KUWAIT CITY, June 26, (Agencies): The grace period granted by HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to expatriates staying illegally in the country and which will end on June 30, will not be extended even for a day or under any condition, says acting Assistant Undersecretary for Citizenship and Passports Affairs at the Ministry of Interior Major General Abdullah Al-Rashed.

Speaking in a press conference Sunday at the headquarters of the General Immigration Department, Al-Rashed disclosed the ministry has laid down a comprehensive plan to address issues concerning the expatriate workers, such as unlicensed labor and Residency Law violators in accordance with the instructions of Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. He affirmed the higher ministry officials have given strict instructions to deal with each case in a humane manner.

Acting Director General of the General Immigration Department Brigadier Adnan Abdullah Al-Kandari and acting director of the Public Relations, Moral Guidance and Security Media Department Colonel Adel Al-Hashash attended the press conference.

Al-Rashed said the plan has been forwarded to various sectors at the ministry and it will be strictly implemented by the beginning of July without any exceptions. He pointed out the Amir granted the four-month grace period to the Residency Law violators based on humanitarian considerations, particularly the students and those who have financial or employment commitments. He added even the absconding workers have been allowed to leave without any legal liability.

According to Al-Rashed, about 42,000 or 34 percent of the 112,000 Residency Law violators have corrected their status or left Kuwait. He disclosed a total of 28,662 violators have returned to their countries as of June 22 and 12,879 have corrected their status.

Calling on the violators to take advantage of the remaining five days in the Amiri amnesty, Al-Rashed warned those who will not correct their status or leave the country within this period will be held accountable; they will be deported and will not be allowed to return to Kuwait. He said the Ministry of Interior is working closely with its Foreign, Social and Labor Affairs counterparts to quickly address any problem the violators might face in processing their papers. He confirmed three centers have been established to accommodate all the violators and the Kuwaiti government will provide tickets to those who have no sponsors.

Al-Rashed clarified those who have no passports will be taken into consideration, stressing the ministry’s doors are open to anyone who has a complaint. He asserted Kuwait is a country where the rule of law and human rights prevail in line with its noble status in the world. He said the sponsors of those found to have violated the law will also be held liable if the violators are arrested after the amnesty. He added no one is above the law, revealing that more than 2,000 companies have been referred to the authorities.