Kuwait introduces new regulations to restrict inflow of Egyptian nationals seeking work

Kuwait is introducing new regulations to restrict the inflow of Egyptian nationals seeking labor opportunities, accusing Egypt of not committing to the regulatory frameworks in place.

The step was taken as it became apparent that the labor agreements signed between the two countries have failed to stop fraudulent recruitment agencies from sending workers to Kuwait, an Egyptian Manpower Ministry source told Mada Masr.

Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister Talal al-Khaled decided last week to suspend a memorandum of understanding signed in 2018 to create digital links between the manpower ministries of the two countries to facilitate recruitment, saying it had become unnecessary. 

An Egyptian source with knowledge of Egyptian-Kuwaiti labor relations told Mada Masr on condition of anonymity that Egypt was not officially informed of the decision to cancel the MoU.

Eight new regulations were also introduced at the Kuwaiti embassy in Cairo to “prevent the entry of any marginal workers and control the country’s labor market,” according to Kuwaiti news outlet Al-Qabas, including a US$100 fee and an increase in the work permit documentation fees that measures the price of the Kuwaiti dinar at LE150 — more than double its current market value in Egyptian banks — which the Kuwaiti sources justified as a result of the changes affecting the Egyptian pound.

According to the Egyptian source, the now-canceled agreement was signed in 2018 by former Manpower Minister Mohamed Saafan and was set to build a digital platform to allow Kuwaiti authorities to inform the Egyptian side of open vacancies, after which the latter would set up a meeting with a Kuwaiti delegation to interview the applicants and choose the new hires.

Since then, Egyptian laborers are reported to have been entering Kuwait via independent recruitment offices, sometimes including fraudulent agencies that promote fabricated vacancies and charge large fees, or agencies that offer genuine positions in exchange for a regular cut from the worker’s salary.

Unnamed Kuwaiti government sources who spoke to Al-Qabas last week accused Egypt of neglecting to implement the 2018 agreement and continuing to rely on “residency dealers and the brokers of fictitious companies,” which the new restrictions aim to combat. The sources said that many recruitment agencies profit from fees as high as LE80,000–100,000 per worker and that the advertisement of false posts has produced both labor rights violations and an influx of surplus labor that pushes up unemployment rates in Kuwait.

According to the sources, the Kuwaiti side has previously warned the Egyptian government that these agencies work in violation of international laws and regulations in force in Kuwait regarding the protection of labor rights.

However, the Egyptian source said Kuwait will not cut off the flow of Egyptian workers completely, noting that starting Sunday, and for the coming two weeks, the Manpower Ministry will accept applications for medical vacancies in Kuwait, which advertised for 50 doctors and 200 nurses.

The source pointed out that with the new restrictions, Egypt’s Manpower Ministry will now supervise the recruitment process for vacancies in Kuwait without the involvement of third-party agencies.

Writing by Ahmed Bakr