No amnesty on horizon – Residency violators given chance to legalize status!

KUWAIT: Expat residency violators who are arrested will now be given an opportunity to legalize their status and remain in the country instead of being deported, a senior official at the Interior Ministry told Kuwait Times. Brig Gen Adel Al-Hashash, Head of Public Relations and Moral Guidance at the Ministry of Interior, also denied an amnesty was imminent. Usually, the Ministry of Interior issues an amnesty every two years or so to allow violators to leave the country without paying penalties or being banned from returning.

Previously when violating expats were arrested, they faced deportation without recourse and were then banned from entering the country again. “Now the violator can pay the penalties and transfer his visa to remain in Kuwait. Also, the ministry has set a maximum limit for the penalty for one year at KD 600 only instead of KD 730 previously, or KD 2 for each day,” added Hashash.

Director of the Kuwait Society for Human Rights (KSHR) Mohammed Al-Hamidi noted that this amendment of rules is in favor of expats. “We didn’t have many cases of visa violators as they were usually deported immediately. Also, the majority of the absconding cases were of maids or other laborers who work in other places for higher pay. For instance, a maid, instead of getting KD 60, works elsewhere and makes KD 120 or 130. And they were then waiting for the amnesty to leave,” he explained.

KSHR formed a special ‘expat labor’ committee more than a year ago. “Four attorneys work in this committee and receive complaints and cases from wronged expats – both domestic workers and other employees. We had cases of workers who were beaten and others who didn’t receive their salaries. We try to resolve their conflicts peacefully and get them their rights. Our service is free of charge,” concluded Hamidi.

Report By :Nawara Fattahova

Source Kuwait Times