Copy of citizenship law of Kuwait; can a person born in Kuwait of Iraqi parents obtain Kuwaiti citizenship? Statistics on deportation of Iraqis from Kuwait from 1986 to 1989
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 October 1989 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | KWT2198 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Copy of citizenship law of Kuwait; can a person born in Kuwait of Iraqi parents obtain Kuwaiti citizenship? Statistics on deportation of Iraqis from Kuwait from 1986 to 1989, 1 October 1989, KWT2198, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab0774.html [accessed 30 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 Kuwaiti official representatives, as communicated by External Affairs, Kuwaiti citizenship is acquired by being born to Kuwaiti parents, and those born of foreign parents cannot acquire Kuwaiti citizenship. One report states that under decrees of 1959 and 1960, Kuwaiti citizenship is limited to those residing in Kuwait prior to 1920 and their patrilineal descendants, and may also be acquired by Arabs after 8 years of continuous residence in Kuwait or others after 15 years of continuous residence in the country. [ Encyclopedia of the Third World, (New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1987), p. 1115.] The same report states permanent residence is not extended to the expatriate population. Another report states Bedouins are granted citizenship but not allowed to vote, while citizenship which gives the right to vote among males is given to those who can prove Kuwaiti ancestry from before 1920. [ The Middle East and North Africa 1989, (London: Europa Publications, 1989), p. 560.]
A copy of the Kuwaiti citizenship law could not be obtained from the sources presently available to the IRBDC. However, reports indicate Kuwait enacted new nationality laws in 1987. [ Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1988, (Washington: U.S. Department of State, 1989), section on "Freedom of movement"; The Globe and Mail, 5 August 1987, p. A13.] The new law reportedly provides for withdrawal of nationality from naturalized Kuwaitis found guilty of subversion. [ The Globe and Mail, 5 August 1987, p. A13.] Additional references to this law can be found in the attached document.
Although no statistics on Iraqis deported from Kuwait could be found among the sources presently available to the IRBDC, the following information on deportations from Kuwait may be useful.
After an Iraqi of the underground "Voice of Islam" or "Islamic Voice" (Al-Dawa) organization (opposed to the Iraqi regime and reportedly based in and supported by Iran [ Current History, February 1988, p. 62.]) attempted to kill the Amir of Kuwait in May 1985 in Kuwait, the Kuwaiti government temporarily suspended entry visas and residence permits. [ The Middle East and North Africa 1989, (London: Europa Publications, 1989), p.563.] In 1985 and 1986, approximately 27,000 people, mostly Iranians, were deported from Kuwait. [ Ibid; World Refugee Survey - 1988 in Review, (Washington: U.S. Committee for Refugees, 1989), p. 77.] According to official Kuwaiti figures, 26,898 people were deported in 1986 for security reasons, while other unofficial sources claimed possibly up to 40,000 Palestinians were deported from Kuwait that year. [ The New York Times, 21 March 1987, p. A4.] One report indicates 30,000 expatriate workers were expected to lose their jobs in Kuwait in 1986 for economic reasons. [ "Kuwait to lay off 30,000", in The Globe and Mail, 30 May 1986.] According to the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1988: Kuwait, (Washington: U.S. Department of State, 1989), unemployment results in loss of residence permit and expulsion from Kuwait. However, the World Refugee Survey - 1988 in Review, p. 77, reports a total of 27,000 persons were deported in 1986, mostly for security reasons, while 15,000 were deported in 1988 "for entering the country without proper documentation or for expiration of residence permits".
Between May 1987 and April 1987, the UNHCR reportedly assisted several hundred refugees in Kuwait seeking third-country resettlement, including an unspecified number of Iraqis. [ World Refugee Survey - 1988 in Review, p. 77.]
For additional information on citizenship and residence in Kuwait, please find attached a copy of Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1988, (Washington: U.S. Department of State, 1989), section on freedom of movement in the chapter on Kuwait. The Critique: Review of the Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1988, (Washington: Human Rights Watch, July 1989) does not contain a chapter on Kuwait.
