Kuwait has increased the minimum salary required for expatriates to be able to bring their spouse or children on a visit to 200 Kuwaiti Dinars, up from 150.

Under new measures, the requirement is raised to KD 300 a month for an expatriate who wants to bring a sibling or other members of the family, including parents Talal Al Maarifi, the director general of residency, has said.

The measures stipulate that parents who are more than 50 years old will not be granted visit visas. However, exceptions can be granted following a study of the visit application, the official added.

Last week, Kuwaiti authorities raised the minimum salary required for foreigners to sponsor family members from KD 250 to KD 450. The authorities will consider only the salary of the father. The KD450 minimum salary is required from the father as he is the sponsor. There will be no calculations based on merging the salaries of the parents. If the mother is the sponsor, the same rule applies and only her salary will be considered for granting the family visa.