Kuwait to limit residence visa transfers to university graduates
Kuwait will limit the current transfer of business visit visas to residence permits at the end of this month, a senior labour official has said.
“The ministry will stop the systematic processing of applications to transfer business visit visas and starting April 1, only foreigners who have university degrees will be allowed to change their visas into residence permits,” Mohammad Al Kandari, the labour ministry undersecretary, said. “Applications were accepted in the past for the sake of companies’ manpower requirements, but under the new labour law, there can be no exceptions,” he was quoted as saying by Kuwaiti daily Al Shahed.
Applicants who seek to transfer their business visit visas must include a copy of their university degree to have their application processed, Al Kandari said.
Kuwait has launched a massive campaign to reform its labour market, eliminate “marginal” labourers and scrap the controversial sponsorship system.
More than two million foreigners live in Kuwait, mainly from Asian labourers in the booming construction sector and domestic helpers.
