Thousands of Rohingya refugees living in India remain trapped in a cycle of economic hardship and legal uncertainty, as the absence of formal refugee recognition blocks access to employment, financial services and basic protections.
Human rights advocates warn that the situation reflects a broader regional failure to address the protracted displacement of the Rohingya people, who fled systematic persecution in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
India is estimated to host around 40,000 Rohingya refugees who escaped waves of violence and persecution in Myanmar. Many live in informal settlements near major urban centers such as New Delhi, Hyderabad and Jammu, where they survive largely on precarious informal labor.
According to reporting by the independent outlet Maktoob Media, Rohingya families say the absence of government-issued identity documents effectively excludes them from India’s formal economy.
Structural Barriers to Work and Livelihoods
For many Rohingya refugees, the inability to obtain legal documentation has created a near-total barrier to stable employment.
Sohail Khan, a 33-year-old Rohingya refugee living in the Shaheen Bagh area of New Delhi, once aspired to pursue a professional career after studying psychology. Instead, he now runs a small handicraft stall after years of failed attempts to secure stable employment.
Like many Rohingya refugees, Khan says employers routinely reject job applications when applicants cannot provide government-issued identification.
India does not have a national refugee law and is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol. As a result, Rohingya refugees rely primarily on identification cards issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
However, these documents often carry limited practical recognition within India’s employment and financial systems.
Amina Khatoon, a Rohingya mother of three who has lived in India for more than a decade, says employers frequently demand national identification numbers such as Aadhaar before offering work.
Without such documentation, she said, obtaining stable employment is nearly impossible.
Informal Labor and Exploitation Risks
As a result, many Rohingya refugees are pushed into the informal economy, working as daily wage laborers in construction, scrap collection and street vending.
Abdullah, another Rohingya resident in Delhi, says he is typically hired for only a few days of casual work each month, leaving his family dependent on unpredictable income from multiple small jobs.
Researchers and humanitarian workers warn that this legal exclusion exposes Rohingya refugees to significant risks of labor exploitation.
Mohd Zubair, a Rohingya laborer, described incidents in which employers refused to pay wages after discovering he lacked official documentation.
Because Rohingya refugees cannot obtain government-recognized identity documents, most are also unable to open bank accounts or use digital payment platforms that increasingly dominate India’s economy.
This financial exclusion forces many families to rely entirely on cash-based transactions, limiting their ability to save money, access credit or build economic stability.
Fear of Detention and Deportation
Beyond economic hardship, Rohingya refugees in India also live with persistent fear of detention or deportation.
Human rights organizations have documented multiple cases in which Rohingya individuals were detained by Indian authorities despite holding refugee identification cards issued by the United Nations.
Advocates argue that the lack of legal clarity surrounding refugee protections contributes to an environment of constant insecurity.
This climate of uncertainty discourages refugees from investing in small businesses, education or long-term livelihoods, trapping many families in cycles of poverty.
A Regional Crisis Without Durable Solutions
Experts say the situation highlights a deeper regional policy vacuum surrounding the Rohingya crisis.
Since the mass displacement triggered by the 2017 Rohingya Exodus, more than one million Rohingya refugees remain scattered across South and Southeast Asia, primarily in Bangladesh but also in countries including India, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Despite repeated international calls for accountability, Myanmar’s military authorities have yet to create conditions for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of Rohingya refugees.
Human rights groups argue that host countries, regional organizations and the international community must develop more coherent protection frameworks for Rohingya refugees, including legal status, access to livelihoods and protection from arbitrary detention.
Without such measures, advocates warn, stateless Rohingya communities will continue to face systemic marginalization across the region—deepening one of Asia’s most enduring humanitarian and human rights crises.
