Breaking News
3 months ago
A Kuwaiti embassy has refused to grant an entry visa to a woman after she showed up at the mission building in an inappropriate dress, a Kuwaiti newspaper has reported. The embassy, operating in an Arab country, sent a report to the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry about the incident explaining the reason for denying the visa for the woman, who was to travel to Kuwait for work. Kuwaiti authorities have endorsed the embassy’s decision, revoked a work permit for the woman, who is also placed on non-entry lists in the country, Al Anba quoted a security source as saying. Neither the nationality of the woman nor the date of the incident was given. Kuwait has an overall population of 4.9 million people including 3.3 million foreigners. Last month, Kuwait overhauled its residency rules, setting a foreigner’s temporary stay at three months with a possible extension for a period not exceeding one year. Regular residency can be granted for up to five years, 10 years for children of Kuwaiti women and property owners, and 15 years for investors, according to the new law. Violating the temporary or regular residency or iqama rules is punishable by one- year imprisonment and a fine of […]
4 months ago
The Indian Consulate in Dubai has put in place new rules to fly home the mortal remains of deceased Indian expats in Dubai and Northern Emirates. The mission has issued a fresh advisory on its website in this regard. Exposing a scam in which agents are exploiting bereaved families, the mission stated: “The Consulate has come across several cases where agents have exploited families of deceased expats for repatriation of mortal remains.” It urged the Indian expat community to be vigilant against such unscrupulous people. “We request diaspora to be aware of fraudulent agents who charge exorbitant amounts in place of Consulate approved rates.” The Consulate refunds the amount of repatriation services in deserving cases. However, it has now come to light that middlemen are charging higher amounts from the families of the deceased and making money out of the repatriation services. Hence, the mission has decided to facilitate repatriation of mortal remains through only individuals duly authorised by immediate family members of the deceased if family members are not present here. “We are fully committed to provide access and facilitation to grieving families and persons duly authorised by the immediate family members of the deceased person,” the mission stated. […]
4 months ago
The Capital Market Authority (CMA) has introduced a draft law expanding the scope of foreign nationals who may invest in shares listed on the Saudi main stock market or All Tadawul Share Index (TASI). Under the draft amendment to the Investment Accounts Instructions, the Rules Governing Foreign Investment, and the Financial Market Institutions Regulations, the authority will allow a foreign national residing in one of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and a foreign national who has previously resided in the Kingdom or in one of the GCC countries, to invest in shares listed on the main market. The proposed amendments allow individual foreign investors, who previously resided in Saudi Arabia or one of the GCC countries to continue operating their investment accounts and invest in shares listed in the main market even after their residency has ended and they return to their home country, provided they have previously opened an investment account in Saudi Arabia. The proposal, which was presented by the authority on the Istithlaa platform in preparation for its approval, also aims to facilitate the procedures for opening and operating investment accounts for a number of categories of clients of financial market institutions, while taking into account enhancing […]
4 months ago
Kuwait is set to remove health insurance fees for expatriates aged 60 and above without university degrees. This follows a Court of Appeal ruling earlier this year, which annulled Administrative Decision No. 27/2021 that outlined work permit regulations for this group. The Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) reports that as of mid-2024, 97,622 expatriates fall into this category. Kuwait’s total expatriate population stands at 3,358,654, according to PACI data. Of these, 143,488 hold university degrees, 6,561 have postgraduate qualifications, and 82,258 are classified as illiterate. The remaining expatriates include 175,672 with elementary-level education, 632,017 with intermediate qualifications, 248,697 with high school certificates, and 79,902 holding diplomas. Additionally, 795,349 expatriates are listed as having unspecified qualifications. This policy shift is expected to alleviate financial pressures on older expatriates and address concerns about healthcare accessibility and affordability.
4 months ago
Nearly 400 illegal expatriates, rounded up this month in security campaigns, are set to be deported from the country that is pursuing a relentless clampdown on violators of its residency and labour rules. The Kuwaiti Interior Ministry said it had detained 385 unlawful residents and labour code violators in four days and will deport them. They were arrested during the period of November 11-14. Some 497 others have already been deported from the country, the ministry added without giving a timeframe. Kuwait, a country of an overall population of 4.9 million people mostly foreigners, is seeking to redress its demographic imbalance and regulate the labour market. Authorities there have recently mounted a nationwide security swoop on illegal foreign residents, who failed to take advantage of a three-month grace period to rectify their status. The amnesty, which commenced in March, allowed illegal expatriates to readjust their residency status or leave willingly the country without paying fines. The deadline ended on June 30. During the grace period, irregular expatriates, who had no passports, were able to leave Kuwait without having to pay a fine and are allowed to re-enter the country. The unlawful resident with no travel document was also allowed to […]
4 months ago
The Royal Oman Police (ROP) has arrested more than 20 expatriates for violating the labour and residence laws in Al Buraimi Governorate. ROP said in a statement :”Al Buraimi Governorate Police Command arrested 26 people of Asian nationalities in various locations in Al Buraimi Governorate for violating the labour and residence laws for foreigners. The legal procedures are being completed against them.”
5 months ago
The UAE has extended a visa amnesty for violators until the end of the year as it gives resident and visit overstayers a chance to rectify their status. It means visa violators have an additional two months to leave the country without the entry ban stamp or obtain a job opportunity and remain in the country. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Ports Security (ICP) announced the extension of the grace period for violators to rectify their status by two months, with the deadline now set for December 31, 2024. UAE visa amnesty Major General Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, Director-General of the ICP, stated that the decision to extend the amnesty aligns with the UAE’s 53rd Union Day celebrations and embodies the country’s humanitarian and cultural values. This initiative also responds to appeals from violators wishing to settle their status by either leaving the country or obtaining employment and modifying their residency status. The Authority’s official communication channels have recorded significant engagement, particularly as service centres across the country experienced a surge in demand in the final days of the original deadline, previously set for October 31, 2024. Major General Al Khaili clarified that this extension represents the final opportunity for violators […]
5 months ago
Expatriates working in Kuwait’s government and private sectors have increased by 2.9% in recent months with Indians topping the list of workers, according to recent official figures. Their number rose from 1.64 million in June 2023 to 1.68 million last June, accounting for 78.9 per cent of Kuwait’s total workforce, Al Qabas reported, citing government statistics. A breakdown of the major nationalities at the Kuwaiti labour market at the end of last June showed that the Indians took the lead with 537,430, followed by Egyptians with 474,000. According to the same statistics, the overall number of government employees reached about 474,000 with Kuwaitis making up 79.6% of them. Meanwhile, workers in the private sector totalled about 1.7 million, of which 4.4% of them are Kuwaitis only. The total number of workers in the government and private sectors excluding the family sector, surpassed the 2.1 million mark at the end of last June, data from the Central Statistical Bureau showed. The same statistics cited an increase of around 52,000 in the number of workers at the Kuwaiti labour market within a year. The number of Kuwaiti workers, meanwhile, increased from 447,064 in June 2023 to 451,595 last June. All in all, […]
5 months ago
Germany has reached its limit on immigration with migrant-related violent crime on the rise and resources strained, a leading law enforcement chief has claimed. In an interview with RBB, Berlin Police Chief Barbara Slowik voiced concerns over the impact of immigration on the city and the broader nation, suggesting that the current levels of immigration are unsustainable, both financially and socially. “I believe that a limit has been reached as to what is affordable,” she told the broadcaster. She emphasized the need for a comprehensive societal response to address the growing number of violent incidents involving immigrants and underscored the importance of integrating immigrants into Germany’s democratic values from a young age, with programs beginning in kindergarten. “This is important for our constitutional state and therefore for our democracy,” she added, insisting it was vital to restore law and order to help make German residents feel safer and instill public confidence back into law enforcement. As reported by Tagesspiegel, Germany’s crime rate has risen 5.5 percent over the past year, with 5.94 million cases recorded. Notably, the increase in non-German suspects — up 17.8 percent compared to a 1 percent rise among German nationals — has prompted heightened attention to […]
5 months ago
Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik has issued a royal decree granting Omani citizenship to more than 80 expatriates. Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik issued Royal Decree No. 50/2024 granting Omani citizenship to 85 people. New citizens of Oman are subject to certain restrictions, including limitations on spending extended periods outside the country during the initial 10 years after acquiring citizenship unless they obtain special permission from the Ministry of Interior. Applicants seeking Omani citizenship can apply at the Sultanate’s Ministry of Interior. Expatriates seeking Omani citizenship are required to submit an application, which carries a fee of 600 Omani riyals (Dh5,726).
2 hours ago
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