New rules ban hiring from 27 others as authorities tighten oversight of foreign labour.
Kuwait’s Interior Ministry has issued a new circular limiting the recruitment of domestic workers to just 10 approved countries while imposing a ban on 27 others, as part of efforts to regulate the domestic labour sector and strengthen monitoring procedures.
The directive, issued on Monday, updates existing regulations governing the hiring of male and female domestic helpers. Recruitment will now be permitted only from a select list of nations, with processing handled through residency affairs departments in the country’s governorates.
Approved and banned source countries:
According to the circular, domestic workers can be recruited from the following 10 countries: South Africa, Benin, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, Nepal, and Senegal (males only).
Female domestic workers are allowed in Kuwait, but with conditions and limits depending on the country of origin and job category.
From the list you provided, most countries (like the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, etc.) are traditionally approved for female domestic workers, especially for roles such as:
- Housemaids
- Nannies / caregivers
- Cleaners
Recruitment from 27 other countries has been prohibited, based on assessments and recommendations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, and the Public Authority for Manpower. The banned nations include several from Africa and Asia, such as Madagascar, Bhutan, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Indonesia, and others.
The move comes amid longstanding concerns over labour rights, recruitment abuses, and the regulation of Kuwait’s large migrant workforce, which includes hundreds of thousands of domestic helpers primarily from South and Southeast Asia.
Domestic Worker Policy Shift in Kuwait:
Kuwait, like other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, relies heavily on migrant labour for domestic work. Domestic helpers often face challenges including passport confiscation, excessive working hours, and limited legal protections, issues repeatedly highlighted by human rights organisations.
The new restrictions are seen as an attempt to streamline recruitment channels, reduce irregularities, and possibly improve vetting processes for workers. Officials have not publicly detailed the specific criteria used to select the approved countries or ban others, though diplomatic relations and security considerations are believed to play a role.
Impact on employers and sending countries:
The decision is expected to affect Kuwaiti households seeking new domestic staff, potentially increasing demand and costs for workers from the approved nations. It may also impact labour-sending countries excluded from the list, many of which have significant economic stakes in remittances from Gulf migrants.
Human rights groups have long called for stronger protections for domestic workers in the Gulf, including fair recruitment practices and access to justice. The International Labour Organization (ILO) and local advocates continue to push for reforms to Kuwait’s sponsorship system (kafala), which ties workers to their employers. Kuwaiti authorities have emphasised that the circular aims to enhance oversight and ensure better management of the domestic labour market.