The Ministry of the Interior in Kuwait has proposed a set of quotas for every expatriate community in the country in a bid to address the demographic imbalance. Approximately two-thirds of the population in the Gulf State are foreigners.
The proposal was published in Al-Rai newspaper on Monday. It includes putting a halt on recruitment from “bloated” nationalities and using domestic labour instead. Special districts are proposed for foreign workers to live in; bachelors will be prevented from living in areas populated by families and security measures against illegal workers will be tightened.
According to the ministry, there is a significant increase in the number of specific communities in Kuwait. There are, for example, almost 750,000 workers with Indian nationality, and 68,000 Egyptians. Some communities, claim officials, have a monopoly over certain economic sectors in the country.
Nearly 18,000 illegal workers were deported from Kuwait in 2015 and the first half of 2016. The deportations followed a security campaign which also prevented citizens of seven countries from living in or visiting the country, including Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
