Kuwait/Iran: Update to KWT7570 of 21 January 1991 on access to Kuwaiti citizenship for children born in Kuwait to Iranian parents present in the country on work visas; update to KWT2723 of 24 October 1989 on eligibility for non-Kuwaiti women to work and whether their children can attend school; possibility of Iranian workers in Kuwait gaining permanent residence status
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 15 March 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ZZZ31291.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Kuwait/Iran: Update to KWT7570 of 21 January 1991 on access to Kuwaiti citizenship for children born in Kuwait to Iranian parents present in the country on work visas; update to KWT2723 of 24 October 1989 on eligibility for non-Kuwaiti women to work and whether their children can attend school; possibility of Iranian workers in Kuwait gaining permanent residence status, 15 March 1999, ZZZ31291.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab2558.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to a counsellor at the Embassy of the State of Kuwait in Ottawa, in order for an individual to be considered as a Kuwaiti citizen, the father of that person must be shown to be Kuwaiti (9 Feb. 1999). This statement is corroborated by Country Reports 1998 which states "by law only males are able to confer citizenship" and, as such, children born to Kuwaiti mothers and stateless fathers are ineligible for Kuwaiti citizenship (1999, 9). Two professors of Political Science explained that Kuwait does not confer citizenship as a consequence of being born in Kuwait (9 Mar. 1999; 10 Mar. 1999). In a 9 March 1999 telephone interview the professor of Political Science at Iowa State University stated that Kuwaiti citizenship is only granted as a result of a person demonstrating a blood relation through a male Kuwaiti citizen. As a result, a child born in Kuwait to Iranian parents present in the country on work visas, would not be eligible for Kuwaiti citizenship (ibid.).
There are numerous references to the high proportion of foreign workers in Kuwait, as well as the fact that many of them are women (Country Reports 1998 1999, 9 and 11; UN 14 Jan. 1997, 4 - 10; Middle East International 18 Sept. 1998, 14; AFP 4 Aug. 1998; The Daily Star 22 July 1998; IPS 12 Mar. 1998).
The professor at Iowa State University, who has written about Kuwait's oil industry, including its use of migrant labour, and who has written the book Stories of Democracy: Politics and Society in Kuwait which will be published in 1999, stated that Kuwait "has no concept of permanent resident status" (9 Mar. 1999). She said that migrant workers are allowed to remain as long as they are working, but that at the age of 60 they must return to their own country. The professor at Auburn University, who specializes in Kuwaiti Politics, stated that migrant workers have no entitlement to stay in Kuwait and that once their work visas have expired, or they are too old to work, then they must return to their country of origin (10 Mar. 1999).
Both professors also stated that the children of migrant workers have no right to education in Kuwait. Instead, their parents must pay tuition fees for their children to attend private schools. However, the professor at Auburn University stated that when migrant workers are at income levels where they are permitted to have their spouses and children reside with them, it is common for their employers to pay the school fees of their children (10 Mar. 1999).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Agence France Presse (AFP). 4 August 1998. "Kuwait Deports 1,000 This Year for 'Practising Prostitution." (NEXIS)
Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama. 10 March 1999. Telephone interview with Professor of Political Science.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1998. 1999. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. [Internet]
The Daily Star [Dakha]. 22 July 1998. "Ban on Sending Women Abroad as Housemaids, Nurse." [Internet]
Embassy of the State of Kuwait, Ottawa. 9 February 1999. Telephone interview with counsellor.
Inter Press Service (IPS). 12 March 1998. Feizal Samath. "Women-Sri Lanka: Migrant Workers Pay a High Price." (NEXIS)
Iowa State University. 9 March 1999. Telephone interview with Professor of Political Science.
Middle East International [London]. 18 September 1998. "DNA Testing for Kuwait's Bidun?" No. 583.
United Nations. 14 January 1997. " Report by Mr. Maurice Glèlè-Ahanhanzo, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Addendum: mission to Kuwait." Commission on Human Rights: New York, NY.
