Great happy news for expatriates; Kuwait to resume family visa issuance
The Ministry of Interior temporarily suspended the issuance of family visas along with visit and tourist visas in August
FollowBringing relief to expatriates, Kuwait will soon resume the issuance of family visas which had been suspended since August this year. According to media reports, the first phase will cover children, and then the process will be extended to parents and wives.
The Ministry of Interior, which deals with the country's internal affairs, will finalise the criteria based on which the new visas will be issued. The reports say that the salary cap of the sponsor is likely to be fixed at KD 500 or Rs 1.32 lakh.
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The ministry suspended the issuance of family visas along with visit and tourist visas in August. This move was reportedly taken to implement a new regulatory framework, but it had created a vulnerable situation for expats, especially Indians.
According to a report, the ministry wanted to 'set specific controls and procedures in this regard in a way that harmonises efforts to modify the demographics and preserve the rights of residents to reunite with their families according to specific controls'. And the salary cap will not be applicable for infants and for humanitarian considerations.
Kuwait is reportedly making the criteria for family visas more stringent in view of the increasing number of foreigners in the country. The ministry is yet to declare its decision on issuing tourist and visit visas. It has been recommended to the Ministry to increase the salary cap for issuing visas, but that too is still not finalised.
According to media reports, the ministry is likely to raise the minimum salary requirement for issuing family/dependent visas to KD 800 (Rs 2,06,404), which will be a blow to many Indians working in the country.
Currently, expatriates constitute approximately 34 lakh of Kuwait's total population of 46 lakh. Of this, Indians come to around 10 lakh, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
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