Minimum salary for family visa up

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 12: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Mohammed Al-Khalid Al-Sabah has issued a ministerial decision to amend some provisions of the expatriate residence law and raised the minimum salary of applicants for family visas family from KD 250 to KD 450.

Item one of the decision stipulates an expatriate who wishes to bring his family from outside to stay with him should have a minimum monthly salary of KD 450.

Also, the applicant should be working in the same profession registered on his residence. However, those who are already in the country on family visa and those born in Kuwait can be exempted only by the Director General of Residence Affairs.

Item 2 states that 14 professions are exempted from the above-stated conditions in as much as the applicant practices the same profession relevant to his discipline. The exempted professions include;

1. Consultants, judges, staff of the Public Prosecution Department, Legal experts and researchers in the government sector. 2. Doctors and pharmacists 3. Teachers of universities, colleges, and other higher institutions of learning

4. Principals, vice-principals, education supervisors , teachers, social workers, and laboratory attendants in the government sector

5. Financial consultants and graduate economists 6. Engineers 7. Imams, preachers, Muezzins and Qu’ran Memorization teachers

8. Librarians in the government sector and private universities

9. Ministry of health nursing staff, paramedics, technicians and social workers

10. Social and psychological experts in the government sector

11. Journalists, reporters and media practitioners

12. Coaches and players in sporting clubs and associations 13. Pilots and flight attendants 14. Mortuary attendants and undertakers

According to the Director General of Public Relations and Security Media Brigadier Adel Al-Hashash, the new decision will not be implemented retroactively. This means those presently in the country whose salaries

are below KD 450 will be exempted, and the residence of people under their sponsorship will be renewed.

He note those presently in the country and working in professions other than their discipline can be issued family visa based on exemptions and decisions from authorities.

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