SALMIYA – Kuwait’s parliament is set to deliberate on a proposed law that could have stringent penalties for foreign nationals overstaying their residency, including imprisonment for up to one year and fines reaching as high as KD2,000.
According to Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai, the draft law dictates that individuals overstaying their residency will be subjected to a KD2 fine per day, doubling after the first month of the violation.
The draft legislation further stipulates that individuals arriving in Kuwait on a visit visa can only stay for a maximum of three months and upon the visa expiration, they must leave the country unless granted a residency permit by the Interior Ministry.
The law also enshrines to imposition of a KD3,000 penalty on foreigners caught working in violation of residency regulations.
Kuwait has recently ramped up efforts to tackle the issue of illegal foreign residents, warning that even expatriates harboring unlawful residents will face deportation. Current estimates suggest approximately 150,000 illegal residents in the country and the government warns that individuals or companies in Kuwait employing illegal residents may face charges for unlawfully sheltering and concealing them.
In a recent security crackdown, the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry reported the arrest of 209 foreigners for violating residency and labor laws. Though the country hosts around 3.2 million foreigners, calls have been made in the past to limit foreign employment citing that the workers have strained the country’s infrastructure.
Located in the northeastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, Kuwait is a small yet influential country bordering Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Islam is the predominant religion, with the majority following Sunni Islam. Known for its vast oil reserves, Kuwait boasts one of the world’s highest per capita incomes, largely driven by its petroleum-based economy. The nation has made significant strides in economic development, establishing itself as a regional financial hub with a thriving oil industry, contributing to its status as a high-income economy in the Middle East.
