Syrian refugee Fawaz al-Jasem used to drop his tools and run when he saw police approaching the farm in northern Jordan where he has been picking vegetables for the past three years.

Now he works without fear of arrest.

He is among some 23,000 Syrians given work permits this year as part of Jordan's promise to the international community to put 50,000 refugees to work legally in 2016 in return for low-interest loans and easier access to European markets...