On the lines of the United Arab Emirates, another big country in the middle East has decided to take a big step. Let us tell you that the UAE is promoting Amiratikaran (increasing the number of its citizens in jobs) in every field. Now after the UAE, Kuwait has also decided to take a big step. Kuwait’s Justice Minister, Counselor Nasir al-Sumait has confirmed that the country’s judiciary will be fully Kuwaitisized by 2030, which means that all judicial posts, which are currently with foreign employees, will be assumed by qualified Kuwaiti citizens. This initiative is a major pillar of comprehensive reforms to strengthen local talents, empower national professionals and modernize the law. Private and public sectors of the Middle Eastern country, especially oil and technical sector, are being told to give maximum number of jobs to the citizens of the country.
First UAE and now Kuwait, what did this do? Indians will have a direct impact
Minister Al-Sumait said that according to a report by Peepal Matters, the process of appointing skilled Kuwaiti professionals instead of migrant judges and employees is already moving forward in all judicial departments. Underlining the determination behind the plan, he said that the matter has been decided and we are committed to achieving the target of 100% Kuwaitikaran by 2030. The Ministry of Justice is intensively coordinating to ensure that all appointments and promotions prioritize the quality, training and readiness of Kuwati candidates. With the ambitious staffing target, the judicial freedom law is subject to legislative reviews that aim to secure the autonomy of the judiciary, improve administrative structure and to align national structures with contemporary legal best practices.
According to a report by Gulf News, till 31 December 2024, about 10 lakh 7 thousand Indian citizens were living in Kuwait, which is about 20% of the total population. The recent 2025 figures show that 70% of the population of Kuwait’s 5,098,000 people are migrant, of which about 29% are overseas Indians. Given such a large Indian population in Kuwait, the biggest impact of Kuwaitikaran is going to be on India. This will increase the difficulty of getting skilled and non-skilled Indians in Kuwait.
Like most other countries of the Middle East, Kuwait also has highly restrictive criteria, especially for non-union and non-Muslims. Kuwait, after extensive reviews by a high committee of Kuwaiti citizens nominated by the internal minister, allows limited naturalization, including marriage matters. Kuwait has a population of 50 lakhs, out of which only 15 lakhs are Kuwaiti citizens, while the remaining 32.9 lakh are foreign nationals. Along with the migrant community with a number of 10 lakhs, Indian Kuwait has the largest migrant community and 21 percent of the total population of the country.