Chandan Kumar Mandal

The Kuwait government has decided to allow migrant workers, including hundreds of Nepalis, on leave to file their visa renewal applications online amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

The decision comes as a respite for around 400 Nepali workers who could not return to their jobs in the Gulf state after their annual break due to travel restrictions enforced by both the countries.

According to the latest arrangement made by the Ministry of Interior of Kuwait, the employers of the migrant workers concerned can apply online to get their visa renewed even if they haven’t arrived in Kuwait after their holiday.

“This [the decision] is a big relief for Nepali workers who feared losing their jobs as they stay in Nepal waiting for restrictions to be lifted,” Suraj Maskey, a Nepali migrant worker told the Post from Kuwait City. “According to our estimate, at least 400 Nepalis are back home on leave at the moment.”

The Arab state, which hosts over 70,000 Nepali migrant workers, has also been affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. As of now, 195 cases have been reported in the country so far.

While Nepali workers already in the country say they are faced with reduced work hours, and reduced pay, those back home were anxious about getting to return to their jobs. The partial, but strict, curfew imposed by the Kuwaiti government has also affected normal life, and forced non-essential services to shut down.

With the decision to take visa renewal applications available online, the workers’ residency permit can be renewed even when the worker concerned is not in the country. Kuwaiti employers. on behalf of their employees, can submit the application and complete procedures online.

Likewise, workers who are still in Kuwait, but their visa expires soon, can also apply for a renewal of their visa using the same procedure. Online applications can be filed by both company workers (Visa-18) and domestic workers (Visa-20).

In the past, workers had to present themselves before immigration authorities to apply to renew their residency permits, according to Maskey.

“Nepali and Bangladeshi workers should also submit their biometric (finger print) while applying for renewal,” said Maskey, an IT professional who has been living in Kuwait for over three years

Published on: 27 March 2020 | The Kathmandu Post