Absconders face deportation, ban on entering GCC nations – Law protects citizens, expats rights

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KUWAIT CITY, Oct 25: The executive bylaw of domestic workers which the Parliament approved through an Amiri decree will come into effect at the beginning of 2016, says Assistant Undersecretary for Citizenship and Passport Affairs Major General Sheikh Mazen Al-Jarrah. He added the bylaw of the new law will protect the financial rights of citizens and expatriates, as it bans the domestic offices from exploiting the category.

It will help control visa trafficking and ensure the protection of the population structure, he said. He explained that the new bylaw will be announced before the end of the current year after the concerned committee has set the final touches to obtain the approval of Deputy Premier, the Minister of Interior Sheikh Mohammed Al-Khalid. He noted law will be applied on all without bias.

For his part, director of the central department for residency affairs Colonel Rasheed Al-Tawalah said the bylaw includes several new procedures and legislation concerning domestic personnel, and covers houseboys and domestic drivers, as well as offices dealing in domestic personnel.

He added the legal sponsorship period of domestic personnel will be increased from 100 days to six months during which the owner of the office will be obliged to reimburse the sum paid by the citizen or expatriate in case the contract signed for the services of the driver or domestic laborer is not fulfilled.

In addition, the office will be committed to pay back the whole sum in case the domestic worker absconds or escapes from the employer. He added the new bylaw bans the transfer of domestic personnel from one sponsor to another, and bans the transfer of a domestic laborer through one sponsor to another.

“In case the sponsors return their domestic workers to the offices, the owners of the offices have to reimburse the sum spent by the sponsor and repatriate the domestic worker, indicating they will not be allowed to transfer to another sponsor.” He reaffirmed that the domestic worker will be repatriated and banned from entering all GCC countries as per a joint convention signed in this domain, if absconding report against the domestic worker or laborer or house driver is proven.

By Meshal Al-Sanousi Al-Seyassah Staff

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