Kuwait: No changes to visit visa rules despite violations
Visitors and sponsors face deportation over overstaying
Cairo: Kuwait is unlikely to suspend the issuance of visit visas for working expatriates’ families despite recent violations that prompted deportations, according to a Kuwaiti media report.
Al Anba newspaper, citing a security source, reported that authorities will neither halt such visas nor change rules that prohibit converting them into residency for labour.
“Expatriates have signed pledges that they will not request the visit visa be turned into an employment residency or a dependency visa. Therefore, they are committed to their pledges,” the source said. Authorities will firmly deal with breaches of the related rules, the source added.
Earlier this week, the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry announced deportations of a new group of visitors and their sponsors for violating the regulations.
The ministry said the visitor and the sponsors will be held accountable for overstaying the visa duration.
The ministry added that it will continue to “take all necessary legal measures” against the violators – visitors and sponsors alike. It urged visitors to the country to abide by the specified visit duration and leave the country in due time to avoid legal accountability.
The latest deportations come days after the ministry announced deporting female expatriates, who were allowed to bring in their spouses and children on family visit visas; but in violation of the rules, they overstayed them.
In February, Kuwaiti authorities announced reopening registration for family visit visas based on specific rules. Accordingly, this type of visas is granted to the father, mother, wife and children, provided the family head’s salary is at least KD400.
For other relatives, the family head’s salary must be at least KD800. Other stipulations include the availability of a round-trip ticket on airlines affiliated to the Kuwaiti national carrier, and a written pledge by the applicant that no request will be made to convert the visit visa into a residency permit, as well as pledges to abide by the visit duration and the visitor’s medical treatment at private hospitals.