According to Al-Seyassah daily, the Ministry of Interior announced last week that the decision to allow expatriates who broke the Residency Law before 2020 to pay the fines imposed on them and legalize their status has been suspended.

The daily was informed by a security source that the ministry is carrying out its previous policy of deporting individuals who violate residency laws from the nation. He revealed that since the start of this week, the six governorates’ residency affairs departments have received roughly 2,000 requests from residency violators to change their status and pay the KD600 fines associated with each offense. The ruling made by Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled, the former interior minister, specified the cancellation of Resolution number 288 issued in 2020 — during the Corona crisis — regarding the rules for deporting foreigners who do not have residence permits or whose residence permits have expired and allowing amendment of the status of violators after Jan 3, 2020.

It was previously reported that the ministry had issued Ministerial Decision No. 26/2024, which revoked Ministerial Decision No. 288/2020, which had been about deporting people without residency permits or people whose residency had expired. This action allowed people who had broken the Residency Law to become lawfully permanent residents. A copy of the decision was obtained by the daily, which said that “the following are the articles of the new decision, based on the proposal of the acting undersecretary, after reviewing Decree-Law No. 38/1980 on issuing the Civil and Commercial Procedures Law, and Ministerial Resolution No. 288/2020 regarding the rules for deporting foreigners who do not have residence permits or whose residence permits have expired:

Article 1: The cancellation of Resolution No. 288/2020 is proposed.
Article Two: This decision shall be carried out by the acting Undersecretary.

Meanwhile, credible sources made it clear that the decision to revoke the 2020 resolution prohibiting Residency Law violators from changing their legal status does not apply to those in violation of other visa categories, such as family visits, and that those individuals will have to pay the fines and depart the nation. According to sources, the ruling permits those who break the Residency Law to change their legal status and get a valid residency permit as long as they pay the fine, which is up to KD600. According to sources, security operations last year led to the arrest of roughly 43,000 people who violated the Residency Law, and a directive was issued for their deportation. According to sources, roughly 120,000 people who broke the Residency Law will allow to ament their status.- KT