Expat Community > Kuwait

said
Joined 2014
Posts: 2

Getting all the visa steps correct in Canada to go to and work in Kuwait.

10 years ago

Greetings:

I have accepted a position at school in Kuwait. Below is the only message I have received so far from the HR Office of that school:

Dear Sir:

Welcome aboard? and we are highly looking forward to join our School for the next academic year 2014-2015. Hoping you will find your work here fruitful and rewarding.

1) Your original degree authenticated from the Ministry of foreign affairs and by Kuwait embassy in your country of Nationality [Please email us the copy before your travel and must carry the original on your arrival to Kuwait ]

2) “No Criminal record” or as called in some countries “Police clearance cetificate” authenticated from the Ministry of foreign affairs as well as Kuwait embassy in your country of Nationality.
Criminal Record which is a (TO whom it may concern) letter from your nearest police station that shows that you have no previous criminal records, it should be authenticated from the ministry of the foreign affairs and Kuwait embassy located in your country. Kindly note that you can proceed any time as per your convenience but you have to make sure that (depending upon the Criminal record expiry date), it should at least have 3 months validity by the time you arrive to Kuwait i.e. Valid until December 2015. (Please email us the copy before your travel and must carry the original on your arrival to Kuwait).

The procedures pursued by school are as below:

1- The personnel department will gain an initial teaching approval on your degree from Kuwait Ministry of Private Education

2- Secondly, the school messenger will get a work permit from the Ministry of labor, using the Initial approval and your documents (as in 2).

3- The work permit obtained will be then mailed to your address upon receipt of the work permit you will need to take it to Kuwait embassy located in your country of nationality; who will inform you with the authorized hospitals, clinic and also they will lead you to the next step.

** Upon arrival to Kuwait you must have your Work Permit and original Criminal record which is authenticated from the ministry of the foreign affairs and Kuwait embassy located in your country of Nationality **

I have spoken to one person and he explained to me that in Kuwait, some schools essentially do all the legwork for their new teachers, but some schools expect their new teachers to do the legwork in their home countries. It would seem that my school is in the later case. I have no objection to doing any of the things requested by the school, but some things I am not sure about. Like the following:

1) Your original degree “authenticated” from the “Ministry of foreign affairs” and by Kuwait embassy in your country of Nationality. Does anyone understand what this means because I don’t.

2) “No Criminal record” or as called in some countries “Police clearance cetificate” authenticated from the Ministry of foreign affairs as well as Kuwait embassy in your country of Nationality. Getting a PCC is no problem, but again, what does this reference to the “Ministry of Foreign Affairs” mean in your collective opinion?

3) Upon receipt of the work permit you will need to take it to Kuwait embassy located in your country of nationality; who will inform you with the “authorized” hospitals, clinic and also they will lead you to the next step.

Again, the Kuwait Embassy and now a reference to “authorized” hospital, clinic….Does anyone here understand this?

I must tell you that the only thing that bothers here is all the references to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and especially the Kuwaiti Embassy in Ottawa, Ontario (I am Canadian). I have dealt with governments long enough that I know that if I must travel to the Embassy and my docs are in anyway incorrect (my degree, PCC, or medical), they will tell me to do them again and I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia, not Ottawa, Ontario. That could become extremely expensive for me. Unfortunately, the HR Dept. at my new school hasn’t been too helpful (they perhaps think the “work permit” from the Embassy will explain everything), but I am a little bit nervous.

Any Canadians on this Forum who have recently gone to Kuwait to work and can give some tips on how to proceed through the above steps with no problems or hassles? Any advice and/or information given is greatly appreciated.

BTW, you can email me privately at

[email protected] if you wish.

Any suggestions anyone can give me about the above are greatly appreciated.

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