Kuwait witnessed an unconventional meeting that gathered the first deputy of the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahd Al -Youssef with the chief editors of local newspapers, as the meeting turned into a long dialogue with frankness and transparency, away from the usual templates of press conferences. The meeting, which took place at the minister’s house, included discussing sensitive files related to nationality, the conditions of illegal residents, and the priorities of the Ministry of Interior in the next stage.
Al -Youssef explained at the beginning of his speech that the state faces a legacy of challenges that accumulate over four decades, as a result of political practices and administrative errors, stressing that reform is a process that needs time, and cannot be accomplished in a short period. He said, “The law is the reference, and the decisions are going with one ruler for everyone.”
Nationality file under a microscope
Among the most prominent issues that the meeting dealt with the file of citizenship, where the minister indicated that the decisions of withdrawing citizenship according to Article Eight were based on a legal opinion of seven constitutional experts agreed that the granting of citizenship is only done by decree. According to what he offered, some naturalization cases since 1987 were made by decisions, not by decrees, which he considered a violation.
He emphasized that the investigations showed the existence of cases of manipulation linked to a photo marriage that soon ends in divorce after obtaining citizenship, and that some of these practices were associated with electoral interests. However, he stressed that most of them affected the withdrawal decisions obtained their rights, with the exception of limited cases in which it shows the existence of severe violations.
He also revealed that those who lost citizenship will be granted blue civil cards renewed every five years, authorizing them to benefit from most of the privileges, except for the Kuwaiti passport.
Grievance and law application committee
The minister also touched on the work of the grievance committee, stressing that it is a neutral committee that includes personalities known for efficiency, and all the files decline in detail. He pointed out that the ministry is keen that the law be fully applied, pointing out that previous practices allowed the presence of gaps in the work of some stations, which he said is no longer in place today.
2005 … the peak of naturalization
In the context of talking about the history of naturalization, Al -Youssef pointed out that the year 2005 witnessed the largest percentage of naturalization operations, as it reached about 40 percent of all cases, adding that he does not have an accurate explanation for the reason for this great rise. He also indicated that the “great business” item was used extensively that year, where there were about 700 people.
New legislation under preparation
The minister affirmed that the Ministry of Interior is working to prepare a new law for Kuwaiti nationality, which will be presented first to the Legal Committee in the Council of Ministers before referring it to Parliament, stressing his desire to accelerate its approval. In addition, he explained that the government is in its final stages to prepare a law for illegal residents, aimed at giving them a clear framework to reside legally with their families.
He stated that about 425 people from this category have already initiated their conditions and revealed their original nationalities, and in return they obtained privileges. But he warned that whoever will not initiate his status after the issuance of the law will be treated as a refugee or a displaced person.
Versie and openness to visitors
Al -Youssef defended the condition of obtaining the departure permit for employment in the private sector when traveling, considering that the aim is to ensure the rights of the worker, the employer and the state. He stated that 300 thousand travel bills were issued without any problems, with the exception of 30 cases that were addressed.
On the other hand, he explained that the decisions to open visits of all kinds bear a political, economic and social dimension, noting that Kuwait seeks to enhance its openness to the world. In this context, the Minister of Information announced during the meeting the launch of the mid -September campaign, which includes the “Visit Kuwait” platform to facilitate visa procedures through the “Kuwait Visa” service.
Al -Janasi forgery … remarkable numbers
The Minister of the Interior revealed the size of the manipulation of the nationality file, indicating that some cases included the registration of unreasonable numbers of children, which reached seventy. He considered that Kuwait faced a unique challenge in this file compared to other countries, stressing that the government offers the details of these issues to international committees, including the United Nations committees specialized in human rights.
30800 … «eighth»
The total of what was withdrawn from the nationalities of Kuwaiti wives who obtained citizenship under Article Eight amounted to thirty thousand and about 800 nationalities.
Sheikh Fahd Al -Youssef pointed out that a ready -made statements were based in specifically, while auditing continued to names and conformity between paper and electronic systems to ensure that there are no mistakes.
Article Eight in Kuwait was a text in the previous nationality law that automatically granted Kuwaiti citizenship to the foreign wife of the Kuwaiti after five years of marriage, but it was canceled under a decree in December 2024 to become the Kuwaiti Kuwaiti wife not granted Kuwaiti citizenship automatically.
6000 cases of forgery revealed
Sheikh Fahd Al -Youssef said that the total cases of withdrawing citizenship from the forged people reached about 6000 cases.
Noting the importance of the hotline to receive communications about the mizows of nationality, Sheikh Fahd Al -Youssef stressed the lack of malicious reports.
In response to a question if the exchange of rewards for the amounts who are made with accurate data that lead to the detection of more counterfeiters is possible? His answer was (and who said that we do not spend the money) .. He added that there are rewards that are paid to track and reveal the cases of forgery.
Facing drugs
The minister moved to talk about drugs, which he described as a “big problem” facing Kuwait. He said that the ministry was able to reduce the smuggling across the sea thanks to relying on “Dron” aircraft, which made maritime smuggling almost non -existent. He pointed out that the security services set daily quantities of narcotic substances, but the advertisement is limited to major issues.
He also revealed plans to establish specialized centers to rehabilitate addicts, one of which is in the Al -Sulaibiya area, and another under determining in an agricultural area such as Abdali or Al -Wafra, so that the centers are identical to international standards.
Between work pressure and multiple files
At the end of the meeting, Sheikh Fahd Al -Youssef talked about the pressure of work on his shoulders, saying that he does not sleep more than two hours daily due to the multiplicity of files, between his presidency of the committee to achieve nationality and his tasks as minister of the interior and a first deputy prime minister. He stressed that the ministry is following its files in a field and daily, as it is the authority responsible for the security and stability of Kuwait.
