Kuwait deports 11,000 expats violating residency laws since 2023

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior deported 11,000 residency law violators, of different nationalities, between January and April.

On Friday, local newspaper Al Rai quoted security sources confirming that the deportation of violators comes within the framework of regulating the demographics and prosecuting violators of residency and employment laws.

It noted that the deportation of the violators was carried out under the instructions of the First Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Interior and Defence Sheikh Talal Al-Khalid and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior Lieutenant General Anwar Al-Barjas. The deportations were intended to intensify campaigns in all governorates of the country to maintain security and monitor and control all residency violators.

The sources stressed that the ministry continues to pursue violators, prevent illegal workers from working and investigate those harbouring violators, referring them to the concerned authorities.

Last January, Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed Al-Nawaf assigned the interior minister to implement the law regulating the demographics, considering the imbalance with expatriates.

On 9 September, 2021, the Kuwaiti government formed a committee to study mechanisms to address the imbalance of the demographics. The government says it aims to reach a balance of 70 per cent citizens and 30 per cent expatriates.

Nevertheless, Kuwait is one of the Arab countries that most attracts expatriate workers. The total population is over four million, including more than three million male and female expatriates, while the number of citizens is 1.3 million.

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