The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MSAL) has proposed that an expatriate can apply for self-sponsorship provided they possess a minimum of KD10,000 in their bank account. Under the proposed amendments to current law, an individual or a group of individuals will also be allowed to sponsor someone provided their bank account contains KD10,000. In order to obtain an exemption from the current regulations, the applicant must have been a businessman or a partner in a business venture for at least two consecutive years. The MSAL is still studying the possibility of allowing certain professionals to acquire their own work visa without a local sponsor.

The proposal was first presented and circulated in a 2005 draft law and is currently being studied at the Ministry of Labor, according to an MSAL official quoted in a local Arabic newspaper. The proposed changes have caused mixed reactions among the large number of expatriates residing in Kuwait. "Why do they need KD10,000 in our bank account? If I want to work here for two or three years, why do they need KD10,000? Will that serve as a bond? How can you raise that amount if you are an ordinary worker," queried a business owner.

A Pakistani businessman said that the proposed selective change in the visa system will be great for business in Kuwait. "It is good for us but most especially for Kuwait's business sector," he said. "You are in fact erasing our reservations to do business in Kuwait," he said. The businessman, director of a computer school, said that any doubts will be erased when the law is implemented.

Elaborating, he said that another significant issue that hampers doing business in Kuwait is the work permit. "If we can have the work permit ourselves, it will be a good step forward. If the policy is implemented the business atmosphere here will significantly improve. It will attract more investors," he mentioned. A Filipina restaurant owner also welcomed the proposed changes. "This is a great idea. I hope it will be implemented soon to relieve our anxieties when it comes to our visas or the legality of our stays in Kuwait," she noted.

Not everyone welcomed the changes, claiming that safety in the country will be compromised. A Kuwaiti employer, who runs a small business in Shuwaikh, said that such an idea is crazy and unhealthy. "There are some nationals who are crooked or maybe some people will acquire visas and then commit crime. Since they are not controlled by any company owner, they can easily commit crimes and leave the country. What is the assurance that erring workers can be asked to answer for their crimes?" he pointed out.

The MSAL has a draft law to scrap the sponsorship system in Kuwait pending in Parliament. The debate was hampered due to the dissolution of Parliament earlier this month. If the proposal to scrap the sponsorship system passes, the state authority will then become the sole authority for the sponsorship of expatriate workers in Kuwait.