KUWAIT CITY, May 21: Head of the General Department for Residency Affairs Major General Talal Marafi revealed about a new project being prepared for issuing residency cards to expatriates instead of placing stickers in their passports, reports Al-Rai daily.

He explained that the residency cards will be issued when their residencies are granted or renewed. They will include the data of both the holder and sponsor.

This will in turn overcome a number of obstacles, including the phenomenon of sponsors keeping the passports of expatriates under their custody. No stickers will be placed in the passports, which will in turn save the pages of the passports especially since officials sometimes do not find free pages in the passports to place the stickers.

Major General Marafi said measures will be taken to guarantee the rights of the sponsor by banning expatriates from leaving the country without presenting their residency cards to ensure the approval of their sponsors, adding that such cards will ensure Kuwait’s commitment to the recommendations of international organizations.

In a related development, Major General Marafi announced that commercial and visit visas can be extended starting from next week based on specific circumstances and situations, adding that this facility is an exception and not permanent.