ONE of the most challenging problems our expatriate friends are facing today in Kuwait is “visa trading.” Falling victim to some greedy visa traders, who might charge up to KD 1,000 to renew their residence, continues to be one of the most troubling issues impacting our expatriate workforce. Therefore, in light of our national preparations to transform Kuwait into a regional financial hub, we wish that our government finds a more legitimate substitute for working visas. For example, why does not the government establish a National Visa Agency where all expats, either professionals, manual laborers...etc get their government-issued residency. Such a visa solution will protect our expatriate workforce from being exploited by visa traders. In fact, establishing a governmental agency responsible for monitoring contracts, issuing visas, and providing legal protection for expatriates is a step in the right direction.

It is almost impossible to imagine that we can actually transform our country into a competitive regional financial center unless we help our expatriate workforce overcome many of the challenges they are facing. For instance, many expatriates cannot to this day obtain visiting visas for their families. It would be quite helpful if our government eases some of the restrictions imposed upon some expatriates that prevent them from obtaining visas for their loved ones.

Visa trading in this day and age has become quite an archaic system of residency. If the expatriates respect our local laws, contribute fully to the development of our Kuwaiti economy, why not help them? In fact, our expatriate workforce continues to be those individuals whom we rely on to help us transform our local economy into a competitive financial and commercial environment. Thousands of professional expats have already contributed positively to the development of the public and private sectors in Kuwait.

It will be quite helpful if the government eases some of the suffering that these people are facing on daily bases. No one can deny that our expatriate friends and partners have achieved so much for our country. It would be impossible to imagine the condition of our public and private sectors without the precious contribution of our expatriate workforce.

We, as Kuwaitis feel proud of ourselves for being more tolerant, more helpful toward others. Therefore, creating safe work environments for expatriates in which they are totally free from being exploited and used by some greedy visa traders is a step in the right direction.

khaledaljenfawi@yahoo.com