New instructions issued and being implemented by the General Department of Residency Affairs, at the Ministry of Interior (MoI), states that if any member of an expatriate family is found to have violated the residency law, then renewal of residency permits of all members of the family will be held in abeyance, until the violation has been rectified.

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) also revealed that it intends to intensify security campaigns in all areas densely populated by expats, as well as in farms, livestock pens and industrial areas, after it was shown that there were more 120,000 expatriates who are proven to have violated the residency law, including members of expatriate families.

Unless the residency law violators, including those who arrived on visit visas, leave the country after the expiry of their visas or otherwise rectify their residency status, all residency related transactions of other members of the family will not be processed, explained a source at MoI.

The source cited as an example the case of some expatriate children on Article 22 visa under their mothers while their fathers were proven to have violated the Residency Law, indicating the residency of the children under the mother’s sponsorship will not be renewed until the father rectifies his status.

The source added the same applies to citizens whose domestic workers (Article 20) are found to have violated the residency law. The transactions of the citizen will in this case be held up until he rectifies the violation.

Urging expatriates to comply with the residency law, the source pointed out that the visit visa of the wife and children of an expatriate is valid for three months and is renewable, while that of the parents and siblings is valid for only one month and is non-renewable.


Read Today's News TODAY... on our Telegram Channel click here to join and receive all the latest updates t.me/thetimeskuwait