Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jul 31: A large number of Indians who had somehow succeeded in returning to India from Kuwait to escape from the clutches of COVID-19, are now facing another threat. They are facing the likelihood of losing their jobs in Kuwait. 

Kuwait has temporarily placed a bar on the entry of citizens from India and six other countries. The other countries involved are Bangladesh, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, and Sri Lanka.  The communication centre of the Kuwait government published this instruction on its Twitter account. However, it has not specified the time until when this order will be in force.

 

 

Kuwait has also decided to resume international flight operations to countries which are not in the prohibited list, from August 1 onward. 

VISA problems: Immigrants who stay more than six months in a country other than the country of employment automatically lose their visas. Such visas lose validity at the end of six months period. Many who have returned home on leave before the lockdown too, have not been able to return so far. 

Kuwait has already set into motion a plan to give preference to locals in jobs in that country. For the Indians in particular, once their visa term lapses, it will be hard to get back jobs in Kuwait.

In the meantime, there are rumours that the period for which people employed in Kuwait can stay outside has been extended from six months to one year. But no official communication has come out. If this extension is permitted, the Indians who have returned to India will be able to continue working in Kuwait, says a scientist of Dakshina Kannada origin, Vinod Kumar.

Manjeshwar Mohandas Kamath, an NRI based in Kuwait working for the welfare of Indians there, commented that Kuwait has now been recovering from the clutches of coronavirus. He said that the restrictions might have been imposed as the government feels that allowing people to come in from countries where the problem is acute may compound their own problems.