Kuwait lifts 19-year visa ban on Pakistanis

Kuwait lifted a 19-year visa ban on Pakistani citizens and resumed issuing a wide range of visas to Pakistani nationals, the government said on Tuesday.

The country had stopped issuing visas in 2011 to citizens of Pakistan, Iran, Syria and Afghanistan, citing difficult security conditions in the countries. Since then, Pakistan made several attempts to get visas restored for Pakistani citizens but to no avail. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, during his visit to Kuwait in 2017, had also pleaded Pakistan’s case and requested for restoration of visas for Pakistani citizens.

In May 2021, Kuwait decided to resume granting visas to Pakistani families and businessmen. It was also decided during the meeting that Kuwait would issue technical visas for Pakistani workers in medical and oil fields.

According to a post on X by the government, Kuwait has now resumed the issuance of work, family, visit, tourist, and business visas, which it termed “a major diplomatic achievement and a step towards deeper bilateral cooperation.”

Pakistan’s ambassador to Kuwait Dr Zaffar Iqbal also issued a statement on the resumption of visas, saying: “Community members have already begun receiving approvals, marking a positive step forward,” he said.

Separately, the ambassador revealed that Pakistan and Kuwait are in the advanced stages of finalising a new labour memorandum of understanding (MoU).

Pakistan established diplomatic relations with Kuwait in October 1963. Since then, the two countries have maintained cordial relations and cooperated at various international fora, including the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Financial Action Task Force, among others. According to the Kuwaiti government estimates, the emirate hosts around 95,000 Pakistani nationals.