Kuwait reopens visas for familiesThe interior ministry declared on Thursday that, per directives from acting interior minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousuf Al-Sabah, defense minister, and deputy prime minister, it will begin issuing family visas to foreign nationals on January 28. There has been a nearly two-year break before the restart.

The new regulations stipulate that foreign nationals who meet the requirements to apply for dependent visas for spouses and children must earn at least KD 800 per month, as opposed to KD 600. The ministry stated in a statement that candidates must be university graduates and that their employment in the nation should match their areas of specialization from the institution.

About two years ago, Kuwait halted the granting of family visas in an effort to control the program as part of its efforts to reduce the number of foreigners living there, who make up more than two thirds of the 4.5 million-person population. A few months ago, the interior ministry made it possible for foreign couples working in Kuwait to sponsor their children under the age of five, thus easing the complete ban on dependent visas.

In the meantime, heads of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development’s General Secretariat attended a consultative Cabinet meeting that HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah chaired on Thursday at Seif Palace. The purpose of the meeting was to review government action program initiatives and establish priorities in light of HH the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’sdecree.

The government’s desire to continue working on creating its action plan and present it to the National Assembly in a way that fulfills the expectations of the Kuwaiti people was evident in the meeting, according to Sheikh Feras Saud Al-Sabah, Acting Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Minister of Social Affairs, Family and Childhood Affairs.

Sheikh Feras pointed out that HH the Prime Minister praised the ministers’ and those in charge of preparing the program’s efforts and eagerness. HH In the midst of a genuine desire for positive work and fruitful cooperation between the two sides, Sheikh Dr. Muhammad emphasized the need for constructive cooperation and coordination between the legislative and executive branches in order to achieve national goals and aspirations of the country and its people.