Kuwait - June 2025
Employer-controlled exit permits introduced for migrant workers
On 11 June, the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), the country’s labour authority, announced that starting 1 July, all migrant workers in the private sector who wish to leave Kuwait must obtain prior approval from their employer in the form of an exit permit. The request process will be managed through a government-run online platform. Previously, workers only needed to notify the Ministry of Interior, with government permission required only when they wished to leave for longer than six months. This change hands greater control to employers, increasing the risk of exploitation and restricting migrant workers’ freedom of movement.
Sources: Public Authority of Manpower, Khaleej Times, Arab Times Kuwait, Human Rights Watch
