Kuwait arrests, deports 10,000 expats for violating residency, labour laws

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Kuwait's Ministry of Interior has announced the arrest of around 10,000 people for violating residency and labour laws.

The Kuwait Times reported that the ministry's raids, which were carried out in conjunction with police and detectives, targeted masseurs, fishermen, farmers and scrap workers.

Within three months, all those arrested for violations were deported from the country.

The committee formed by the ministry will continue to pursue and apprehend anyone found violating labour laws or residency rules, targeting the labour market specifically, since 600 people were caught violating the rules last month in this field. The crime is propagated by fake companies that sell visas for over KD2,000 (more than Dh23,000). Some of these companies have been busted lately, according to media reports.

The labour ministry in the country is introducing new mechanisms to receive complaints and crackdown on the practice of illegally getting workers to Kuwait by issuing visas through fake companies, and then transferring them to legitimate organisations.