I am holding an Article 18 visa. How come I cannot transfer to other company. They said my file has been closed (Code 72) by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. Can this file be re-opened and the transfer done.

Name withheld

Answer: Code 72 is normally applied when investigations reveal that a certain firm is trading in visas or that it doesn’t exist on the grounds although it has a license to operate and secure visas. In such a case the file of that company is closed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. Furthermore, no transactions, regardless of whether there are related to driving license, car registration or residence are processed as long as the file of this company is closed. This information is circulated on all the ministry and immigration networks and since Kuwait stepped up its drive to arrest illegals people in possession of such visas have been detained at the airport while trying to exit or enter Kuwait.

The only way out of this situation is if the file of your company is reopened after a probe proves it is not involved in visa trafficking.

Secondly, the only other thing you can do – if you didn’t pay for the visa – is to take the firm to court. If the court finds that you did not have any part in the visa trafficking it can order the Immigration Dept to allow the transfer of your residence.