Hashem calls to limit expats’ stay in Kuwait to only 5 years

Lawmaker proposes deporting expats for traffic offenses

KUWAIT: MP Safa Al-Hashem, who has been campaigning against expatriates in Kuwait, yesterday called to limit expats’ stay in the country to just five years that can be extended only once for a similar period. Any extension should be based on educational qualifications, she added. In a set of proposals filed yesterday, Hashem provided a long list of cases where expatriates should be deported along with their families and prevented from returning to the country.

The proposals said expatriates should be deported if their residence permit expires or if their profession in the residence permit contradicts what they actually do, and those who work for employers other than their sponsors. The loosely-worded proposal also calls for deporting foreigners who work in construction if their age is above 40 years and those who suffer from any disability or illness. It also requires contractors to ensure their workers leave the country after projects are completed.

The proposal requires the deportation of teachers and workers in private schools if their residencies are not with their employers, insisting their family members must also be deported and everyone must be prevented from coming back. In her proposal, Hashem calls for deporting expatriates who have been convicted in court even if they have served any jail term or if their cases ended with a pardon. She also calls for deporting expats who commit three traffic offences, without describing the nature of the offences.

In another item, the lawmaker calls for deporting expats whose identification documents have expired without renewal. These people must also be fined KD 500. Kuwaitis who provide shelter or work for expats without a legal contract should be fined, according to the proposals. The lawmaker said that she submitted the proposal after the demographic imbalance in favor of expatriates reached a “dangerous level”, causing the crime rate to jump, especially by residency violators.

Hashem, the only woman member in the 50-seat National Assembly, has repeatedly called for taking actions to reduce the number of expatriates in the country, whose numbers have reached 3.3 million against 1.4 million citizens. The lawmaker had called for making expatriates pay for all the services they receive from the state and also for imposing taxes on their remittances to their home countries. Last month, she again called for forcing expatriates to pay for the “air they breathe”, and later said she received death threats via email.