KUWAIT CITY, June 9: The Ministry of Interior has issued a new circular regulating domestic worker recruitment, updating approved source countries and restricting recruitment from several others as part of revised labor procedures. According to the circular, recruitment of domestic workers (both male and female) is now permitted from 10 countries, including South Africa, Benin, Senegal (males only), Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), India, Vietnam, and Nepal. Authorities stated that recruitment procedures will be processed through governorate-level service centers to streamline applications. At the same time, the circular includes a list of 27 countries from which recruitment is prohibited.

The decision was based on assessments and recommendations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, and the Public Authority for Manpower, with restrictions in some cases applying only to female domestic workers. The list of 27 countries comprises the Asian countries of Madagascar and Bhutan, and the African nations of Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Togo, Malawi, Chad, Djibouti, Niger, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cabo Verde, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Angola. Officials noted that the updated policy takes into account diplomatic and administrative factors, as some listed countries have representation in Kuwait while others do not. The directive has been circulated to residency affairs departments and relevant service centers and is already in effect as of the latest update.