The Kuwaiti government ran an amnesty scheme for “illegal immigrants” from 17 March 2024 to 30 June 2024, which was extended from the initial deadline of 17 June. This grace period was intended to give those illegally in the country the time to either pay the penalties and regularize their status or leave the country indefinitely. Unfortunately, the supposedly forgiving nature of the state ended abruptly with the end of the scheme.
On Monday 1 July, merely a day after the end of the amnesty, 450 immigrants without the necessary visa were rounded up to be deported. This marked the start of the crackdown on these immigrants with a “no tolerance” policy, as warned by the Ministry of Interior at the start of the scheme. Those deported will be banned from re-entering Kuwait for life and from all the other Gulf Cooperation Council countries for five years. Last year, Kuwait deported 42,000 expatriates for violating its residency and labor laws, so this is likely only the start of a mass deportation effort.
Although no official data has been released, between April 2024 and June 2024 an average of 1,000 people per day went to the Residence Affairs Departments across six governorates to rectify their situation. Given that out of the population of 4.8 million people, around 3.3 million are foreigners, of which approximately 150,000 are believed to be there without a visa, there are likely many people who did not regularize their stay and thus are at risk of deportation.
The increased efforts to deport immigrants who do not have the correct visa are partly due to the state’s long-standing “Kuwaitization” plan, aimed at nationalizing jobs and rendering the public sector “100% Kuwaiti”. As a result, even those who have regularized their stay may be at risk of losing their jobs. Given the country’s low unemployment rate of just over 2%, it is evident that the presence of foreigners is not affecting the local’s ability to find jobs. Therefore, this plan is not an economic one, but rather an attempt to get rid of foreigners. This further highlights how the scheme was run under false pretenses.
In addition to the crackdown on immigrants illegally in the country, there will also be legal repercussions for those who harbor them. For those sheltering or employing people who violate Kuwait’s Residency Laws, the punishment is up to six months of imprisonment or a fine of up to KD600 – around €1800.
As part of this initiative, the Ministry of Interior claims it will target fake companies that exploit foreign workers – a small silver lining of an otherwise repressive plan. If the Ministry follows through on its commitments to block the exploitative companies and report them to Public Prosecution, it would reduce the exploitation of migrant workers. However, as the Kafala system remains intact, this approach will likely only lead to more deportations, and the mistreatment of migrant workers will likely continue unreported as the workers will be even more scared to speak out about their conditions.
During the crackdown on illegal housing, which started after 50 people were killed in a building fire, many foreigners were evicted and left on the streets. Moreover, officials cut off electricity and water supplies to three buildings, despite the hot temperatures. As a result, any promise of ending exploitative practices is overshadowed by an obvious lack of the state’s commitment to the human rights of migrant workers and their protection
Kuwait’s commitment to stopping exploitative practices, without dismantling the Kafala system, will only lead to migrants being more scared to speak out. Therefore, this system must be eradicated to end these unlawful practices. Kuwait should reframe its initiative to end the exploitation of migrant workers by allowing them more job security and helping to legalize their status without repercussions. Moreover, the “Kuwaitization” plan risks increasing deportations by fueling the anti-immigration agenda. This plan will likely only decrease the country’s workforce while violating the human rights of foreigners living in Kuwait. The state must do better to support the human rights of all its residents.
