Kuwait: Resumption of Issuance of Family Residence Visas for Applicants in Medical Field

Effective immediately, Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior has resumed issuing family residence visas for the wife and children (males under the age of 15 and females under the age of 18) of Kuwaiti residents working as medical staff in the Ministry of Health. This group was considered a priority to resume processing in order to retain medical professionals, particularly those in highly-specialized fields. These applications have been suspended since August 2022, when the Ministry of Interior suspended the issuance of family residence visas in order to restructure Kuwait’s regulatory framework. In December 2022, the Ministry of Interior resumed issuing family residence visas for children below the age of five under certain circumstances. It is unclear at this time when the suspension will be lifted for other categories of applicants.