Kuwait MoI: Over 65,000 residency violators benefited grace period, adjusted status

Over 65,000 residency violators benefited from the grace period offered by the authorities, adjusting their status in the country, said an Interior Ministry official on Sunday. In an interview with KUNA, Director of the General Department of Residency at the Interior Ministry Brigadier Yousef Al-Ayoub revealed that the grace period offered to residency violators from March 14 to June 30, 2024 was in line with the state's humanitarian ethos to enable violators to amend their status and follow legal procedure. Most of the violators were in the areas of Mahboula and Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, he revealed, adding that the Interior Ministry would continue its efforts to crack down on those violating residency laws. Since the grace period ended, some 4,650 people were apprehended, Al-Ayoub said, noting that violators would be unable to return to Kuwait once being deported. He noted that sponsors of residency violators would be subjected to a block and they would be notified through the Sahel application of their sponso red individuals' arrest and subsequent legal procedures against them. Deported violators with no travel documents would be issued an emergency travel papers before being sent off, he affirmed. The Interior Ministry had intensified its efforts in the last three months to track down on residency violators and implement the law concerning the matter. The grace period was offered to allow violators to seek legal means to stay in the country. The issue of residency violators had an impact on the fabric of society with some individuals seeking illicit activities to make ends meet. The campaign also sends a message to sponsors bringing people into the country and leaving them to their own devices, creating some degree of lawlessness and confusion. Source: Kuwait News Agency