On the heels of the decision to halt the issuance a work permits for those 60 years and over, and holding a high school diploma or less, which will enter into effect early next year, thousands of residents of this category are mulling transferring to family residency visas as a way out, Al Rai daily reported.
The Director General of the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), Ahmed Al-Mousa, confirmed to “Al-Rai” that “the authority is continuing to implement the decision,” indicating that “it has given a period to for the target group of the decision to amend their legal status and make arrangements, as the decision will not be applied to them until after the end of their residency visa in the year 2021. He asserted that those who have work permits will remain in effect after the implementation of the decision from January 1, 2021 until their expiration date, but there will be no renewal for them.
Al-Mousa explained that “the decision does not prevent this segment from modifying its legal status in accordance with the residency law, such as applying for residency visa of a partner or a family visa and others, but this decision does not include any exceptions from the application of its provisions.”
He remarked, “this decision was issued after a thorough study by the authority according to the statistics available, as it targets a specific segment who hold a high school diploma or less, and the group which does not have the necessary qualifications,” noting that the decision does not include expatriate workers who hold a post-secondary diploma or further qualifications.
Adding, this decision is in line with the authority’s directions towards classifying professions in light of the powers granted to it in this regard, as the target group is involved in activities and professions that are not compatible with the different skills necessary for certain professions.
Regarding the transfer from the residency permit to family visa to the private work sector, Al-Mousa said that it is prohibited for transferring the family visa to work in the private sector, and this decision excludes some groups of a special nature, which are the following categories: spouses and children of Kuwaiti women, wives of Kuwaitis, and those born in Kuwait, and Palestinians who hold documents in addition to those who hold a diploma above secondary school or higher of educational institutions in Kuwait.
He pointed out that this comes within the authority’s competencies in issuing regulations for the rules and procedures for granting permission to work, estimating labor needs and how workers change from one employer to another, as well as the state’s efforts towards controlling and addressing the demographic imbalance, and for all government agencies to take actions – according to its competence – to address this defect.