Kuwait re-introduces work permit through commercial visa transfer system

Kuwait City, Sept 19(ANI): Kuwait will re-introduce a system, which would allow immigrants to obtain a work permit through transferring their commercial visa by next year.

The system was suspended during September to introduce amendments ensuring more stringent immigration criteria, the GulfNews reports.

Kuwait's Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour has introduced the new system over concerns that the continued immigration of unskilled workers could adversely affect the country's demographic composition.

It is a part of the overall objective to reduce the number of unskilled foreign workers.

"Work is currently underway to introduce new controls and conditions for obtaining commercial visas which can prevent violations in the process of turning visas into work permits. The revamped procedure is expected to be allowed again by January 1, 2012," a Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (MSAL) official said.

According to the official, the present criteria requiring commercial visa applicants to hold a university degree was inadequate, and was misused by several expatriates.

"A lot of cases were discovered of people without any academic qualifications being able to obtain commercial visas and then turning them into work permits," he said.

The group of unskilled labourers currently comprises a substantial proportion of the population, the official said.

Kuwait's 3.3 million population includes 2.2 million foreigners.(ANI)