COVID-19: Bangladeshis call on government to help speed up Kuwait return

Kuwait City: A number of Bangladeshis have called on their government to establish diplomatic efforts to ensure their return to Kuwait, Al Qabas reported.

According to the Bangladeshis newspaper, Daily Star, a group of 50 Bangladeshis submitted a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment. They fear that their presence outside of Kuwait could result in their visas expiring and job losses, The Daily Star reported.

“I have an electronics and electrical shop in Kuwait. I have invested a lot of money; if I can’t return, I’ll lose the business,” Sabur Khan, one of the letter’s signatories, told the Daily Star.

Based on statistics from the embassy of Bangladesh, there are approximately 350,000 Bangladeshis in Kuwait.

Chance of return

Many expats have been stuck outside of the country after Kuwait halted commercial travel back in March 12.

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Ministry of Interior issued a decision that those who have a valid residency visa and are outside the country, have 12 months to return instead of six.

Although the Kuwait International Airport resumed commercial flight on August 1, a ban has been placed on travels arriving from 31 countries, one of which is Bangladesh. The ban does not target ones’ nationality, rather the origin of their destination. Those that are looking to enter Kuwait must spend 14 days in a non banned country, prior to their arrival to Kuwait.

On Friday, the Ministry of Interior announced a three-phase plan for expatriates looking to return to Kuwait.

The first phase will include medical professionals, judges, members of the public prosecution and teachers. The second stage will include those that have families residing in the country and those with a valid family residency permit (Article 22). Then the third and final stage will allow the remaining expats who want to return to the country.