The First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Public Authority for Manpower, Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled, about 4 years after its conclusion has directed that measures be taken to suspend the memorandum of understanding signed between Kuwait and Egypt regarding linking workforce systems electronically.
A local Arabic daily said minister Al-Khaled stressed that there is no need for automatic linking with any external party, including this agreement and sources close to the issue said this step is “aimed at containing visa traders and brokers of fake companies,” in the context of broader steps to regulate the labor market and control demographic imbalances.
Al-Khaled, affirmed in his decision that there is “no need for automatic linking with any external party, including the aforementioned memorandum of understanding,” of which Article 3 obliges the first party, represented by the Egyptian government, establishing an electronic service for exchanging information with Kuwait, based on the agreed requirements, that includes data of job seekers on the part of the first party and those wishing to work in Kuwait, along with the CV of the worker according to the professions and the number of employees required by the second party (Kuwait).
The memorandum allowed, according to the electronic nominations for available job opportunities offered by the employer wishing to employ labor from the first party, to review the available data, provided that the labor is capable of performing the required professions and has the appropriate experience to work in the profession offered by the employer, and according to For the tests carried out for employment in the presence of a representative of the employer and other requirements.
The source added that the transactions of contracts, work permits, and visas for Egyptian workers have recently been checked, to see how they relate to real and not fake jobs, to combat residency trafficking and stop bulk and marginal workers from entering the country.
He pointed out that the Kuwaiti embassy in Egypt set 8 requirements for issuing a work visa for Egyptian workers coming to Kuwait, including a fee of $100 as the original cash deposit and the original valid medical examination issued through registration on the unified Gulf platform to examine workers wishing to travel to the GCC countries.
Eight conditions for granting a visa
— A valid passport
— A clean criminal record issued with a date after the issuance of the visa
— A valid entry visa that matches the passport
— Work contract ratifications from the competent authorities in both countries
— The original certificate of the central laboratories
— Taking into account that the work contract is dated and issued by the Foreign Ministry
— The original medical examination issued by the unified Gulf platform
— The $100 cash deposit slip issued by the National Bank of Kuwait.
Contents of the suspended memorandum are:
■ An Egyptian electronic service for exchanging data of job seekers in Kuwait
■ The number of jobs required to be covered in Kuwait according to the available professions
■ Receiving the data of the selected opportunities and workers and the data of the contract and its type
■ Providing Egyptian workers capable of working according to the required professions
■ Electronic summons and personal interviews according to the required specifications
■ Educate the Egyptian workers recruited for work through the guidance system