Following talks with the government by the parliamentary interior and defense committee, the interior ministry has reaffirmed that the issuance of visit, family, and entry visas will be restricted to specific categories until the National Assembly completes the approval of the new foreign residency law.

Security sources have made it clear that this policy will not alter with the appointment of Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah as interim interior minister, following the resignation of Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al-Sabah. They claimed that the choice was made after careful thought and was unrelated to any one minister.

The government’s directive to allow foreign visitors and encourage tourism, which is anticipated to happen by April, is being followed by the interior ministry. After previous measures are amended, new procedures pertaining to family reunion visas will be made public. The fees will go up to match those in the surrounding nations.

Siblings will not be eligible for family reunion visas, which will only be granted to children under the age of sixteen, spouses, and parents at different cost points. Those who are eligible for these visas must make at least KD 600 per month, excluding income from other sources.

Residency violators who entered the nation illegally before March 1, 2020, are now able to regularize their status after paying the required legal fines, according to a new policy announced by the interior ministry on Thursday. According to security sources, residency departments have started to receive infractions. Those who violate the rules should speak with residency affairs investigators to get a “no objection certificate” before paying the KD 600 fine and completing the process of renewing their residency permits. However, according to sources, if it is determined that this decision is ineffective, it will be formally canceled, and those who violated it prior to 2020 will be dealt with in the same manner as other violators.