115,000 iqama violators in Kuwait; up 7% in one year

KUWAIT: Despite the interior ministry’s measures to deport residency law violators, the residency affairs department’s data showed a rise in iqama violators, who reached 115,000 by Wednesday, compared to around 107,700 violators in April 2018, an increase of seven percent, Al-Qabas daily reported yesterday, quoting sources. The grace period given to violators to leave or correct their status in 2018 resulted in reducing their number to 107,000 after 58,000 took advantage of the amnesty, according to interior ministry numbers.

But during the 16 months since the grace period expired, the number of violators has gone up, reaching 115,000 in the database of the residency affairs department, the sources noted. The interior ministry is monitoring the violators and is preparing a plan to confront their rising numbers, and there will be campaigns to round them up.

Meanwhile, Al-Rai daily quoted informed sources who said the process of deporting expats from Kuwait is costly and is borne by the interior ministry. The sources said the cost of deporting expats is around $3.7 million, adding that this amount will be included within the financial allocations of the interior ministry, without alluding to any additional details with regards to the number of those deportees or the period.

In other news, government sources said there are plans to regulate electronic publications and place strict rules that limit chaos caused by some bogus accounts, Al-Rai reported yesterday. The sources said accounts will be dealt with very strictly and will not be allowed to compromise social harmony and spread doubts about others’ integrity. They said a review of the electronic publication laws is being conducted to close some loopholes in some items.

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