Kuwait’s new expat bill: This many Indians will be forced to return home

Kuwait has the highest number of expats from India at 1.45 million. (Photo: The Indian Express)

A new draft expat quota bill, approved by the legal and legislative committee of Kuwait’s National Assembly, could put foreign citizens in danger of leaving the Gulf nation, if become law.

The bill proposes to reduce the number of Indians to 15% of their total population, reported Kuwait Times. Currently, Kuwait has the highest number of expats from India at 1.45 million. This draft expat quota bill, if enacted into law, could force as many as 800,000 Indians to leave Kuwait. After India, Egypt accounts for the second-highest number of expats in Kuwait. The bill has also proposed to reduce their number to 10%.

According to a report in the Kuwait Times, the bill is to be transferred to the respective committee so that a comprehensive plan is created.

Since the beginning of coronavirus pandemic, many countries are changing their rules for foreign citizens, starting from travel ban to stricter visa rules in order to limit the spread of the virus. There has been a clamour among lawmakers and government officials in Kuwait for reducing the number of expats, which grows louder after the Covid-19 outbreak, Kuwait Times reported.

In June, Kuwait’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah, had proposed reducing the number of foreigners to 30% of the population from the current 70% in the country.

Currently, Kuwait has a total population of 4.3 million. Of which Kuwaitis account for only 1.3 million, while expats account for the rest at 3 million.

Kuwait is one of the top sources of remittances for India. According to government data, India had received $4.8 billion as remittances from Kuwait in 2018.