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MOV 2.3 Residence permits by type/ purpose of permit, sex and country of citizenship of holder (2012)

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  14 17 18 19 20 22 23 24  
Country of citizenship Temporary permits Governmental sector permits Private sector permits Business Domestic help Dependant permits Study Self residence permits TOTAL
ARAB COUNTRIES males females males females males females males females males females males females males females males females  
Iraq 66 34 128 67 3.448 638 6 0 48 31 3.545 6.939 0 0 92 220 15.262
Syria 1.435 246 3.922 1.335 49.192 2.923 76 2 262 40 30.726 45.119 3 0 130 143 135.554
Lebanon 343 138 650 445 13.253 4.239 46 3 8 21 8.285 15.016 1 2 80 56 42.586
Jordan 458 155 1.543 1.177 14.310 3.423 29 1 11 8 12.220 21.532 1 2 119 92 55.081
Yemen 91 13 754 128 4.033 160 0 0 377 6 1.879 3.288 2 0 20 11 10.762
Palestine 0 1 0 2 12 8 0 0 0 0 279 277 0 0 0 0 579
Algeria 12 6 47 11 193 63 1 0 1 0 182 327 1 0 0 1 845
Egypt 13.259 833 30.892 15.185 273.456 9.716 25 5 1.408 82 52.735 84.765 10 2 149 170 482.692
Morocco 48 30 77 129 763 772 0 0 9 41 302 1.292 0 0 1 31 3.495
Tunisia 36 46 364 533 417 472 0 0 2 4 340 644 2 1 0 2 2.863
Libya 1 0 19 2 16 2 0 0 0 0 34 74 1 0 0 0 149
Palestinian from Egypt 41 20 102 97 1.863 659 2 0 0 0 1.145 2.117 0 0 92 15 6.153
Palestinian from Lebanon 4 2 18 11 320 109 1 0 2 3 140 341 0 0 10 1 962
Palestinian from Syria 2 0 5 7 113 43 0 0 1 2 69 125 0 0 3 2 372
Palestinian from Iraq 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3
Non-Kuwaiti 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 6
Saudi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Total 15.796 1.524 38.521 19.129 361.391 23.228 186 11 2.129 238 111.883 181.861 21 7 696 744 757.365
ASIA
Afghanistan 321 41 121 6 9.433 38 4 0 651 2 1.234 1.810 19 4 3 2 13.689
Uzbekistan 1 0 16 13 9 9 0 0 0 0 14 51 0 0 0 1 114
Kyrgyzstan 1 2 3 4 4 14 0 0 0 0 6 17 5 2 0 0 58
Tajikstan 0 0 4 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 8 11 4 2 0 0 34
Kazakhstan  0 0 0 0 6 7 0 0 0 0 4 17 0 0 0 0 34
Mongolia 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 4 3 0 0 0 16
Turkey 101 23 56 9 1.141 146 0 0 7 0 275 511 1 0 1 1 2.272
Iran 481 29 468 240 22.856 1.405 51 0 455 53 5.245 11.120 3 2 138 92 42.638
Malaysia 3 2 9 32 99 21 0 0 0 0 87 166 19 3 0 0 441
Japan 4 0 23 4 25 10 1 0 0 0 7 47 3 2 0 0 126
Indonesia 26 113 443 258 541 797 0 0 47 10.621 292 885 4 5 0 4 14.036
Philippines 767 1.668 1.784 1.758 26.637 27.489 1 0 750 93.011 2.487 5.308 17 14 1 50 161.742
Pakistan 2.348 66 2.462 199 85.059 874 19 0 2.413 34 9.232 17.280 27 4 19 4 120.040
India 12.243 1.905 9.233 11.613 294.309 18.140 42 1 171.171 80.997 30.674 62.131 15 1 17 33 692.525
China 635 70 67 34 2.251 541 0 0 0 2 51 236 8 7 1 0 3.903
Taiwan 0 0 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 5 3 0 0 19
South Korea 113 2 12 3 725 13 0 0 0 0 83 160 1 6 0 0 1.118
Singapore 0 0 9 2 9 3 0 0 0 0 1 18 14 2 0 1 59
Bangladesh 4.518 219 6.390 335 110.983 3.396 4 0 56.107 1.270 2.556 4.380 9 0 2 2 190.171
Thailand 155 18 27 66 1.739 229 0 0 1 5 28 149 23 18 0 5 2.463
Sri Lanka  704 1.443 406 189 13.969 4.794 0 0 16.512 67.537 1.143 3.127 23 1 0 12 109.860
Nepal 1.017 561 205 6 23.617 1.280 0 0 4.039 24.506 60 194 0 1 0 0 55.486
Bhutan 0 0 3 2 4 0 0 0 0 1 6 7 0 0 0 0 23
North Korea 492 0 7 0 3.056 2 0 0 0 0 3 8 2 1 0 0 3.571
Vietnam 66 0 5 1 491 5 0 0 0 13 4 13 0 0 0 0 598
Cambodia 0 0 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 28 6 0 0 47
Myanmar 15 0 3 1 238 85 0 0 0 2 2 3 0 0 0 0 349
Other Asian Nationalities 0 1 6 0 34 12 0 0 0 1 9 19 3 2 0 0 87
Total 24.011 6.163 21.774 14.782 597.240 59.310 122 1 252.153 278.058 53.517 107.677 236 86 182 207 1.415.519
EUROPE
Britain 42 28 190 34 1.581 553 1 0 0 3 620 1.104 1 0 11 9 4.177
Ireland 3 1 10 2 73 39 0 0 0 0 32 52 0 0 0 1 213
France 7 3 132 17 210 89 0 1 0 0 179 265 1 1 1 2 908
Holland 3 1 7 2 97 17 1 0 0 0 72 91 0 0 0 1 292
Belgium 1 0 8 1 35 10 0 0 0 0 11 28 0 0 0 0 94
Italy 14 0 19 11 172 24 0 0 0 0 56 104 0 2 1 2 405
Malta 0 0 1 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 23
Sweden 1 2 6 2 68 17 0 0 0 0 67 103 0 0 1 1 268
Norway 0 0 6 1 11 8 0 1 0 0 10 20 0 0 0 0 57
Switzerland 0 1 8 3 13 3 0 0 0 0 4 14 0 0 0 0 46
Austria 0 0 9 6 23 7 0 0 0 0 20 40 0 0 1 1 107
Germany 9 4 32 9 177 42 3 0 0 0 98 170 3 2 1 2 552
Spain 8 2 18 6 64 19 0 0 0 0 27 54 1 1 1 0 201
Portugal 4 0 5 2 62 23 0 0 1 1 12 28 0 0 0 0 138
Denmark 2 0 2 3 69 11 0 0 0 0 35 74 2 0 0 0 198
Greece 6 10 7 2 48 17 0 0 0 1 14 32 0 0 0 0 137
Cyprus 2 0 2 0 9 4 0 0 0 0 5 11 0 0 0 0 33
Czech Republic 0 0 16 5 17 10 0 0 0 0 5 25 0 2 0 0 80
Hungary 1 4 14 4 73 32 0 0 0 0 28 58 1 2 0 0 217
Slovakia 2 3 8 10 17 8 0 0 0 0 11 43 0 0 0 0 102
Finland 0 0 2 2 7 2 0 0 0 0 3 15 0 0 0 0 31
Lithuania 0 0 1 0 2 4 0 0 1 0 3 4 0 0 0 0 15
Poland 4 2 17 7 66 38 0 0 0 0 20 96 2 3 0 2 257
Russia and USSR 7 5 117 20 102 51 0 0 0 1 138 304 2 3 3 0 753
Ukraine 3 5 18 1 48 31 0 0 0 0 43 154 0 0 0 0 303
Moldova 0 4 0 0 5 15 0 0 0 0 2 7 0 0 0 0 33
Belarus 1 0 1 0 13 6 0 0 0 0 9 28 0 0 0 0 58
Bosnia-Herzegovina 2 1 25 16 75 18 0 0 0 0 15 53 6 3 0 0 214
Macedonia 3 0 3 3 30 7 0 0 0 0 3 16 3 0 0 0 68
Croatia 4 0 4 2 22 11 0 0 0 0 5 10 0 0 0 0 58
Serbia 8 4 12 7 74 27 0 0 0 0 24 55 0 0 0 0 211
Yugoslavia 0 0 5 1 42 13 0 1 0 0 11 31 0 0 0 0 104
Romania  20 30 16 23 152 148 0 0 0 1 60 167 0 0 0 0 617
Bulgaria 5 0 53 145 74 88 0 0 0 0 30 94 4 0 0 0 493
Albania 1 1 4 2 12 0 0 0 0 0 16 30 1 1 0 0 68
Kosovo 1 0 4 2 3 1 0 0 0 0 6 6 0 0 0 0 23
Armenia 3 6 4 4 94 36 0 0 0 0 17 80 0 2 0 0 246
Georgia 4 7 3 2 34 21 0 0 0 0 13 13 0 2 0 0 99
Azerbaidjan  1 0 6 1 8 5 0 0 0 0 16 29 0 0 0 0 66
Other European Nationalities 0 0 4 4 27 11 1 0 0 0 10 18 0 0 0 0 75
Total 172 124 799 362 3.725 1.466 6 3 2 7 1.751 3.531 27 24 20 21 12.040
AFRICA
Ethiopia 111 1.086 32 30 1.869 1.285 0 0 3.083 69.511 57 209 1 1 0 4 77.279
Eritrea 3 7 69 38 178 81 0 0 8 194 191 354 2 1 5 4 1.135
Sudan 91 94 181 46 2.652 107 0 0 342 6 330 692 3 0 5 2 4.551
Senegal 1 4 27 8 17 10 0 0 4 7 20 40 32 13 0 0 183
Gambia 0 0 3 0 4 1 0 0 1 3 3 4 18 0 0 0 37
Guinea 0 0 2 0 13 3 0 0 0 1 10 9 7 2 0 0 47
Mauritania 12 1 50 1 12 0 0 0 4 0 15 41 4 2 0 0 142
Mali 3 0 2 0 13 1 0 0 40 2 4 8 16 5 0 0 94
Niger 1 0 14 3 30 6 0 0 0 0 28 35 21 1 0 0 139
Burkina Faso 1 0 2 0 8 1 0 0 1 0 3 6 16 4 0 0 42
Benin 6 0 16 1 36 0 0 0 1 2 12 25 51 8 0 0 158
Liberia 0 0 16 4 43 13 0 0 1 2 46 70 0 0 2 3 200
Sierra Leone 31 0 11 2 45 1 0 0 1 4 11 16 0 0 0 0 122
Togo 1 1 5 1 13 1 0 0 11 29 4 6 7 2 0 0 81
Ivory Coast 0 0 0 0 9 1 0 0 1 7 1 8 6 0 0 0 33
Nigeria 7 3 89 22 91 35 0 0 1 3 87 146 54 9 0 0 547
South Africa 8 22 59 5 199 145 0 0 0 1 53 142 0 0 0 1 635
Swaziland 0 1 3 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 5 7 0 0 0 0 21
Zimbabwe 9 1 4 2 31 0 0 0 0 1 7 17 0 0 0 0 72
Chad 1 0 8 3 65 11 0 0 6 1 25 30 11 1 0 0 162
Cameroon 0 0 0 0 5 12 0 0 1 0 2 1 3 0 0 0 24
Somalia 63 54 211 163 743 219 0 0 8 28 825 1.300 33 5 7 2 3.661
Djibouti 0 0 8 1 8 2 0 0 1 0 6 17 4 2 0 0 49
Madagascar 0 22 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 1.197 0 3 0 0 0 0 1.225
Mauritius 19 0 3 0 3 1 0 0 0 2 1 7 5 0 0 0 41
Ghana 15 12 10 5 346 49 0 0 24 273 13 30 13 1 0 0 791
Uganda 0 4 3 0 10 8 0 0 0 239 8 4 3 1 0 0 280
Malawi 0 0 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 8 0 0 0 0 25
Tanzania 1 0 6 1 25 0 0 0 1 0 4 18 10 3 0 0 69
Kenya 4 1 16 11 99 23 0 0 2 7 36 60 0 2 0 0 261
Comore Islands 1 0 4 0 30 1 0 0 0 1 11 17 11 1 1 0 78
Seychelles Islands 0 1 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 1 2 7 0 0 0 0 17
Other African Nationalities 1 0 14 6 24 5 0 0 1 2 14 45 6 5 0 0 123
Total 390 1.314 877 360 6.624 2.025 0 0 3.545 71.524 1.841 3.382 337 69 20 16 92.324
AMERICA AND OCEANIA
U.S.A 363 86 502 84 5.645 1.562 8 1 2 2 2.254 2.733 2 3 8 12 13.267
Canada 43 25 202 88 1.739 587 9 0 1 0 1.523 2.273 5 2 29 4 6.530
Dominican Republic 4 0 17 5 72 5 0 0 1 0 93 86 0 0 2 0 285
Venezuela 2 0 5 4 73 15 0 0 0 0 35 90 0 0 0 0 224
Colombia 0 1 2 0 37 10 0 0 0 0 12 31 0 0 1 0 94
Trinidad and Tobago 1 0 0 0 8 3 0 0 0 0 6 6 0 0 0 0 24
Granada 0 0 6 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 17
Jamaica 0 0 3 1 3 4 0 0 0 1 1 4 0 0 0 0 17
Mexico 1 1 3 0 9 4 0 0 0 0 7 35 0 0 0 0 60
Brasil 19 5 10 6 56 15 0 0 0 0 34 52 0 0 1 0 198
Bolivia 0 0 2 0 8 4 0 0 0 0 15 25 0 0 1 0 55
Peru 1 0 4 0 5 2 0 0 0 0 2 5 0 0 0 0 19
Ecuador 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 5 7 0 0 0 1 21
Argentina 3 2 4 0 44 9 0 0 0 0 7 18 0 0 1 0 88
Australia 5 4 40 9 275 76 0 0 0 0 263 382 0 0 1 3 1.058
New Zealand 6 3 4 1 84 37 0 0 0 0 67 108 0 0 0 1 311
Fiji Islands 2 0 5 1 42 1 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 56
Other American and Oceanian Nationalities 2 1 11 2 33 6 0 0 0 3 12 40 0 0 0 1 111
Total 452 128 820 201 8.145 2.340 17 1 4 6 4.339 5.904 8 5 44 22 22.436
U.N. 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 6
Unknown Nationalities 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
TOTAL  40.821 9.253 62.795 34.834 977.125 88.369 331 16 257.833 349.834 173.332 302.356 629 191 962 1.010 2.299.691
GRAND TOTAL 50.074 97.629 1.065.494 347 607.667 475.688 820 1.972 2.299.691

Source: Ministry of Interior

 

 

ANNEXED NOTE

 

1. Definitions

 

Residency procedures do not apply to GCC nationals.

 

The bidoun, a stateless population, are not included in the residency documents holders.

 

Data presented in the table are stock data: all the non-national residents holding a residence permit on December 31st, the given year. The table excludes the Bedoon, the non-Kuwaiti GCC citizens and those in irregular situation.

 

Temporary permit: An expatriate may be granted temporary residence under article 14 of the immigration regulations in special cases where he does not need or cannot get ordinary residence.

This allows the expatriate to stay for up to one year, for personal emergencies such as illness, or after resignation from employment in order to settle financial affairs or a court case.

Dependent permit: spouse, children or elderly dependent relatives can join visa holder (sponsor) in Kuwait, if the expatriate has obtained a residency and is earning a minimum of KD250 a month (private and governement sector alike).

A working wife cannot sponsor her husband as a dependent. Also, sons over the age of 21 years cannot be sponsored as dependants, though adult daughters and parents may be permitted. Dependent family members are not allowed to work on a Dependent Visa, unless they transfer it into a work visa under Kuwaiti sponsorship. This can be done only after 6 to 12 months of holding a dependent visa.

Every children including new born babies must hold a residency permit. The application for the infant’s residence must be made within 60 days of the birth

The Dependent Visa holder is permitted to stay as long as the sponsor holds a valid visa.

Self residence permit: Expatriates may sponsor themselves under article 24 of the regulations and obtain a residence for two to five years under several conditions

(among which: being aged 60 and more, having worked no less than 25 years in Kuwait, owning a capital of 10000 KD at least; being able to produce a certificate of good conduct, being effectively residing in Kuwait with his/her family, etc.).

This form of residence can be renewed upon expiry. Self-sponsored expatriates may sponsor their wives and children.

Permits 17, 18, 19 and 20 are only granted after Ministry of Labour issues a work permit.

 

2. Institution which provides data

 

Ministry of Interior

 

3. Period of data coverage

 

December 31st, 2012

 

4. Data availability

 

Data on residence permits by country of citizenship is not published by Kuwaiti authorities (as of September 2013). The present data has been obtained from MoI.

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