KUWAIT: In a bid to prevent manipulations, the general directorate for residency affairs instructed all its sub-departments not to issue 'absence permits' for expat students residing in Kuwait and studying abroad unless they provide 'to whom it may concern' certificates from their universities after endorsing them from Kuwaiti embassies in the country they are studying in. Security sources explained that expat students studying abroad are usually given a three-month absence permit after staying abroad for six months in order to maintain the validity of their residency visas, provided they include endorsed certificates from their universities. - A Saleh