Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued an order to stop issuing visas to citizens from a number of countries until further notice.
According to sources, Major-General Sheikh Faisal Al-Nawaf, the head of Residence Affairs Department, the Nationality Department as well as the Passports Department, issued circulars ordering a halt to the issuing of visas to certain passport holders without his approval, Zawya reported.
The countries affected include Georgia, Guinea-Bissau and Vietnam. A report in the Al-Anba daily suggested the move was made to regulate the labor market as well as to curb “problems faced by the criminal security sector.”
In addition, a security source said the decision was a result of a number of letters issued by the Undersecretary of the Criminal Security in the Ministry of Interior, Major-General Khalid Al-Dayeen.
However, others pointed out that the decision to halt visas for Vietnamese nationals was done by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.