Work permit transfers freed after three years

KUWAIT CITY, April 1: Manpower Public Authority has issued a decision to give an employee the right to apply for transfer of his work permit after three years of its issuance without the approval of his employer, reports Al-Anba daily.

In a press statement, the official spokesperson and Director of Public Relations and Media Department of Manpower Public Authority Aseel AlMaseed affirmed that the conditions specified in the new decision will replace the current conditions for manpower transfer, thereby allowing employees to apply for transfer of their work permits after completing three years without the need for obtaining their employers’ approval.

She explained that the new decision requires employees to adhere to the condition of giving advance notice to their employers, as stated by the law. In case it becomes difficult to prove that an employee had given notice to the employer as per the law, the employee can file a complaint at the Labor Dispute Department for notifying the employer. The resignation notice will take effect on the day it was filed and the employer cannot file an absconding case against the employee during the notice period.

Al-Maseed stressed that the government contracts are exempted from the three-year law, and that the transfer of work permit depends on the validity of the contract, or if the employer has another government contract to which he would want to transfer his or her employees, or if there is a prior rule that concerns the employer in terms of the expiry of the contract.

She clarified that the transfer of employees registered under government contracts is limited to technical specialized professions. However, transfer of employees of non-specialized non-technical professions is possible by paying the charges set by the ministerial decision.