Kuwait has - Opens in new tabraised the minimum wage required for foreigners to sponsor families from 450 Kuwaiti Dinars (USD 1,481) to 500 Kuwaiti Dinars (USD1,646) per month. The decision maintains an existing exemption for 14 professional occupations.
The increase may seem minor, especially compared to the 2016 - Opens in new tab ministerial decision which imposed a 100% hike in minimum wage requirements, from 250 KD to 450 KD. But the motivations behind the increase are concerning; some local media reports - Opens in new tab describe the move as a step towards restoring Kuwait’s “demographic imbalance.”
The government’s decision does seem to be driven by pressure from the parliament and the higher committee to tackle the demographic structure. A number of Kuwaiti MPs have proposed various measures to “restoring the population balance,” including imposing a quota on each nationality - Opens in new tab, taxing remittances - Opens in new tab, deporting two million expats, and imposing a five-year cap - Opens in new tab on expatriate’s residence.
According to the latest data available - Opens in new tab, 70% of Kuwait’s population are foreigners.
Raising minimum wage requirements by 50 KD is likely to do little to shift Kuwait’s demographics, but will do a lot to break apart migrant families who no longer earn enough. Most migrant workers already make less than the minimum wage requirements set by the new decision. In 2018 - Opens in new tab, the average monthly wage for male migrant workers in the private sector was 267 KD (USD 879).
Female migrants in Kuwait remain unable - Opens in new tab to obtain family visas. Unlike male migrants, they still cannot sponsor their husbands or children over 21 years old. Only parents and children under 21 can be sponsored by female migrants in Kuwait.
