03/09/2025
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03/09/2025
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KUWAIT CITY, Sept 3: First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef, has issued Ministerial Decision No. 1568/2025, introducing significant changes to the organizational structure of the Ministry of Interior in relation to residency and nationality affairs.
The decision abolishes the General Department of Residency Affairs Investigations along with all its affiliated departments. In its place, new powers have been assigned to the Head of the Nationality and Residency Affairs Sector, granting authority not only to implement laws related to nationality and travel documents but also to oversee investigations, follow up on law violators, and enforce the provisions of the Foreigners’ Residency Law and its executive regulations.
As part of this restructuring, a new entity called the Residency Affairs Investigations Department has been created under the umbrella of the General Department of Criminal Investigations. This department has been given a field security mandate, and its responsibilities include:
- Developing plans and programs to improve operational methods and workforce needs.
- Pursuing and investigating violators of the Residency Law and its executive regulations.
- Conducting inspection campaigns of facilities.
- Investigating cases of lost travel documents for both Gulf nationals and expatriates.
- Following up on residency violators and coordinating security campaigns.
The Residency Affairs Investigations Department will be led by a director who will oversee four specialized divisions:
- Search and Investigation Department
- Companies and Labor Follow-Up Department
- Violators’ Follow-Up Department
- Support Services Department
These divisions will work in coordination with the General Department of Criminal Investigations to arrest and prosecute violators of Kuwait’s labor and residency laws.
In addition, several departments previously affiliated with the General Directorate of Residency Affairs have been reassigned to other security sectors. For instance:
- The Department for Medically Unfit Workers has been transferred to Correctional Institutions.
- The Department for Lost Travel Documents now falls under the Central Administration for Residency Systems and Entry and Exit Procedures.
- The Department for the Protection of Public Morals and Combating Human Trafficking has been tasked with conducting inspection campaigns in establishments to monitor the medical fitness of workers.
According to Article 3 of the ministerial decision, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior is responsible for implementing these changes, which officially took effect at the end of last month. The decision also nullifies any prior provisions that contradict its stipulations.
A senior security source commented that the restructuring may pave the way for further transformations within the Ministry, including the conversion of some general departments into smaller departments or merging them with other security agencies. Such changes, the source noted, would reduce financial costs and enable the ministry to make better use of its human resources by eliminating redundancies, including certain assistant undersecretary positions.
