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Kuwait City: Kuwait has approved the recruitment of domestic workers from India and nine other countries under revised regulations aimed at strengthening oversight of the domestic labour sector.

The Ministry of Interior issued a new circular allowing the recruitment of domestic workers from South Africa, Benin, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam and Nepal. Recruitment from Senegal is permitted only for male domestic workers.

According to the directive, all recruitment procedures will be handled through governorate-level service centres as part of efforts to streamline applications and improve administrative processes.

The ministry said the updated policy was adopted following recommendations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health and the Public Authority for Manpower.

Alongside the approved list, Kuwait has imposed restrictions on the recruitment of domestic workers from 27 countries. The affected nations include Madagascar and Bhutan, as well as several African countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Togo, Malawi, Chad, Djibouti, Niger, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cabo Verde, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Angola.

Officials noted that some of the restrictions apply only to female domestic workers, while recruitment of male workers remains permissible in certain cases.

The circular has been distributed to residency affairs departments and service centres across the country and has already taken effect. Authorities said the measures are intended to enhance regulation of the domestic worker recruitment sector through updated administrative procedures and stricter controls.