KUWAIT: The Ministry of Interior demands that expatriate labor forces be given the option of issuing work permits that would be valid for a maximum of five years, which would help curb cases of 'visa trafficking' in addition to easing the pressure on the labor and migration department, according to a senior ministry official.
This was mentioned in a recent report quoting a letter sent by General Director of the Migration General Department, Maj Gen Kamil Al-Awadhi, to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, requesting that the maximum date for a work permit in the private sector be increased from three to five years. Kuwait's residency laws stipulate that the migration department and MSAL must coordinate procedures by which the process of issuing work permits to private sector expatriate employees is conducted. On that basis, the letter is seen as an effort from the Interior Ministry to establish coordination with the MSAL in the hope of increasing the length of work permits.
"While the MSAL has been following the same procedures for years, it is important to take notice of the fact that changes have taken place, especially with regards to the increase in the number of expatriate labor forces, which subsequently leads to an increase in the transactions and procedures at both labor and migration departments", the letter reads, Al-Qabas reported.
In other news, senior Interior Ministry officials believe that "a major reshuffle" could take place by early next year. The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, made these statements following news about the decision of Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah to appoint Sheikh Mubarak Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah as Undersecretary Assistant for the State Security Service, and Major General Abdulhameed Al-Awadhi as Undersecretary Assistant for Criminal Security Affairs, while moving Major General Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Khalifa Al-Sabah to the Undersecretary Assistant for Administrative and Financial Affairs' post, Al-Rai reported.
© Kuwait Times 2012
