Kuwait: Government to examine expats’ degrees while renewing visas

KUWAIT – Ministers of Interior Khaled Al-Jarrah and Social Affairs and Labor Hind Al-Sabeeh agreed on a mechanism of implementing the government’s decision to examine and audit the degrees of expats holding university degrees. Informed sources said this measure will come into effect by the end of this month, when all expats will have to furnish their original degrees and submit them with other documents on renewing their residency visas.

“Otherwise, residencies will not be renewed no matter what the excuses are,” stressed the sources. They added that in case of submitting a different degree other than the one used on appointment, the concerned expat would be referred to prosecution to face charges of forgery.

The sources said the new measures will initially be for holders of university degrees, and will later be extended to holders of other degrees.
“This measure will be adopted to achieve equality between citizens and expats, rather than be seen as something against expats,” explained the sources, noting that citizens are mandated to provide their original certificates on appointment, and that the same rules should be followed for expats, especially since many doubts had been raised concerning the validity of many expats’ degrees.

Moreover, the sources noted that this step was part of a process of resolving the demographic problem, along with other decisions to stop recruiting unskilled laborers from various nationalities including Egyptians, Asians and other countries from where the majority of marginal laborers hail.