Importance of the Employee Visa in Kuwait

Relocating to any destination is hard. Kuwait is no exception. There are pros and cons to every city. In Kuwait, the advantages are many. Good malls. Great good. Lovely beaches. And a job that hands you a good paycheck. Luxurious life and relaxed work culture. If you can get an excellent job in this part of the world, you can have a good career ahead of you.

Now, let’s talk about the currency in Kuwait – KWD and the impact it has on the employees

Kuwaiti Dinar: The price of one Kuwaiti dinar equals approximately 1,197.92 NGN. (1 KWD : 3 USD). The highest national currency in the world. With a general population about 3.1 million people, data shows that one out of seventeen people in Kuwait is regarded as a millionaire depending on this person’s income per year.

Most of the expatriates here work as employees. Some take up businesses as well. The most significant advantage of working in Kuwait is that your income is entirely tax-free. The irony is that despite not taxing the income of the population, this country is one of the wealthiest nations in the world.

Lifestyle to education, everything is of high quality. It is a relatively safe place to live in, both for expats as well as locals. Kuwait is, therefore, one of the most sought-after places to work in. Getting a job is not sufficient though. You must ensure that you have taken care of the legalities and related paperwork.

Employee Visa in Kuwait

Red tape and bureaucracy are especially harder in Kuwait. Applying for government-related services such as visa can be an ordeal. While all members of the GCC are entitled to work in Kuwait automatically without having to go through any formalities, others have to go through a rigorous process.

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour has announced new rules with respect to the issue of work permits to expats. As per the latest circular issued (November 2018), the expat workers will be made to prove their competency levels by undergoing a series of tests. Fitness certificates have to be submitted to work here.

There are some key points you can take note of before applying for a visa in Kuwait

• It is not wise to sign any document written only in Arabic. Ensure that a translation accompanies it.
• The work permit must include the essential data such as salary, job position, your academic qualification and work experience, etc. This data is vital especially when you wish to transfer visas or resign.
• Read every statement carefully. Twice. Issues are likely to crop up when there is a disconnect. The type of contract has a direct implication on the salary increase, number of days of stay, etc.
• Shifting from being a domestic worker to the private sector and back before the completion of 3 years entitles a fee of KD300 to be paid.
• KD350 is to be paid for a transfer from a government contract to the main file of the same employer.
• The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour must be approached in case of salaries not received or ill-treatment. Until the case is closed, the employee should not leave the work environment.
• Acceptance of resignation is compulsory.

Importance of the Employee Visa in Kuwait.

With the Ministry considering a separate department to verify the contract between the employee and the office, this visa is incredibly crucial to the employee at all counts. It speaks about his very competency level and the legality of his stay in Kuwait. The recruitment criteria, including the field of specialization, work experience and salary etc. are all part of the process with his the employee is scrutinized.

Kuwait is taking into consideration the balance of job opportunities provided for the nationals both in private as well as the public sector. The population structure must be balanced. Employee visa in Kuwait is therefore issued to those expats who hold a certificate required in various fields of specialization. This is according to the ministerial decision number 136/2001.

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We at Future Focus Infotech help you bring out the best in yourselves by taking care of all your logistics and legalities. You can concentrate on completing the project in Kuwait while we take care of the deployment needs for you.