Local reports suggest that the decline was largely driven by government attempts to deport “illegal migrants”, who live and work in the oil-rich Middle Eastern state without correct visas, as well as those who are involved in criminal activity.
Raids in areas popular with expats have become increasingly common. Earlier this week, over 700 foreigners who were allegedly violating Kuwaiti laws were seized in an industrial area to the south of Al Jahra city.
“There are many bogus companies that are trafficking workers, thereby spoiling Kuwait's reputation... This is one of the reasons why raids are being held, to reduce the number of marginal laborers,” an official told The Kuwait Times.
Like many Gulf states, Kuwait is dependent on foreign labour to plug gaps in its growing economy, with workers taking jobs in various sectors from construction to the resources industry.
The majority of these immigrants are poor workers from elsewhere in Asia, such as India, the Philippines and Pakistan, though there is also a large Egyptian population. Around two-thirds of Kuwait's 2.6 million inhabitants are believed to be from abroad.
Number of expats in Kuwait falls by a fifth
Interesting... and good post...
Thanks!
now heres the conundrum mon ami; is it logical to deal with the phenomena or the cause?
the report says,
Faisal ALT wrote:“There are many bogus companies that are trafficking workers, thereby spoiling Kuwait's reputation... This is one of the reasons why raids are being held, to reduce the number of marginal laborers,” an official told The Kuwait Times.
and from what i know about business law in Kuwait, you cannot start a business unless you are Kuwaiti or have a Kuwaiti partner. hence, initially, the fraud begins locally.
tackling the phenomena of marginal workers who are here illegally is a step in the right direction. as they may resort to committing crimes due to their illegal status. however, the true step would be to limit the ability of bogus companies from coming to fruition, as they are the root cause of the problem in the first place.
most expats cannot simply arrive on a plane and walk into Kuwait and overstay their residency. these people were brought here on phony work visas. these phony work visas were issued here.
I'm all for a better Kuwait, but its best to tackle the cause, and not the result.
what do you think?
I agree with you, Legacy. I am also curious about how many were runaways who entered legally, but were either lured with false promises or escaped other unfortunate situations.
I am all for a better Kuwait, but the country seems to be going more in the wrong direction lately. Personally, I am more than happy to help legal, but unhappy, residents migrate to a better place like Canada.
Glad to see you using that French fluency.
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