Dokument #1203680
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Autor)
According to a representative of the
Kuwaiti Association to Defend War Victims, a non-governmental
Kuwaiti organization in Washington, article 17 of the Passport Law
states that the government of Kuwait may issue a Kuwaiti passport
to a non-Kuwaiti when it is required for employment purposes (14
Oct. 1993). In the past, the government issued
laisser-passez (Ibid.). The holders of Kuwaiti passports
with the stamp on page 8 where the sentence mentioned above is
written are Bedoons employed with the army or the police (Ibid.).
Bedoons outside the army or the Police do not usually have
passports (Ibid.). The stamp on page 8 of the passport referring to
article 17 is not present in the passport of a Kuwaiti national
(Ibid.). A passport with this stamp can be re-appropriated by the
government or the sponsor of the holder of the passport upon return
to Kuwait, a procedure not required from Kuwaiti nationals (Ibid.).
A person holding this type of passport would have to obtain a visa
in order to travel in neighbouring Gulf countries, whereas a
Kuwaiti national would not have to (Ibid.). In order to travel to
Canada both a Bedoon with this passport and a Kuwaiti national
would have to have an official visa (Ibid.).
This response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does
not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular
claim to refugee status or asylum.
Kuwaiti Association to Defend War
Victims, Washington. 14 October 1993. Telephone interview with
representative.