The Ministry of Interior is moving to issue a decision to raise the salary requirement for applying for family or dependent visa (Article 22) to KD 800 instead of the current requirement of KD 500, provided that this decision is implemented soon, stressing that the decision will be applicable to all expats who hold residencies no. 17 (government) and 18 (private sector), an Arab daily reported.
The source also revealed that the applicants will be obliged to submit their original work permits, and any records indicating that they have obtained an additional salary from another party will not be honored, including additional salaries entered in their bank accounts through other channels.
This new approach, according to the paper, stems from the ministry’s keenness to control the demographic structure and enable the high-income sectors to bring their families, as long as that they provide them with a satisfactory standard of living without urging their spouses to search for work and involving them in the already overcrowded labor market. Moreover, the decision will include application for dependent visas for the wives and children who are under 16 years of age, who entered the country recently, as well as the father, mother and mother-in-law.
On the other hand, the source confirmed that expats under Article 22 will continue to be allowed to stay outside the country for more than 6 months, which has been implemented since the coronavirus pandemic. The source added that expats can still renew the residencies of those under their sponsorship, or apply for a visa to join a family, while they are outside the country. However, it is being considered to require a leave of absence to the holders of Article 22 and to attach permission for the absence in case of overstaying for over 6 months abroad, and these will similarly be applied to employees in the private and government sectors, as well as household workers Articles (17-18-20), pointing out that this study has not yet been approved.
Regarding the visit visas and when they will open for expatriates, there is nothing new so far, hence, it will remain unavailable until further notice.
