Nationals in Iran: Article 86 of Iran’s Seventh Development Plan mandates the formation of a National Migration Organization to regulate foreign nationals. Although the bill has not been fully approved by parliament, the Ministry of Interior has semi-officially launched the organization since 2022. The plan also requires the Ministry to submit a detailed bill outlining the structure and duties of this new body.
Establishing a Centralized Migrant and Foreign Nationals Database: The plan calls for a unified online database of all migrants in Iran to streamline services and management, but implementation is complex due to multiple involved agencies.
Health Tourism: Iran aims to boost health tourism revenue to €6 billion under its Seventh Development Plan. However, the plan lacks clear strategies to achieve this. Despite strong medical capabilities, Iran lags behind regional competitors like Turkey. The Ministry of Health is encouraged to take further steps, including easing licensing, promoting services abroad, and forming medical partnerships with neighboring countries.
This study was conducted at Diaran by Rezgar Salimi in 2023.
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