9,000 foreigners deported from Kuwait since start of 2023 amid demographic 'readjustment' push

Kuwaiti authorities have deported a staggering 9,000 foreign residents since the beginning of 2023, according to local media reports.

Security officials said the expats were expelled due to criminal history or involvement in misdemeanors, which were followed by judicial rulings requesting their immediate deportation, in a statement to Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas.

They added that those deported due to drug-related offences saw a significant increase in the past three months, while many were deported due to alleged expiration of their residency permits, as well as labour law violations.

The deportations were issued by Interior Minister Talal Al-Khaled, who according to the officials, does "not tolerate" any expatriate who does not "abide by the laws of the country".

Three-thousand foreigners were said to be expelled within a 30-day time frame on average, indicating the rapid speed at which the deportations are carried out.

Indians made up the biggest contingent of deportees, followed by individuals from the Filipino and Sri Lankan communities.

Egyptians were the deported Arab group, and fourth overall. Egyptians also make up the largest expatriate groups in the country, making up 24 percent of Kuwait’s work force.

Moreover, women constituted a large number of deportees, numbering at 4,000.

The security sources also stated that around 700 men and women are currently held in deportation prisons as they await their deportation, which will be carried out in the next 10 days following the completion of relevant procedures.

The oil-rich Gulf country has ramped up its deportation of its foreign residents in recent years, amid an increase in what has been described as "Kuwaitifying". The policy has been carried out in a bid to "readjust" Kuwait's demographic, where expats make up close to 70 percent of the country's 4.3 million population

In 2021, the Gulf country launched a crackdown on expatriates residing in the country’s capital with expired residency permits. The year prior, Kuwait’s cabinet approved a bill that could see the deportation of more than 36,000 foreign residents.

Moreover, Kuwait has put several bans on foreign workers in place, such as prohibiting expats from working in the public sector.