Visa sponsorship and employer release control
- All contract workers (CWs) in Kuwait and in Middle East countries are covered by employer sponsorship visas, and only the sponsor may give sponsorship release.
- Embassy and employment agencies, not being sponsored, have no authority to effect release for CWs.
- The Embassy and employment agencies are limited to representation, persuasion, and appeals for release.
Contract term and limits on early release
- All CWs are contracted for a period of time, and work contracts specify the period of employment.
- Asking release before the contract expires for reasons “not specified in the contract”—including inability to perform work, illness, or death in the family—is not acceptable for release purposes.
- Early release becomes allowable only if the employer agrees to release before the contract period expires.
Conditions when employer agrees early
- If an employer agrees to release before the contract expires, the employer may demand, among others, a refund of expenses incurred.
- The refund includes a one-way ticket Manila–Kuwait about 500 US Dollars.
- The guidelines state that agents do not pay these expenses three months after worker’s deployment.
- The guidelines state that passports are released to CWs on the latter’s payment of employers’ expenses.
Exit permit requirements from Kuwait authorities
- After securing release, a CW must present release papers to the Kuwait Ministry of Interior, Passport and Nationality Office for an exit permit.
- A CW cannot leave Kuwait without the exit permit.
- Exit permits are not issued immediately, and timing delays must be expected.
- If the CW is a runaway, the guidelines require that investigation on the case is conducted.
Airline ticket presentation and limitation
- Airline tickets—whether purchased by the CW’s agent or sent by relatives—with definite booking must be presented to the Ministry of Interior when applying for the exit permit.
- The guidelines state that mere holding of an airline ticket does not by itself allow a CW to leave Kuwait.
- A CW must possess both (1) a release permit from the employer and (2) an exit permit from the Ministry of Interior.
Role of the Philippine Embassy and contact rules
- The guidelines state that the Embassy invariably assists, even while the process takes time.
- The guidelines state that employers generally resent being invited to the Embassy or having contacts made with their employees.
Runaways and assistance based on known whereabouts
- Assistance to run-away maids is available subject to their whereabouts being known to the post.
- The guidelines state that some housemaids conceal their whereabouts or use assumed names.
Sworn statement for staying or working elsewhere
- The guidelines cover cases where CWs obtain release from the original employer to work for others or wish to remain in Kuwait for personal reasons.
- In these cases, the Embassy requires the CW to submit a sworn statement of intention for record purposes.