The Kuwaiti government is set to increase work visa fees for expatriates.
The Ministry of Social Affairs proposes introducing higher fees for work permits, visa renewals and visa transfers, although it is not yet known what the cost increase would be, reports the Kuwait Times.
The plans are being finalised with the Fatwa and Legislation Department and can be implemented without prior approval by the National Assembly.
Last month, it was reported a plan to set a quota on the number of expats that can enter Kuwait from each country would soon be presented to the cabinet.
Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and Planning Hind Al Subaih announced in March last year she was considering setting a limit on the size of the population of any one nationality in Kuwait in a bid to balance the Gulf state’s demography.
About two-thirds of the total population of 3 million are estimated to be expatriates, with a high proportion from south Asia. Indians are the largest group in the country.
The previous social affairs and labor minister had said Kuwait would reduce the number of expats in the country by 100,000 per year for each of the following 10 years.
Hiring of new foreign workers has been suspended for almost a year as authorities work on a new system.
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