The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced that Lebanon’s Council of Ministers has extended the waiver for Syrian students for the 2026-2027 academic year, allowing them to enroll in public and private education while their families complete procedures to regularize their residency status.

UNHCR said enrollment would follow the criteria applied during the previous academic year.

According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education, returning non-Lebanese students may enroll in Lebanese public schools or secondary schools provided they meet the following criteria:

• The student must have attended a Lebanese public school or secondary school for at least four consecutive years.
• The student must hold a valid legal residency permit issued by Lebanon’s General Directorate of General Security or a valid card issued by UNHCR.

UNHCR explained that families seeking to benefit from the waiver must provide proof that they have begun procedures to regularize their residency status with the General Directorate of General Security. The waiver allows students to enroll while residency procedures for the student, their parents, or their legal guardians are being completed.

According to UNHCR, the waiver applies across educational pathways, including public schools operating morning and afternoon shifts, private schools, secondary education, technical and vocational education and training, and literacy and non-formal education programs.

The agency urged families to visit the nearest public school offering the appropriate shift, or contact the school where their children were enrolled during the previous academic year, and request enrollment.

For public technical and vocational education and training, prospective students should contact the relevant institute directly, according to UNHCR.

UNHCR noted that renewing legal residency in Lebanon on time is linked to access to basic services, including education and healthcare. It explained that residency can be regularized on several grounds, including a UNHCR certificate, sponsorship, study, employment, and property ownership, with requirements varying by residency category.

889,000 Syrians in Lebanon

According to UNHCR data, 889,625 Syrians had active records with the agency in Lebanon as of June 30, 2026, comprising 232,455 households.

They were distributed across four main regions: 286,316 people in the Bekaa, accounting for 32.2%; 278,523 in Beirut, or 31.3%; 238,808 in northern Lebanon, or 26.8%; and 85,978 in southern Lebanon, or 9.7%.

UNHCR noted that the Lebanese government suspended the registration of Syrian refugees in Lebanon in May 2015. The figures therefore reflect people with active records with the agency.

$100 for Each Person Returning From Lebanon to Syria

UNHCR previously announced a program supporting voluntary returns from Lebanon to Syria in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The program provides organized transport assistance and a one-time cash grant of $100 for each returning family member. Eligible families may also receive an additional one-time payment of $300 per household.

The program allows returnees to take up to eight cubic meters of belongings, in addition to their personal hand luggage.