The Ministry of Interior in Kuwait has reopened the application process for expatriates to request family visas, allowing them to sponsor their wives and children.
The decision was made under the directives of Deputy Prime Minister, Defence Minister, and Acting Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah. The applications, which resumed on January 28, will be processed based on the ministerial decree No. 56 of 2024, outlining new rules for issuing entry permits for family reunions.
To be eligible for a Kuwait family visa, expatriates must meet certain criteria:
- Salary Requirement: Applicants must have a minimum salary of KD800 ($2,600).
- Educational Qualification: A university degree certificate is mandatory.
- Field of Employment: The expatriate must be employed in the same field as indicated in their university certificate.
However, there have been reported revisions to the rules exempting certain professions from the requirement of having a degree certificate. Professions exempted from this rule include:
- Advisors, judges, prosecutors, experts, and legal researchers in the government sector.
- Medical professionals, including doctors and pharmacists.
- University, college, and higher institute professors.
- School administrators, vice principals, education mentors, teachers, social workers, and laboratory attendants in the government sector.
- Financial and economic advisors in universities.
- Engineers.
- Imams, preachers, and muezzins.
- Librarians in government agencies and private universities.
- Ministry of Health staff, including nurses, paramedics, medical technicians, and social service workers.
- Social workers and psychologists in the government sector.
- Journalists and media professionals.
- Sports coaches and athletes.
- Pilots and flight attendants.
- Professionals overseeing burial preparations and services.
Family visas for expatriates were suspended approximately two years ago as part of an effort to regulate population and demographic numbers in the country. The reintroduction of family visa applications comes with specific conditions, including the fulfillment of minimum salary requirements and adherence to employment rules. Additionally, parents of children under the age of five are exempt from salary requirements.
