Procedures for Transfer from Work Visa to Dependent Visa & Documents required

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I’m sure you receive questions such as mine all the time but this time I need a clarification. My problem is that I’m having trouble tracking down a recent, reliable, understandable source for information.

My wife and I welcomed our daughter to the world about a year ago. We’ve decided that it’s better for my wife to stay at home and tend to her upbringing. With that, I approached my sponsor asking for assistance in changing her visa Article 18 (work permit) to a visa Article 22 (dependent) with me as her sponsor. They’ve told me I cannot start the process until her final day with the company and the current sponsor has signed the release letter.

My confusion there is that if her visa Article 18 expires after she has finished working, will there not be a penalty for her overstaying her visa Article 18? To add to my confusion, I’m having some difficulties in locating clear cut steps on how the process should happen (i.e., Take this form and these documents to this location with this much money. Then go to this governorate and locate this building and get this signature and stamp, etc.) Any insight you could provide would be greatly appreciated

Name withheld
Answer: We agree that all a lot of people, with a little knowledge, do is confuse others. While we have on various occasions talked on the issue we have never detailed the documents required nor the procedure involved.

It’s not difficult but you will need a few hours off on a number of days to complete the procedure. This is because the procedure involves two ministries as the work permit (Article 18) comes under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and the dependent visa (Article 22) under the Immigration Department (Ministry of Interior).

Before we detail the documents required and the procedure, we would like to stress that your wife does not need to transfer her status only on the last day of her work permit. It can be done anytime provided her current sponsor has no objection on releasing her.

Just in case the sponsor wants her to serve out her tenure according to the work permit, then just ask the sponsor to get her temporary residence (Article 14) while you transfer her residence. This will ensure she does not become illegal and also result in you not having to pay any fine.

Documents required

1. Marriage certificate (attested by your embassy—which may or may not require you to have it attested by the Foreign Ministry in your country —and Kuwait’s Ministry of Social Affairs )

2. Original passport of your wife

3. Work permit of your wife

4. Your work permit (Please ensure it states a salary of at least KD 250)

5. The current sponsor’s certificate of signatures known as ItimadTawkiya in Arabic

6. Your wife’s original Civil ID

7. Copy of your Civil ID

8. Rental agreement (you must be already having it –attach a photocopy)

9. Four passport size photographs ( with blue background ) of your wife

10. Keep your original passport along because you might be required to produce it at some of the counters (although it is just required only at the last stage)

Procedure
Please now remember that as the transfer procedure involves two ministries keep a lot of copies of all the above document because someone (when you least expect it) might ask you for one.

First, pay a visit to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. Outside the Ministry you will find a lot of typists who will provide you two transfer forms. Have these filled by these typists. Now you need to sign both forms and get the same done from your wife’s current sponsor(he also needs to affix his original stamp ).

After this you need to go to the Immigration Department in your area where they will check your all documents and if they are satisfied that you meet all the requirements to sponsor your wife, they will give you a “No Objection Certificate” (Lamana) before guiding you to another office in the same building The Immigration Department will keep one of the forms and give you a letter for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor.

Armed with all these papers you have to return to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor where the Ministry ( after ensuring that your wife has received all her dues from her current employer ) cancels her work permit.

Now you have to make another trip to your Immigration Department but before you do that you must go to one of the medical insurance firms where you need to get medical insurance for your wife.

The cost is KD 40 per year, which means if you plan to get two years residence for your wife you will have to pay KD 80.

When you go to the Immigration Department, you will first be directed to the PACI (Public Authority for Civil Information) counter where you have to produce your wife’s original Civil ID, which will be punched by the authorities.

At the next counter you will have to pay the residence fees — only KD 100 if you are getting residence for one year but if you want residence for more than one year you have to pay KD 10 for every additional year.

For example if you are residence for two years, you have to pay a total of KD 110.

On production of this receipt at the next counter your wife’s Article 22 residence will be stamped on her passport for the number of years you want.

Please don’t forget to take your original passport along because a stamp, stating that you are sponsoring your wife, will be affixed towards the back end of your passport.

Once the Article 22 residence is stamped, you will need to apply for your wife’s new Civil ID. That ends the whole procedure.

This news has been read 72167 times!

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