Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Acting Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yousef Al-Sabah has issued a ministerial decision amending certain provisions of Ministerial Resolution No. 957/2019 on the executive regulations of the Foreigners’ Residency Law and its amendments. According to reports from Al-Anba daily, Article One of the decision states that Article 12 of Ministerial Resolution No. 957/2019 is revised to allow foreigners entering the country under specified clauses to remain without a residence permit for up to two months from entry. They must initiate procedures to obtain regular or temporary residency within this period.

Regular residency data will be recorded in the civil identification card issued by the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI), while data related to temporary residency will be recorded by the mechanism specified by the Residency Affairs General Department in the Interior Ministry.

Article Two mandates the concerned undersecretary to implement this decision, effective from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, Acting Minister of Interior, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), has issued a ministerial decision regarding the mechanism for granting work permits and the transfer of migrant workers recruited with work permits and the associated fees, according to reports from Al-Seyassah daily.

The decision stipulates the following:

– Employers must obtain work permits after obtaining approval from the concerned department of PAM, with an additional fee of KD 150 collected for each work permit.

– Certain categories are exempted from paying this additional fee, including government-owned companies, medical facilities licensed by the Ministry of Health, educational institutions, foreign investors approved by the Investment Promotion Authority, among others.

– The transfer of migrant workers from one employer to another is permitted before the lapse of three years for a fee of KD 300, subject to PAM procedures.

– The Director General of PAM may issue administrative decisions and circulars regarding the implementation of this decision.

– The Board of Directors of PAM must prepare a study on the effects of implementing this decision within one year from its implementation date and present it, along with any recommendations, to the concerned minister.

– The decision suspends certain provisions of previous ministerial resolutions during its validity period.

– This decision will be effective from June 1, 2024, for a period of one year, and shall be published in the official gazette. The concerned authorities shall implement its provisions accordingly.