April 2: Several human rights activists and lawyers have rejected the decision issued by the Ministry of Interior according to which ‘Anyone reported absconding by the sponsor after Jan 4, 2016, shall not be granted the residence permit even if the absconder rectifies his/her situation, reports Al-Rai daily.

KUWAIT CITY: The activists say the expatriates have the right to appeal before the Administrative Court and say the decision will definitely be cancelled. President of the Kuwait Society for Human Rights Khalid Al- Hamidi said, “This decision is wrong and violates the most basic rights of expatriates and puts their destiny in the hands of the sponsor in violation of the labor law.

Meanwhile, the Assistant Undersecretary for Nationality and Passports Affairs at the Ministry of Interior, Major-General Mazen Al-Jarrah said he does not hesitate to open his doors to solve humanitarian issues.

He added, he is ready to address any problem that is bound to harm Kuwait’s reputation in the area of human rights issues. He stressed, the humanitarian dimension is one of his top priorities. Al-Jarrah added he receives in his office several cases every day and examines each case separately in the presence of the sponsor and the expatriate to solve legal problems between the two parties, particularly those reported absconding by the sponsor.

In the meantime, the Public Authority for Manpower was considering the legal basis to cancel the contracts of people who were reported absconding by their sponsors and looking for ways to assist those who are allowed by law to resolve the problem.

According to the decision the absconder loses the right to resort to the labor court. This decision was taken after the Tripartite Committee comprising personnel from the General Department of Residence Affairs (GDRA), the General Directorate of Investigation and the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) met and decided to reduce the number of people particularly those holding Work Visa No 18. “The decision is also unjust because it shall be applied retrospectively. Moreover, the GDRA has started cancelling the residence permit of expatriates. It is unjust also because such decision cannot be applied retrospectively,” the source added.

News Source: Arab Times