At least 600 Nigerians residing in Kuwait are at the risk of being deported over their failure to get their residential permit renewed.
Some of the affected Nigerians who spoke with 21st CENTURY CHRONICLE on the telephone under anonymity said their international passports are less than one year to expire and the Kuwaiti authorities do not accept such for the renewal of the residential permits.
They said their means of livelihood is at risk, while students among them may also face similar treatment.
“At the moment, we have about 600 Nigerians in Kuwait who are at the risk of being deported with their families. All for no fault of theirs,” one of the affected Nigerians said.
“The Nigerian Embassy in Kuwait does not issue or renew passports and due to COVID-19 restrictions in Kuwait, airports have only been opened this October 2021 since its closure in March 2019. So Nigerians here haven’t been able to seek other alternatives.
“Residencies here are only renewed if passports have at least one-year validity. Most people’s passports have already expired in less than a year. So, effectively they are without valid residencies. Meaning they could be accosted by security officers and deported as illegals.”
Another victim disclosed that the Nigerian Immigration officers came in early July with only one machine all the way from Nigeria.
“They captured data and we were made to believe we would get our passports within two months. It is four months now and no signs. If nothing is done, we may not get anything till next year,” he said.
The Consular Officer at the Nigerian Embassy in Kuwait, Muhammed Abdullahi Ahmed, who spoke with 21st CENTURY CHRONICLE said the embassy has been trying to help, adding that it is not their fault as the problem affects all the Nigerian missions abroad.
He said, “It is the wrong time because the COVID-19 affected all the missions abroad including the Nigerian Embassy in Kuwait. The head of Iimmigration came to Kuwait so as to assist and their data had been captured for onward processing.
“What is delaying the work is because of the number of passports they are attending to.
“The immigration is working on them alphabetically on about 145 missions. All missions abroad have similar issues and the production would be a marathon one. Capturing is done already, issuing is from Nigeria and still waiting for them.”
Ahmed added that some of them who have been coming to the embassy are being given papers to cover for them until their passport is ready.
