Cairo: Kuwait plans to set up a platform to address cases of thousands of illegal foreign residents in the country, according to a local newspaper.
The mechanism was agreed at a meeting held earlier this week attended by ministers of the interior and justice as well as senior manpower officials to discuss the issue of illegal workers in the private sector and upgrade work quality, Al Rai reported, citing close sources.
“The green light was given to initiate the platform to tackle the status of illegal residents working in the private sector,” the sources said.
The targeted categories will include illegals whose employers are unable to have their residency permits renewed, those whose employers have terminated their enterprises and other segments that will be specified after a related study is finalised, the sources added.
“The platform will deal with everyone whose status is eligible for readjustment according to laws in force,” they said.
No date was given for the platform to go operational. Al Rai estimated the numbers of illegal residents at tens of thousands.
In recent years, Kuwait has repeatedly offered grace periods to illegal migrants to rectify their status.
