Kuwait, which has large number of expatriates from India, has lifted a five-month ban on transferring commercial visit visas to work permits.
The ban had been imposed to regulate the influx of unskilled labourers into the country, thereby maintaining demographic balance, the country's Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (MSAL) said.
Expatriates who are academically qualified can now secure work permits, while those without qualifications are only allowed to apply for jobs in which there is a skill shortage, known as 'rare fields,' an MSAL official said.
The eligibility to obtain work permit for unqualified workers will be subject to approval from a labour department's special committee, an official source was quoted by Kuwait Times as saying.
Meanwhile, more regulations will be imposed 'to ensure that human trafficking is eliminated,' the source said.
"These will guarantee that expatriates are only hired in places that desperately require their services," he said.
The visa transfer ban was to be lifted on January 1, 2012, but was postponed until after the elections, which were held on Thursday.
With a population of around 600,000, Indians top the list of non-Arab foreigners living in Kuwait, according to official statistics last year.
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