Expats In Kuwait To Face 150 Per Cent Service Fee Hike

Expats in Kuwait are now facing a 150 per cent hike in their service fees.

Kuwait’s Ministry of Economic Affair’s latest hit at the emirate’s expat population is to hike all service fees by 150 per cent. In addition, fees for the provision of electricity, healthcare, education and insurances will be doubled, family visa access will be restricted and residency permit fees will also soar. The increases will take place no later than early September, and other measures are also being considered.

Expats over the age of 60 years may not get their residency permits renewed and a number of exceptions granted to expat professional consultants may also be stopped in order to increase the numbers of Kuwaitis employed in state agencies. Also, expat numbers in the emirate will be cut to under 30 per cent of the population.

The announcement followed a previous notice that expatriate professionals will no longer be employed in the state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. Expats still wishing to retain their jobs in Kuwait seem to be out of luck, no matter which sector relates to their expertise. Another hit was aimed at 33 per cent of expat employees at a Kuwaiti housing agency, all of whom will face termination of their contracts in September as the agency must be totally Kuwaitised in one year.

A number of Kuwaiti politicians are focused on eliminating low-skilled workers from the emirate, but qualified, experienced foreign workers are also being caught in the net as well as being blamed for the state’s number of covid-19 infections. For expats who’ve given their expertise over long periods of time and were hoping to retire in Kuwait when the time came, Kuwatization is the worst possible end to their careers.