KUWAIT CITY — A Kuwaiti parliamentary committee has finalized a bill to reduce the number of expatriate workers in the country as part of the recent efforts to address the “demographic imbalance” in the country. Giving the details of the bill, member of the parliament’s human resources committee Badr Al-Mullah said that the bill consists of 10 articles and it is considered to be the first serious step toward addressing the issue. The bill authorizes the Cabinet to specify the maximum number of expatriate workers that the country needs, as well as the maximum number of expatriates of every nationality within six months after the ratification of the bill. The concerned minister shall implement the Cabinet’s decision within a period of five years. The bill also mandates the Cabinet to specify the number and specializations of the required expatriate workers within two years after the ratification of the bill. The Cabinet will issue decisions about the number of required expatriate workers on a regular basis. Al-Mullah said the bill exempts some categories from the maximum number of expatriate workers; including members of diplomatic delegations and their families, military delegations, medical and educational jobs, civil aviation operators like pilots and co-pilots, laborers needed in the implementation of infrastructure and development projects, and domestic workers. Article six of the bill states that the Cabinet will determine the number of marginal and unnecessary workers and specify more categories that will be exempted in the interest of the public. Article seven mandates the government to provide training centers for citizens to develop their skills in preparation for replacing expatriates in some professions in both the private and public sectors. Article eight prohibits the concerned public institutions from transferring the residency of domestic workers into work permits in the private and public sectors. It is also prohibited to transfer a family visit visa into a dependent visa; while the residency of laborers involved in the implementation of development and infrastructure projects will not be renewed once the project is completed unless the worker is needed for another project. Article nine stipulates penalties for whoever violates the law or an accomplice in the violation as follows: three years imprisonment and a maximum fine of 35,000 Kuwaiti dinars (nearly SR 430,000) or any of these two penalties.