Legal Clinic

I am working in Kuwait in a private sector in oil and gas construction and having a salary of KD 350 basic (KD 500 per month, 10 hours duty). Now I am planning to bring my wife with dependent visa, tell me is it possible with my current salary? Because I checked with MoIKuwait website which is given like minimum KD 250 is enough to get dependent visa for spouse, and some other websites like visit-Kuwait showing quite different like this website showing KD 450 required to get dependent visa. So please answer me for this issue? Your comments will be most valued for me.

Name withheld

Answer: You need a minimum monthly salary of KD 450 to be able to sponsor your wife on dependent visa. The KD 250 figure you are quoting from the website of the Ministry of Interior is definitely outdated and must be ignored.

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I had taken a visit visa for my parents on July 27 and it is shown in the visa as ‘Tourist Visa’ for three months stay from the date of entry. But later the government issued a new circular on Aug 5 that all visit visas will be for one month. My parents landed in Kuwait on Aug 22, which is after the circular was issued. So my question here is, will they be eligible to stay for one month or three months?

Name withheld

Answer: Your parents can only stay in Kuwait for a period of one month and no more. Even under the old rules, they could not have stayed for more than one month as the three-month stay was limited to first degree family members – wife, husband and children. With the new rule as you indicated all types of visit visas have a duration of one month with the possibility of a two-week extension on grounds of health.

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My elder son, will turn 18 years this Oct 18. He is presently studying in 12th standard. His visa will expire in Nov 18, 2018. Please advise the age limit for boys on dependent visa; whether I can still sponsor my son. Do I need to get a letter from school (in Arabic) conforming he is a student of the school. Look forward to your valuable feedback. Thank you!

Name withheld

Answer: The age limit for boys on dependent visa is 21 years, you can therefore continue to sponsor your son on dependent visa until he attain the age of 21.

So far as he still is within the age brackets that qualify him to be on dependent visa we don’t think you need any letter from the school conforming he is a student. However if in the past years they were requesting for such a letter at the immigration, then there in no reason why should stop including such a letter among the documents you need to renew your son’s residence.

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I took Kuwait driving licence by changing UAE licence on 2015. My visa status was ‘mufathish’ (inspector) and basic salary KD 750. Basically I am a mechanical engineer and could get new job in other organizations with engineer visa. The offered basic is KD 700, so I would like know if I have any problems like licence cancellation if I change inspector visa to engineer visa. I am looking forward your reply.

Name withheld

Answer: We don’t think you will have any problem with regard to your driving licence with the visa status changed from ‘inspector’ to ‘engineer’: even though your salary is reduced from KD 750 to KD 700, it is still above the minimum KD 600 a month salary requirement for applying for a driving licence. In addition, engineers are among a number of professions who can apply for exemption if they didn’t meet any of the requirements needed to be granted a driving licence.

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I am a female expat in Kuwait, I am working as a teacher. My salary will be KD 820. Will I able to get dependent visa for my 2 years old child? (I am not divorced, and my husband is not travelling with me.) Thank for your answer in advance.

Name withheld

Answer: Under Kuwait law, it is only the man who can sponsor members of his family on dependent visa. This means that being a woman you cannot sponsor your two-year old child despite the fact that you meet the salary requirement of not less than KD 450 a month.

Despite the existence of the law in question, where women are allowed to sponsor their children on compassionate grounds. To take advantage of this however you first of all have to be in Kuwait after which you will be required to convince the Director- General of the General Directorate of Immigration on why you should be given a special dispensation to sponsor you child as a woman. This is by no means an easy task with a very high probability of failure than success.

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I would like to know if visit visa for wife is available for three months or one month only. What are the charges for extension, if granted? Any idea? Appreciate your reply. Thanks.

Answer: The latest rules governing all types of visit visas say they have one month validity without a window of extension except on medical and emergency situations where a two-week extension can be made and not more.

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I have been working as a mechanical engineer and hold a driving licence, which is valid up to December 2019. However, I changed my company recently and driving licence got cancelled due to designation changed as supervisor.

My current salary is 750 which shows in work permit. I am available in Kuwait since August 2015. My licence was issued in December 2016. Kindly request you to advise me in this regards to get a new driving licence. As I heard from someone that I should wait for two years to apply for a new licence. Is it true?

Answer: At the time you were issued the driving licence in December 2016, you did not satisfy the two-year residency requirement that driving licence applicants must meet but you might have been given a waiver by virtue of the fact that your designation was mechanical engineer and hence qualified for a waiver with the change in designation, your driving licence was cancelled because under the traffic regulations supervisors do not qualify for any waivers.

However all is not lost yet since you can reapply for a new driving licence as you now meet the two-year residency requirement in addition to the fact that you earn a monthly salary of KD 750. The remaining requirement is being a university degree holder which we assume you are because of your earlier mechanical engineer designation

Kindly send your queries to [email protected] or [email protected]
Kindly go through our archives and refrain from sending repeated questions

I am working in Kuwait in a private sector in oil and gas construction and having a salary of KD 350 basic (KD 500 per month, 10 hours duty). Now I am planning to bring my wife with dependent visa, tell me is it possible with my current salary? Because I checked with MoI-Kuwait website which is given like minimum KD 250 is enough to get dependent visa for spouse, and some other websites like visit-Kuwait showing quite different like this website showing KD 450 required to get dependent visa. So please answer me for this issue? Your comments will be most valued for me.

Answer: You need a minimum monthly salary of KD 450 to be able to sponsor your wife on dependent visa. The KD 250 figure you are quoting from the website of the Ministry of Interior is definitely outdated and must be ignored.

Kindly send your queries to [email protected] or [email protected]
Kindly go through our archives and refrain from sending repeated questions

I have a question about residency transfer. I am new here in Kuwait in a private company and because of reorganization, they terminated my service with a three months notice and told me to find job and they will give transfer. Is it possible even I did not reach 1 year on my company now? Hoping for your response.

Answer: If the company hired you locally and no-longer require your services, you will have no problem in transferring your visa.

On the other hand if the company brought you to Kuwait from your home country, you and the company will have a task in convincing the concerned authorities that you are not engaged in visa trading and hence the need to transfer your visa to another company since the former has no work for you.

Indeed a company does not wake up one day and decides it wants to engage in reorganization exercise. It therefore sounds strange to see a company engaged in reorganization to employ and dismiss workers within the period of reorganization. What we are saying here may be speculative but at least it will waken you up to the fact you may have some tough questions to answer in your bid for visa transfer.

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I am a Pakistani national who has been in Kuwait since 2004 and staying with my family from 2013. I am working with a well reputed company and taking more than KD 1,650 salary per month.

My wife is a housewife and we have 3 kids, (1 daughter age 6 years, 2 sons age 4 year and 6 months); both sons were born in Kuwait.

Due to emergency (Father-inlaw death) we went to Pakistan, unfortunately one son’s (4 years) Kuwait resident permit expired on July 12th 2018 when he was in Pakistan and still there. He was studying in (DPS Ahmadi) Kuwait school from April 2018.

Other family members including myself (father) have Kuwait valid residence status. As we are aware that visa for Pakistanis are closed and linked with NOC approval system from MoI higher authority, which i tried a lot and submitted my request/ application (Attached Arabic application submitted to Ministry of Interior, 6th Ring Road, 4 floor on July 24th 2018). Kindly advise me on subject matter. Looking for your valuable suggestions; how I can take visa for my 4 year son.

Answer: Unfortunately we don’t have any other suggestions to provide you since the suggestions we would have provided you are the same steps that you have already taken. If you haven’t received any feedback then you have to continue following up your request but if on the other hand your, request has been rejected, then we are sorry and nothing can be done about it.

Kindly send your queries to [email protected] or [email protected]
Kindly go through our archives and refrain from sending repeated questions