Foreign workers bound to Kuwait must be aware of new rules set by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior. Labor Attache in Kuwait Leopoldo de Jesus reported to Arturo Brion, secretary of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) that the new policy will disallow all foreign workers to transfer residence visa to another sponsor. It means that no overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait will be able to transfer to another employer or look for another job in Kuwait. The tighter immigration rules will take effect on October 1,2006 and covers all foreign workers including domestic helpers. Old immigration policy permits domestic workers to transfer from one employer to another while in Kuwait.

The new rules also affects Kuwaiti employers, as it requires them to shoulder the repatriation ticket of foreign worker. Employers also have to surrender the passport of the foreign domestic workers who ran away.

To some extent, the new rules work to the advantage of foreign domestic helpers. One of them is that it will now prohibit employers to withhold their passports and other travel documents. Old practice allows Kuwaiti employers to keep the passport of domestic helpers. Domestic helpers who ran away are obliged to pay a certain amount for the release of their travel documents.