kuwait expat news: Visa renewal fee for those over 60; Kuwaiti MPs call for reversal

Kuwait City: MPs have criticized the government for imposing a fee of 2,000 dinars on expatriates over the age of 60 and those without a degree to renew their visas. Members of Parliament Adnan Abdul Samad, Dr. Hamad al-Mathar strongly opposed the decision to withdraw the fee.

The government is not good at arguing

The MPs said the decision was taken without proper deliberation and the cabinet should be prepared to reconsider the decision. Abdul Samad MP said in a statement that the decision was not aimed at reforming the country’s population structure, as the government claims. He added that the law would only serve to exclude thousands of skilled expatriates from the Kuwaiti labor market.

It is enough to have health insurance

He said the decision to impose the fee was immature and unacceptable. Response of Hamad Al Mathar MP. He also demanded that the government refrain from undue interference in the private sector by imposing huge fees on those over 60 years of age. If the problem of the government is that they have to bear the medical liability of those over 60, then the government should make them part of the health insurance scheme accordingly. They may charge a decent amount for it. He also clarified that the government’s claim that a visa can be renewed on payment of 2000 dinars is illogical.

And the Chamber of Commerce in opposition

Meanwhile, the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce also issued a statement calling for the removal of the 2,000 – dinar fee for renewing visas for expatriates over the age of 60 in Kuwait. Mohammed al-Zakhar, chairman of the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce, has written to Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid seeking this. He said in a letter to the Prime Minister that skilled workers were being repatriated from the country following the implementation of the decision of the Public Authority of Manpower authorities to renew visas for those over 60 who have not graduated. This will significantly affect the commercial, industrial and manufacturing sectors of the country. He added that the return of those with decades of work experience would create a major crisis in the workplace. Local media reported that he had warned in the letter that if the decision to charge the fee was not withdrawn immediately, it would lead to major problems in the country’s economy.

More than 42,000 people have already left Kuwait

It is estimated that more than 40,000 expatriates left the country after the 60-year age limit for renewing visas for non-graduates in Kuwait. According to the Department of Human Resources, 42,334 people over the age of 60 have already left Kuwait. The return of many skilled and experienced people with no higher education has affected the labor market. The age limit decision came into effect from January 2021. The Manpower Authority has decided to charge a fee of 2,000 dinars for renewing work permits for those over 60 and undergraduates.