The Ministry of the Interior (MoI) intends to grant a grace period for residency visa violators to amend their status for a period of one month, starting on January 1, Al-Rai daily reported, quoting security sources
The security sources noted that the decision was due to the suspension of the Kuwait airport since December 21, and so far not many expats benefited from the last extension given by the Residency Affairs Sector, which ends on Thursday.
Commercial flights to and from Kuwait International Airport are suspended until January 2, 2021, announced the head of the Government Communication Center and the official spokesperson for the government, Tariq Al-Muzrim.
This decision was a response to reports of a possible outbreak of a new strain of the coronavirus, which began to spread in Britain and the countries of Europe.
Online Appointments
In November, MoI stated an online page for booking appointments for residency visa violators to amend their status was started on its website.
https://www.moi.gov.kw/main/eservices/residence/illegals-appointments
A one-month extension was granted till the end of December for residency visa violators to renew their residency visa without legal ramifications.
MoI stated that if a violator wishes to obtain a new residency visa, she or he will be able to pay fines without being referred to investigation authorities. The process starts by first making an appointment on the website for the relevant residence affairs department.
MoI stated that if an appointment is not available in the department of the area where the violator resides, the appointment can be transferred to another department, according to the availability of dates on the MoI website.
MoI added that if the violator is on the Domestic Workers visa (Article 20), and the sponsor is Kuwaiti, the visa renewal is through service centers, while the remaining visa renewals are at the residency affairs departments after making the appointments on the website.
MoI affirmed that online appointments are for violators of residency visas and entry visas of all kinds, specifically those whose residency or entry visas have expired, as of 1 January, 2020 and earlier.
Absconding Cases
To assist in the endeavor of reducing the residency visa violators, the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) is working to resolve thousands of absconding cases that are a hurdle for violators for paying fines and settling their status.
A responsible source at PAM assured Al-Rai daily that it is keen to fulfill its full responsibilities, and follow-up on labor complaints, including the absconding reports submitted to not only protect the rights of workers in the private sector, but also to ensure they fulfill their obligations towards employers within the framework of laws and decisions regarding the regulations determining the labor relationship.
On the issues of absconding cases that prevent some workers from adjusting their status within the time limit granted by MOI, the source clarified that the worker submits a complaint against the absconding report. However, the absconding report will not be removed without the employer’s consent to waive the report, and only if it is registered in the authority’s system, or if the worker falls under the exemptions for disputing an absconding report without the employer’s consent.
The source pointed out that submitting a complaint without the consent of the employer is allowed for the following categories: the wife of a Kuwaiti and Gulf citizen, the spouses and children of a Kuwaiti and Gulf citizen, and Palestinians who hold legal documents, who have a court ruling in the executive form, and when the worker is transferred from Article 18, a permit to work in the private sector to Article 22, or to a family visa, on condition they have a family in Kuwait.