27/01/2022
27/01/2022
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 27: The Ministry of Interior is considering reopening the issuance of visas to the Lebanese community during the next week, after a hiatus of about three months, specifically from Nov 10, 2021, against the background of the Gulf-Lebanese diplomatic crisis, which was caused by the statements issued to the media by the former Lebanese Information Minister, George Kordahi, reports Al-Qabas daily. Informed security sources said, “A meeting in this regard will be held next week which will be attended also by senior leaders of the residency affairs sector, to discuss the possibility of reopening all types of visas for members of the Lebanese community after the recent changes that occurred in the file of the Gulf-Lebanese crisis.”
The sources added that the decisions to stop all types of visas for some nationalities, related to diplomatic or other crises, are variable decisions, and are subject to evaluation and study based on political and diplomatic developments. The sources explained that the process of reopening all types of visas for the Lebanese will include in the first stage the opening of commercial and government visas, then work visas, and finally family and tourist visas and joining a family, after reviewing and scrutiny by the State Security Service before issuing any type of visa, a procedure that was previously followed.
The sources indicated that “the Lebanese who had valid Kuwait residence permits were not covered by the decision and they were allowed throughout the last period to renew their expired residence permits or transfer to another sponsor, and those who were vacationing outside the country were allowed to return, as long as they had a work permit or to join a family.” (AP)