As part of its labour market reforms Kuwait has introduced a ‘freelancers’ visa category, according to local media - Opens in new tab. The visa – with a fee of KD 750-1000 (USD 2450-3270) – was supposed to launch by mid-April 2026. However, given the ongoing conflict and the extent to which Kuwait has been impacted, the timeline may change.
The announcement was made by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahd Al-Yousef in February, in a meeting with private-sector actors. The freelance visa appears to formalise the irregular methods of freelancing currently used by migrants.
Al-Yousef stressed that strict and hefty penalties would be imposed on companies that illegally employ workers not under their sponsorship. Last year, “39,000 illegal workers were deported” following inspection campaigns, he said. The freelance visa seems to be aimed at curtailing visa trade. It is not clear whether it will apply to all sectors and professions, or whether workers will still be covered by the labour law and its provisions.
Bahrain and the UAE have both experimented with freelance visa schemes. In 2017, Bahrain introduced its Flexi-Permit programme, now known as the Labour Registration Programme, which allowed migrant workers with irregular status to self-sponsor in exchange for paying visa fees directly to the state. According to officials, the programme aimed to enable the legal hiring of migrant workers on an hourly or daily basis, something that was not permitted under the Kafala system, and to redirect into government revenue the fees previously paid to individual sponsors for so-called ‘free visas’.
While the programme created new forms of flexibility and allowed migrants greater independence from employers, such as the ability to change jobs and avoid absconding charges, it also introduced new vulnerabilities. Workers enrolled in the programme were excluded from labour law protections and placed within another precarious system, where failure to pay monthly fees could result in loss of legal status and potential deportation.
In 2021, the UAE introduced flexible employment options. The new employment arrangements include part-time work, temporary work, and ‘flexy work’. Provisions for part-time work have been included in the labour law since 2010, subject to a separate part-time work permit. Ministerial Decision No. 31 of 2018 rendered part-time work more accessible for workers with certain skills qualifications. It remains unclear how the new provisions for part-time work differ from existing regulations.
