KUWAIT CITY, Dec 16: The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Headed by Mohammed Al-Afasi has announced its plan to extend the suspension of the issuance of work permits for another three years and limit the issuance of licenses for certain activities, reports Al-Qabas daily quoting reliable sources.

Disclosing the ministry allotted a budget of KD 147,000 for the next three years after seeing the positive results of its decision to suspend the issuance of work permits, sources said the Labor Department has specified a new mechanism to implement this decision.
The ministry will also limit the issuance of permits to companies engaged in certain commercial activities and sponsor a large number of marginal workers.
Sources clarified this step is aimed at curbing the rising number of marginal laborers in the country, especially since many illegal expatriate workers are currently in jail; hence, the need to take serious steps to address the problem.
Sources added the ministry, through the Labor Department, has taken the necessary measures to replace expatriate workers with national manpower in the private sector during the three-year implementation of the decision to suspend the issuance of work permits.


Replacement
Besides the replacement of expatriate workers with nationals, sources said the ministry also intends to specify conditions for the classification of commercial activities with excessive number of marginal workers and heavy capital, in coordination with the Ministry of Commerce and other concerned authorities, during the three-year suspension period.
It will also amend legislation related to the issuance of work permits and commercial licenses, and adjust fees for the issuance, renewal, transfer and cancellation of work permits and other transactions as these fees have not been amended for several decades.
Sources said the ministry will prioritize amendment of the procedures for the transfer of visit visa to work, considering the 36 percent increase of such transactions over the last two years.
The ministry is also studying other procedures for the medical checkup of expatriate workers to determine if they have contagious or chronic diseases, in addition to unifying procedures for all workers to undergo tests for hepatitis C. - Arabtimes