[Kuwait] From July expats will need ‘exit permit’ from employer to leave country

From next month, Kuwait will require foreigners working in the private sector to obtain their employer's permission before leaving the country, Mint reports. 

Authorities announced the change on June 11. It has put further restrictions on workers bound by the kafala sponsorship system.

Human rights groups have reportedly been long-term critics of the kafala system, which is widely prevalent in the Gulf states. It links migrant workers' visas to their employers, often preventing them from changing jobs or even leaving the country where they work.

The Public Authority of Manpower made a statement on its Twitter account saying that First Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yousef had issued a ministerial circular "requiring expatriate workers in the private sector to obtain an 'exit permit' from their registered employer before leaving the country." 

The procedure can be carried out online and is claimed to "strengthen oversight of the movement of expatriate workers and ensure a balance between the workers' and employers' rights", according to the statement.

The new requirement will come into effect on July 1.

Source: Mint

(Quotes via original reporting)

From next month, Kuwait will require foreigners working in the private sector to obtain their employer's permission before leaving the country, Mint reports. 

Authorities announced the change on June 11. It has put further restrictions on workers bound by the kafala sponsorship system.

Human rights groups have reportedly been long-term critics of the kafala system, which is widely prevalent in the Gulf states. It links migrant workers' visas to their employers, often preventing them from changing jobs or even leaving the country where they work.

The Public Authority of Manpower made a statement on its Twitter account saying that First Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yousef had issued a ministerial circular "requiring expatriate workers in the private sector to obtain an 'exit permit' from their registered employer before leaving the country." 

The procedure can be carried out online and is claimed to "strengthen oversight of the movement of expatriate workers and ensure a balance between the workers' and employers' rights", according to the statement.

The new requirement will come into effect on July 1.

Source: Mint

(Quotes via original reporting)