The time to increase charges for expatriates, particularly in terms of residency permits, family visit visas, and traffic violations, is fast approaching, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

The National Assembly, in its session scheduled for March 14, is expected to table the proposals concerning the increase in the charges of medical services offered to expatriates.

According to security sources, Ministry of Interior has finished preparing the amendments to the residency law of expatriates and the traffic law and has referred them to the parliament, leaving the ball on the latter’s table henceforth.

They said the amendments to those laws will result in increased charges for expatriates, in a manner that suits the nature and cost of the services provided to them and in line with the government policies that were endorsed recently.

The sources explained that the proposed amendments to the expatriates’ residency law include an instant fine of KD 1,000 against those who shelter “marginal labor force” and those who work for different sponsors and increase in the fine for residency violation from KD 2 to KD 4 per day.

They also propose increasing the charges of dependent visa for a spouse to KD 200, and dependent visa for children to KD 150 per child.

In response to the question concerning whether the increase will include visit visas, the sources said the proposed fees for issuing visit visa will increase from KD 2 to KD 30 per month with a possible renewal of up to three months.

Regarding the traffic law, the source affirmed that the amendments propose doubling the fines for traffic violations such that the fine of conciliation (agreement) will increase from KD 30 to KD 60, and that of other violations, which currently range between KD 10 and KD15, will increase by double to a range between KD 20 and KD 30, with the minimum fine being KD 20 for any violation.

‘Pay your bills’: The State Ministry for Utilities has urged telephone line subscribers to pay their outstanding bills in earnest to avoid automatic disconnection scheduled this month against debtors, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

In a statement, the ministry said the first SMS warning will be sent out to concerned subscribers next Sunday followed by the second warning on March 19, stressing the disconnection will commence on March 26 for whoever declines to pay their outstanding bill before that day.

It explained the minimum debt attracting the disconnection of lines for private homes is KD50 (approximately $163) and KD100 (approximately $327) for commercial phones. The disconnection includes telephone lines over which an agreement was reached on the payment of monthly installment of bills, in addition to clients who defaulted the annual subscription for six months, in addition to homes and commercial lines for none Kuwaitis, and commercial lines for Kuwaitis

News Source: Arab Times