Kuwait: No work permits for those over 60, no visa extensions amid broad expat cut

Kuwait will stop issuing work permits for expats aged over 60 without a university degree, and will not extend any residencies and visas beyond August 31, in a decision announced Sunday that will likely impact thousands of expats in the country, newspaper Kuwait Times reported.

Work permits for over 60s without a university degree will no longer be issued from January 1, 2021 and applies to all those who hold a higher secondary certificate or lower, the report said.

The new rules are likely part of a government plan to cut the overall number of expats in the country by as much as 360,000 workers. According to this plan, 150,000 of these will be expats aged over 60, the Times added.

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Previously, Kuwait’s interior ministry had also been allowing expats both within and outside the country to renew their residencies online and remain outside Kuwait for up to 12 months, instead of the normal six months, without residencies being cancelled. However, this facility will now expire on August 31.

Authorities in Kuwait have been proceeding with legislation to cut the number of expats in the country.

In July, a panel vowed to find a plan to cut expats after criticism was leveled at the government for failing to come up with its own solution to reduce expat numbers.

Expats currently form around 70 percent of the population of the country.

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