Friday, September 18, 2020
About 127,000 Expats lose Residency Permits of Kuwait, after failing to renew it online
According to a Kuwaiti newspaper, About 127,000 expatriates lost their residency permits for being abroad due to corona virus related travel restrictions.
The report said, it is due to laxity of expats for not renewing their iqamas or as a result of deliberate action by their sponsors or Kuwaiti government said a source in the newspaper.
- The Interior Ministry of Kuwait called expats staying abroad to speed up their iqama renewals online and offered them facilities, many of expats have not made their decisions, which were issued on humanitarian grounds. Read more : Kuwait Expatriates
- About 500,000 expatriates holding valid Kuwaiti residency permits still outside Kuwait. The Ministry of Interior in Kuwait recently decreed extending permits and visit visas for expats inside the country for 3 more months from September 1st.
- However, The ministerial decree does not apply to those who residency permits have expired as of September 1 said the Al Rai newspaper. The decree is only applicable to those whose iqama or visit permits have ended over the period from the beginning of the year until 31st August.
- Many expats whose iqamas expired after 1st September and did not apply for renewing it, believing that they will qualify for exemption. This decree not applicable to them they will have to pay fines, if caught, they will be exposed to deportation and ban from entering into the country in future.
- Kuwait has about 4.8 million population, out of which 3.4 million are Foreigners, Last month Kuwait suspended entry of travelers from 32 countries due to Covid-19, most of the countries are home countries of expats.
