KUWAIT: Informed sources said there is a possibility to exclude those who were born in Kuwait and who have reached the age of 60 but do not have a university degree from the ban on renewal of work permits, which will be decided by the director general of the Public Authority for Manpower. The sources said the amendments are still under study and no decision has been made so far in this regard.

They added that senior PAM officials are also discussing exempting those who have lived in Kuwait for more than 30 years. They said specialists and labor directors at PAM presented several recommendations with regards to the decision, including imposing a fee of KD 3,000 for renewing the work permit annually, which was reduced after discussion to KD 2,000, but this has not been adopted yet.

The most notable amendments to the over-60 ban decision include exempting those born in Kuwait; those who have been living in Kuwait for more than 30 years; comprehensive private health insurance, in addition to government insurance for the elderly; special fee for work permits for this group which will be doubled annually; and coordinating with the interior ministry to ease transfers to dependent visas for this group. PAM had said Sunday that a final decision is expected to be announced within a couple of weeks.

In January, Kuwait began implementing a ban on work permit renewals of expatriates aged 60 who do not hold university degrees. More than 70,000 workers are set to leave Kuwait this year due to the ban, according to Kuwaiti media. - Al-Qabas