Kuwait resumes visa access for Pakistanis

The Kuwaiti government officially resumed issuing a wide range of visas to Pakistani nationals, in a significant step towards bolstering bilateral relations and addressing critical labour needs, several media outlets in the Gulf region reported on Monday.

UAE-based Gulf News quoted Pakistan's Ambassador to Kuwait, Dr Zaffar Iqbal, as announcing plans to bring 1,200 Pakistani nurses to Kuwait's healthcare sector, adding that an initial group of 125 nurses had reached the Gulf state last week.

According to media reports, Kuwait stopped issuing visas to people holding passports of Pakistan, Iran, Syria and Afghanistan in 2011 because of security concerns. Now, it decided to allow work, family, visit, tourist and commercial visas to Pakistani citizens.

The focal person of the Overseas Pakistanis Ministry welcomed Kuwait's decision, saying that the lifting of the visa ban would provide employment, trade and tourism opportunities to thousands of Pakistanis in Kuwait. He hoped Pakistan would earn valuable foreign exchange after this decision.

According to Kuwait-based Arab Times, Ambassador Iqbal confirmed that Pakistani citizens had begun receiving approvals for various visa applications from this month that restored a vital channel for travel and employment between the two countries.

Iqbal also told Arab News that Pakistan and Kuwait were in the final stages of signing a new labour memorandum of understanding (MoU), designed to streamline worker mobility and cooperation. "Some provisions are already being implemented ahead of the formal signing," he noted.