Kuwait considers reducing visa fee for residents aged over 60

Kuwaiti officials are mulling the possibility of reducing the visa renewal fees for residents aged over 60 who do not hold university degrees, local media reported.

In January, the country banned the issuance of work permit renewals for expatriates aged 60 who do not hold university degrees.

Last month, it was reported that the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) approved plans to allow the renewal of work permits for such expatriates for a fee of KD2,000.

However, several officials have since said that the amount should be reduced to make it more affordable for those who fit in the category.

The cabinet is currently supporting a decision to cut the annual fee by 50 per cent to reach KD1,000 per individual, local daily Kuwait Times cited government sources as saying.

The amount will include the state’s fee – expected to be roughly KD500, with roughly the same amount for health insurance- which will cover treatment at private hospitals, the report added.

The new policy was implemented after Kuwait’s government proposed a new plan to ‘rebalance’ its population last year.

The plan could see as many as 360,000 expatriates deported in the “short-term” including 120,000 illegal workers, 150,000 expats aged over 60 as well as 90,000 ‘poorly-educated labourers’, according to media reports.

Longer-term, the plan proposes replacing tens of thousands of expat workers with locals, by adopting technology and tightening the recruitment regulations, officials said.

Read: Kuwait mulling plan that could see 360,000 expats deported in the ‘short-term’

Expats currently account for roughly 70 per cent of Kuwait’s 4.8 million population.