5000 Expatriates Lost Residency For Staying Abroad For More Than Six Months

The Kuwaiti Interior Ministry has denied residency permit renewal applications for 5,000 expatriates who stayed abroad for over six months, citing reasons such as illness, family circumstances, and financial constraints. More expatriates are expected to lose their iqamas this month for the same reason.

The Department of Residency Affairs automatically cancels the residency of any expatriate who has been outside Kuwait for six months. This cancellation also leads to the revocation of the expatriate's work permit and civil card through an automated link with the Public Authority of Manpower and the Public Authority for Civil Information, as reported by sources at the Interior Ministry.

In October, the Interior Ministry announced it would electronically cancel residence permits for government sector workers (article 17), private sector partners (article 19), dependents (article 22), students (article 23), and self-sponsored residents (article 24) who have been outside Kuwait for six months or more.

The ministry calculates the period of expatriates' absence from the country from August 1, 2022, to January 31, 2023. After six months, their residency will be automatically canceled. The Interior Ministry has also begun reviewing the residencies of all expatriates, which will be revoked if any conditions for granting residency are not met, in coordination with the manpower authority, including failure to obtain a work permit.

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