Kuwait considering '15 year cap' on expats

Kuwait could be about to introduce new legislation to dramatically reduce the number of expats in the country with a prospective quota limiting the number of foreign workers.
1 min read
06 November, 2017
Kuwait is looking to limit the number of foreigners in the state [Getty]
Kuwait could introduce a "15 year cap" on foreign workers in the country, as the Gulf state attempts to limit the number of expatriates in the country.

New legislation proposed by the ministry of interior will try and set a quota for expatriates to ensure the number of foreigners does not exceed 25 percent of the local population.

Currently expatriates make up around 70 percent of Kuwait's population and many nationals want the number of foreigners in the country significantly reduced.

Kuwait's demographic inbalance has led to new legislation aimed at foreigners including hikes in healthcare costs for expatriates.

Lawmakers have proposed other discriminatory measures, including deporting foreign teachers, banning expatriates from driving and additional charges for car owners. 

Kuwait's national assembly is reviewing the proposal for a cap with the interior ministry saying only "necessary expatriates" should remain in the country.

Other media reports suggested the proposal was to limit expatriates based on their country of origin so that no one nationality exceeds the number of Kuwaitis.

Around 1 million Indian expatriates live in Kuwait making them the largest non-native nationality in the country.