KUWAIT: Informed sources revealed a new law regulating the residence of foreigners will return to the fore again, to be voted on by the National Assembly during the next parliamentary session. The bill underwent a radical revision in the past weeks of most of its articles, with the aim of putting an end to iqama trading. “The proposal will be presented to the Cabinet first for discussion and approval before referring it to the National Assembly as a matter of urgency,” sources revealed to Kuwait Times.

“A team including representatives of the fatwa and legislation department, legal affairs department at the ministry of interior, Civil Service Commission, Kuwaiti jurists at Kuwait University and representatives from health insurance companies reviewed the law again, studying all observations raised previously. The law will be ready for adoption by the Cabinet during the current summer session, to be referred to the National Assembly before the start of the next session at the end of October,” the sources said.

“According to the new proposal, an expatriate will be granted a residence permit not exceeding five years. Investors will be given a residence permit of up to 15 years, depending on the activity they practice. Moreover, fees will be imposed so that Kuwait can benefit from these investments,” sources explained.

Sources added that the proposal also includes giving 10-year residence permits to children of Kuwaiti women. “Residency permits will be given to a person who owns property in Kuwait, provided they are not absent from Kuwait for a period of more than six months, with the exception of children of Kuwaiti women. Domestic workers will only be allowed to travel outside Kuwait for four months, after which their residency permit will be revoked,” sources added.