I read on JadAoun’s blog yesterday that Kuwait has officially banned all work permits for Lebanese and that other GCC countries will follow suit.
I don’t know what’s the reason behind such a decision, but I assume it has to do with Lebanese engaging in politics, especially after what happened in Bahrain. This decision, if followed by other GCC countries, will have serious economic repercussions on Lebanon as unemployment is already on the rise.
l3ama ma32ol !?
Ban has been around for sometime though. Over a year I think.
So what about people like you who already live and work there?
Mustapha,
Please ask Mark about his source for “ban has been around for sometime” and “over a year”
vs
http://www.alqabas.com.kw/Article.aspx?id=743539
“The 6 banned nationalities are: Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan”.
Thank you.
Joe doesn’t matter what the article says, the fact remains if you try to get a residency visa done for a Lebanese you will be met back with a response stating that right now they’re not giving any visas to Lebanese.
For Lebanese already living in Kuwait there isn’t a problem but companies can’t get residency visas for any new Lebanese. I know this from first hand experience.
let their companies be managed by pakistanis and indians!!!
There is still a lot of opportunities in africa, so lebanese can still go there if they want to leave lebanon. And anyways salaries in the gulf are not as they used to be in the 70s. Most of what u get u spend it in their country, and sometime u get urself in debt and come back to lebanon broke!!!
i agree with you,
my uncle have been working since 1992 in kuwait
he is trying to sell a land he own here in Lebanon so he can pay his debt and come back to Lebanon to start a business
H, your typical Lebanese attitude is both racist and short sighted. Please look at the number of Lebanese people who are currently living in the Gulf. I graduated from AUB in 2003 and the majority of my classmates are working in the GCC. Though, I have nothing against Africa, it is not an alternative region for Lebanese compared to GCC. Do I also need to remind you about how often you hear about Lebanese being evacuated from Africa?
The Lebanese economy relies heavily on repatriations from expats in the GCC. And given that our economy is hanging by a thin thread, I would seriously think twice before quickly dismissing such a threat.
The kuwaitis are the racists!! We are not welcomed in the GCC anymore so there are many other alternatives! There are many lebanese in europe as well so the alternative is not only africa!
The GCC sucks, kuwait and KSA and all the other shitty countries are going down, they are in the same shit as syria, their time will come, they are just buying time!!!
You are talking about repatriations from expats in the GCC,most lebanese in GCC are full of debt, the money is coming from Africa and Europe and not UAE or kuwait!!!
Why so much hatred? And what gives you the idea most Lebanese in the GCC are full of debt? Majority if not all the Lebanese I know that live in any of the Gulf Countries are doing fine be it they work as waiters or in large firms. If it wasn’t for the “GCC”, majority of those Lebanese wouldn’t be able to afford to buy homes back in Lebanon.
I for one am very thankful and feel lucky that I live and work in Kuwait.
The World Bank estimated the inflow of expatriates’ remittances to Lebanon at $8.2 billion in 2010, a rise of 8.2 per cent from $7.6 billion in 2009 and $7.2 billion in 2008 and $5.8 billion in 2007.
http://transfer-sendmoney-payroll.com/2011/06/uae-outpaces-gcc-in-remittance-growth/
This might be true, there is money flowing from the GCC to lebanon but not as much as before.
Most lebs specialy in UAE are living on credit cards, its easy to show off that u have money in the GCC as it is so easy to get a loan. From the 1st year in the UAE banks start calling you to give you 6 months of salary as a loan and it can go up to 20months of salary, so ur obliged to keep on working there for a couple of years to repay it. Many lebanese have good positions and good salaries as well but more than 50% have crappy salaries and are full of debt.
There was once a show on lbc talking about this issue.
KSA is another story as you cant do anything there.
Mark i dont have any hatred towards them but its a fact they are racists, have u seen a country in europe or usa where they segregate between locals and foreigners, everyone should follow the law of the country! in the GCC there is the mouwatin (local) and the other foreigners! and u want to tell me they are not racists!!!!
You are absolutely wrong.
The GCC countries have and will always be a huge source of income for a lot of lebanese families. Its true that its not as it used to be but for the majority of people its better than leaving and have to start all over again in Lebanon or any other country. Such a decision is reckless and really wrecks havoc for a lot of families in the GCC countries.
is it official?
what is the source of this information,
anything published officialy
can someone advise plz
You want more official than that?
more official that what exactly Najib?
your reference picture is not official at all.
the real reason behind that, is because lebanon did not agree with the arab union, to put penalty on the syrian regime.
Kuwait started all others will follow.
Khalina lei72in souriya, barkeh bisir fina mitla… nchallah coz lebanese people deserve that, seriously. yalla support syria and doom yourself…. ma 7adan t3allam enno min syria mich jeiyina gheir l-kharab lbyout …
It’s not. This decision has been out for nearly a year now.
You don’t know what you’re talking about.
Please post a reference to your “opinion” about “this decision has been out for nearly a year now”.
Joe,
A friend told me yesterday that one of his relatives was going to work in a bank in Kuwait but he hasn’t been able to go yet cause of visa restrictions and it’s unsure if he will be able to go or not.
It could be that this ban is in effect but is not leaked or published in the papers. I looked online and did not find an official release but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.
If it’s wrong, the Lebanese government and its concerned ministry should come out with a statement on the matter.
Najib,
All of those are speculations.
You’re free to base your opinion on hearsay.
But please don’t go around talking about it as if it’s a certainty.
Najib,
The Lebanese Government should come out with a statement on an anonymous picture posted on the Angry Arab blog?
When such news are spread, and someone posts a picture presumably scanned and emailed from an official source, then maybe the government should check it out and deny it no?
I don’t like the Angry Arab blog but it’s a popular blog and is widespread. Where’s the harm in checking it out and denying the news in case they r wrong?
I will tell you where’s the harm.
The harm is when popular bloggers post an “anonymous picture” and start spreading rumors on matters of prime national interests.
THEN they ask where’s the government? The GOVERNMENT is not the issue here.
Lebanon’s image and the interests of its population at home and at large IS the issue.
Najib,plz can you advise were this annoucment is published
http://www.jadaoun.com/blog/2011/12/4869/kuwait-calls-lebanon-ties-historic-bans-visa-processing/
I already linked to the source.
This “source” is baseless and unsubstantiated… it’s a blog linking to another blog which has posted a snapshot of a “printed piece of a paper” that could have created by any prankster.
Seriously guys, get your facts straight.
I live in Kuwait and lived here for most of my life (except AUB years).
What happens is, whenever certain situations escalate in Lebanon or some “parties” get the upper hand, the banhammer falls on all Lebanese.
This has happened many times over the last decade; most of it temporary.
Just to inform you that the following nationalities are also banned in Kuwait:
-Pakistan
-Iraq
-Afghanistan
-Syria
-Libya
-Yemen
-Iran
So obviously since Lebanon is now best buds with Syria and Yemen and Iran, us Lebanese will suffer.
Guys,
Stop posting false information. Post OFFICIAL LINKS.
Here is an OFFICIAL LINK:
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/170422/reftab/96/Default.aspx
There isn’t even a mention of a ban on Lebanese.
PLUS, the ban on the other nationalities has been LIFTED.
Whoever has a more updated OFFICIAL LINK disputing the above then please post it.
+ Al Qabas Newspaper 20 October 2011:
http://www.alqabas.com.kw/Article.aspx?id=743539
NO mention of Lebanon.
finally some sense
a blog is not a source
A blog is not a source but does not mean it’s wrong source. I agree with you guys but you can’t just deny the news because it’s coming from a blog.
Wikileaks are not an official source too.
Najib,
Blog or NOT, the source is an ANONYMOUS PICTURE
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/12/kuwait-ends-work-permit-for-all.html
Mr Angry Arab even has the nerve to say “thanks anonymous”.
i will start a blog today and post an article of my trip to the moon with photos.
is this reliable?
and seriously?! you link to sources from a “Mr Angry Arab”
might as well call myself “smiling baboon”
Dude what the hell are you talking about? Angry Arab is a known blogger and a doctor and lecturer in an American university. He s been posting for quite some time and even people who don’t like him get to read him.
He’s probably not gonna go around post some B.S paper about Kuwait banning Lebanese from working. He could be wrong for all I know and this could be a rumor but its not wrong to think that it’s possible.
Najib,
For all I care, it could be the BBC that posted the story.
The bloody fact remains that the presented evidence is a picture of some funny piece of paper sent by “anonymous”.
This paper could be typed by anyone, it holds no stamps, no signatures, nothing. It’s just a lousy picture of a piece of paper without a verifiable source.
Not only does the Angry Arab post unverifiable images, he also goes into hearsay of “confirmation”.
Shame on him and pity on those who believe such yellow bloggerism.
The Angry Arab has no sizzle and deals with innuendo…
So now a newspaper is a credible source? Whatever happened to the idea that just because something is printed in a newspaper doesn’t mean it’s true? The fact of the matter is though that even if this list is the official list it doesn’t matter. Try getting a residency visa done and then being told that visas for Lebanese are banned right now and then try explaining to the guy in charge that alqabas printed a list and Lebanese are not on it…
So Mark is asking now for proof that a rumor isn’t true:
http://s11.postimage.org/ovz32tw4z/snapshot.png
He’s also restricting my comments on his other blog although I haven’t insulted him in any way.
Thanks a lot mate.
Actually I’m asking you to check yourself before accusing me of spreading a rumor. Why don’t you just simply ask your mandoob to go check if he can get a residency visa for a Lebanese? How hard is that? Just ask him and tell us what the response was.
For everyone who does not live in the GCC, here is a reality, these countries are giving us opportunities to work, raise families, live comfortably, and spend feverishly when we come to Lebanon. We should the least be grateful, when they respect us and give us a platform to prove ourselves and build a decent career. It is all because of Hezaballah. Let Syria and Iran yanfa3oona and give us these opportunities. There are more than 30,000 Lebanese citizens living in Kuwait and you can double that in KSA and UAE. So whoever thinks it is ok. Make the math. France, USA, Canada, and majority of European countries make you beg for a visit visa. So gluck for us and thanks for our alliance with Iran!!
Also, for anyone doubting the above. We received the above attached message through our employee communications. This information is usually based on qarar 7okome then they share it with the government services department. So the above is valid and true. I tried to recruit many Lebanese students and it was all stopped. Now we have to recruit locally or Lebanese citizens who already have transferable visas in Kuwait.
Thank you G for this clarification.