Citizenship for foreign wives after 18 Years

Bill proposes citizenship for foreign woman married to a Kuwaiti after 18 years
10 hours ago

KUWAIT CITY, April 16: The Nationality, Passports and Travel Documents Sector of the Ministry of Interior has submitted a draft law to the Interior and Defence Committee of the National Assembly to amend the law granting citizenship to a foreign woman married to a Kuwaiti, reports Al-Jarida daily quoting reliable sources.

The amended law stipulates that a foreign woman married to Kuwait shall be granted the citizenship after 18 years of marriage, provided the husband shows evidence of continued marital ties between them throughout this period.

The sources added that the new law provides the possibility of granting the foreign wife facilities just like a Kuwaiti woman after just three years of marriage. In the meantime, the sources pointed out that the General Department of Nationality and Passports has stressed in its new draft law that the Interior Minister cannot make any exception to the legal period stipulated by the law to grant nationality to the foreign wife of a Kuwaiti, pointing out that the Department has now stopped all transactions of naturalizing the wives of citizens since the issue is now in the Parliament. The sources also explained that the leadership of the General Department of Nationality and Passports, in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Lt-Gen Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah, has discussed the new law with members of the Interior and Defense Committee of the National Assembly during more than one session, noting that the members have shown a great understanding of the draft law and promised to include it on the agenda during one of the coming sessions.

It is noteworthy to mention that the law of naturalization of foreign wives of Kuwaitis earlier granted nationality to foreign wives of Kuwaiti husbands after 5 years of marriage. However, it is believed there are many loopholes in the law most notably divorce cases that occur after granting the nationality, which is one of the issues that was discussed with experts of the Ministry of Justice.

Old Al Shaya house has been Demolished

It's always sad when I find out another old Kuwaiti building has been demolished, this time it's the majority of the old Al Shaya Kuwaiti house. I was hoping they might preserve it and turn it into something that the new generations could see but of course greed wins all of the time and it is of course a huge lot of prime land. The only part left was what I thought was a dwaniya but it turns out to be some kind of fashion type business?

I'm sure it won't be long before this part is also demolished, I'm glad I took my kids there once to explore the old house and show them how people lived before modern times. You ca see my post on the house before the demolition here.

Demolished! Ahmadi drive-in is Gone

On my way to Ahmadi today I took a wrong turn and ended up by the old drive-in theater only to watch it being demolished. Yes, another land mark in Kuwait has sadly come to an end. 

I was lucky enough to sneak inside a couple of months ago to take some pictures which you can see here. Little by little every remnant of the past is being torn down as if the people of the country want to forget their past.

Kuwait moves to naturalize non Kuwaiti divorcees

Move to naturalize non-Kuwaiti widows, divorcees in progress

Speed debt relief: MP Al-Mutairi

KUWAIT CITY, March 26: The parliamentary Interior Affairs Committee discussed nine proposals regarding the naturalization of non- Kuwaiti widows or divorced women who got married to Kuwaitis, says Committee Chairman MP Askar Al- Enezi.

In a related development, Interior Minister Lt Gen Khaled Al Jarrah Al-Sabah unveiled the government’s plan to submit a bill on the citizenship of the abovementioned women. He affirmed the government is keen on ensuring that the rights of foreign women married to Kuwaitis, regardless of their nationality, are safeguarded in case of divorce or death of the husband.

He said the preliminary composition of the project is now in the hands of the Legal Affairs Committee in the Cabinet, indicating a copy of which will be referred to the concerned parliamentary committee for recommendations and opinions in hopes that the project will be approved smoothly without amendments.

On the other hand, MP Majed Al- Mutairi asked the National Assembly Office to expedite approval of his request to discuss his proposal to write off loans. He pointed out that he did not submit such a popular proposal to wait for its turn in the legislative pipeline.

Al-Mutairi and five other lawmakers submitted a request in February for the Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee and the Economic and Financial Affairs Committee to expedite discussion of the proposal in order to quickly table it for discussion at the Assembly. However, the request is still at the National Assembly Office for revision. He urged the office to quickly address the request as the issue is vital, considering how the Kuwaiti public welcomes the idea. He added such reception reflects the hardships that struck Kuwaiti households.

By Ahmed Al-Naqeeb Arab Times Staff

It's good but I have worries about turning in my US passport. It's a requirement so I would really have to sit and think before turning it in.