Daijiworld Media Network - Kuwait

Kuwait, Mar 20: A decision taken by the Public Authority for Manpower here is likely to put several expatriates working in the engineering sector in trouble.

In February 2018, a decision was taken by Public Authority for Manpower that work permit will not be issued to engineering practitioners unless they provide a to-whom-it may-concern letter issued by Kuwait Engineers Society (KES). The expatriate engineers must get a no-objection certificate (NOC) from KES according to the new regulation to renew their work visas.

According to reports, those holding engineering qualifications from universities that are not accredited by Ministry of Higher Education and not included in Kuwait Engineers Society’s list of accredited universities might be affected by this decision. Engineers might find it difficult to obtain approval to practice their professions especially those holding various diplomas and certificates from little-known institutions.

Indian engineers face tough time

There are hundreds of Indians especially Kannadigas working in Kuwait for the last 25 to 30 years. Those holding certificates from institutions without accreditation from National Accreditation Board (NOB) must clear exams and get fresh NOCs. Here, the engineers appearing for exams might face trouble due to the old syllabus that they have to completely recall which they studied 30 years ago and also the new syllabus. They must also pay Rs 15,000 for the main exam and Rs 14,000 for the preparatory exam.

It is learnt that several expatriates have queued up at Kuwait Engineers Society (KES) to obtain NOCs from last few weeks. Meanwhile, Kuwait unit of Institute of Engineers, India has written a letter to KES to postpone the implementation of the new rules. Apart from it, they have also urged the new Indian Embassy in Kuwait to address the issue.

Mohandas Kamath, an NRI engineer said that over 99% of the Indian engineers working in Kuwait in panic due to the new regulations. They fear that they might lose their jobs and are expecting the Indian government to intervene and solve the issue after due discussions with the Kuwait government. "Other gulf countries too might enforce the new regulations in the coming days. Already, foreigners are losing jobs in the gulf and if the new rules come into force in other countries, hundreds of Kannadigas may face tough time," he added.

However, the officials of Public Authority for Manpower clarified that the decision was not new, but is in effect from a long time. It was circulated along with a letter attached to it from KES recently in a bid to scrutinize and audit the certificates further. Engineers need to have the letter from KES as a prerequisite for their approval in getting work permits.