Kuwait
Around 4,013 such expatriates were forced out of the work market in Kuwait in the first six months of enforcing the ban, Al Qabas newspaper reported recently. Image Credit: Gulf News archive

Cairo: Kuwait’s labour authorities will allow automatic transfer of iqamas (residency permits) for expatriates who turn 60 after a controversial ban on their employment has recently been scrapped, according to a local newspaper.

The iqama transfer for this category of expatriates who hold no university degree will be allowed via the website of the Public Authority of Manpower (PAM) on condition that the employer will provide an approval and the applicant presents a mandatory health insurance document, Al Anba reported citing a PAM source.

“The authority conducts online renewal of [work] permits for this category without delay if they meet the conditions,” the source added.

Last week, Kuwait allowed expatriates aged 60 and above who hold no university degree to apply for renewing their work permits according to new rules that have ended a months-long ban on their employment.

The new system obligates those expatriates to pay an annual fee of KD250 per person and get comprehensive health insurance as conditions for work permit renewal.

Exempted are spouses and children of Kuwaiti citizens and Palestinian holders of travel documents.

Last October, the Kuwaiti Legal Advice and Legislation Department invalidated the ban, saying it had no legal basis.

The Cabinet-linked department said the ban had been issued by PAM director-general without authorisation.

The ban, which went into effect last year, triggered an outcry among rights activists, who argued that it affected thousands of expatriates and their families who long lived in Kuwait.

Around 4,013 such expatriates were forced out of the work market in Kuwait in the first six months of enforcing the ban, Al Qabas newspaper reported recently.

Critics also said the restriction also harmed many employers and destabilised the labour market in Kuwait, robbing it of experienced workers.