(SCMP) Kuwait has suspended all new visas for Philippine nationals indefinitely, the interior ministry confirmed this week, in an escalation of a row between the oil-rich Gulf state and Manila over worker protections and employers’ rights.
Philippine nationals make up around 6 per cent of Kuwait’s 4.7 million population, government data shows. Kuwaitis make up 32 per cent.
The visa suspension comes after the Philippines in February stopped the first-time deployment of domestic workers to Kuwait after the body of domestic worker Jullebee Ranara was found in the Kuwaiti desert in January. The son of Ranara’s employer, was arrested.
Large numbers of Philippine citizens work overseas, with around 10 per cent of its gross domestic product coming from remittances… Read More