Kuwait City: On Monday, the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) will begin implementing the decision to stop renewing residency permits for expats above the age of 60 who hold a secondary degree or below, Al Qabas reported.
The decision will be enforced without any exemptions as the country is keen on addressing the demographic imbalance that has resulted in non-Kuwaitis making up 70 per cent of Kuwait’s population.
The source pointed out that although the decision will be strictly implemented, those who are above the age of 60 but hold a university degree will not be required to leave the country as long as they have a family, a valid work permit or own a commercial business.
In addition, a family member can sponsor his/her parents under the family visa law.
Drop in number of expats
While the majority of Kuwait’s population is made up of non-Kuwaitis, many have left during the COVID-19 pandemic for several reasons from the crackdown on illegal permit holders to many losing their jobs due to repercussions of the lockdown and travel bans.
Prior to the pandemic, it was estimated that there were around 3.3 million expats residing in Kuwait. That number has gone down in recent months, according to official figures reported by Al Rai, to around 2.65 million.
There are around 365,000 expats stranded abroad due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, of which 147,000 residency permits have expired.
In addition, the government is cracking down on illegal permit holders and has stated that the grace period will not be extended. The Ministry of Interior stated that those who have not amended their residencies will need to leave Kuwait once the airport opens on January 2.