Dubai: Kuwait’s General Administration of Residence Affairs at the Ministry of Interior has rejected 1,165 applications for family visas on the first day of the implementation of new regulations.
Of the 1,800 applications received by departments of residency affairs across the country’s six governorates, only 635 have been approved. A total of 1,165 applications were rejected because they failed to meet the stipulated conditions.
Kuwait recently introduced major adjustments to the rules regarding obtaining residency visa for family members.
The changes to certain provisions in the executive regulations of the expats’ Residence Law have been made by Sheikh Fahad Al Yousef Al Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior
According to the revised article 29, newcomers applying for a dependent or family visa must now have a monthly salary of at least KD800 (Dh9,550), a university degree, and a profession relevant to the visa application.
However, the degree requirement has been scrapped for certain professions.
One of the groundbreaking changes includes the exemption of individuals aged 0-5, born in Kuwait or abroad, from the salary requirement if their parents are residing in Kuwait.
This exemption, however, is subject to the approval of the Director General of the General Administration of Residence Affairs.
The decision was made after numerous employees from the ministries of health, Justice and education resigned because their families are not residing with them in the country.
The rule, however, does not allow for the sponsorship of parents and siblings, and there are no exceptions to this rule.
