KUWAIT: An informed source said an estimated 120,000 expats of both genders are in violation of the residency law in Kuwait. These include those who had valid residencies earlier and those who came to Kuwait on visit or work visas and violated the law. The source said security efforts are in progress to curb their numbers through inspection campaigns and other measures.

The source said the deportation department will not accept violators with expired article 18 residencies until three months have elapsed since their violations were entered in the interior ministry's computer systems. As for article 20 residency holders (domestic helpers), the department will accept them days after they are reported missing, with the possibility that the sponsor can correct the helper's situation. The source said the deportation department has deported 620 violators, including 18 women, in the past few days. He said the deportation department's capacity is a maximum of 800 of both genders.

By A Saleh and Meshaal Al-Enezi