Beginning in July 2025, migrant workers in Kuwait must obtain employer approval before leaving the country. Exit visa requests are now submitted exclusively through the Ministry of Interior’s digital platforms, namely the government’s Ashal online portal or Sahel mobile application.
The government has framed the exit permit as a mechanism to balance the rights of employers and workers. However, this promoted narrative is deceptive: the new visa requirement formalizes employer control over workers’ freedom of movement by making their ability to leave Kuwait entirely dependent on employer approval. By granting sponsors the authority to determine whether a migrant worker may depart the country, the system allows employers to trap migrants in abusive conditions, violating the fundamental right of free labour. It deepens the already unequal power dynamics between workers and employers, ultimately legitimizing indentured servitude. The risk of serious labour violations, including wage theft, forced confinement, and physical abuse, has long been enabled by the kafala (sponsorship) system. In fact, Human Rights Watch has described this policy as a setback for migrant worker rights, warning that it reinforces elements of the kafala system, still present in neighbouring Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia.
While workers already faced several restrictions, the new digital visa requirement introduces an additional layer of digital control, enabling employers to arbitrarily restrict mobility and punish workers who seek to leave. By embedding this authority within an online system, the policy transforms existing power imbalances into a form of digital surveillance and coercion, leaving migrant workers more vulnerable to exploitation and systemic injustice.
While the digitalisation of government services is presented as a sign of administrative progress, reliance on online platforms like Ashal and Sahel to manage migrant mobility and exit-visa requirements overlooks significant inequalities in digital access among Kuwait’s migrant workforce. Research shows that many migrant workers, particularly those in low-wage jobs, often have limited data plans, outdated devices, and lower levels of digital literacy. Many of them also have difficulty accessing digital services that operate primarily in Arabic. In the context of the new exit-visa rule, these barriers mean that workers may face practical difficulties in accessing and submitting applications. When workers cannot reliably access and navigate the platform, the system becomes a tool of exclusion and control.
Beyond issues of access, significant questions remain about how the data submitted through the digital system will be stored, processed and shared. Kuwait does not yet have a comprehensive personal-data protection law, as existing regulation only applies to telecommunications and IT service providers. It does not clearly apply to all employers or government-departments, and the text does not explicitly prohibit use of personal data in employment control systems. Without robust protections, there is little clarity or transparency over how data from the exit-visa portal might be used downstream, for example, to blacklist a worker or restrict future employment. These legal gaps highlight how Kuwait’s digital system for controlling worker mobility comes at the cost of privacy. Every submission creates a digital trail, enabling employers to monitor and exert control over workers’ movements, heightening concerns about digital surveillance.
For workers who intend to report abuse, change jobs, or leave the country, the knowledge that every request is logged and visible to their employer can serve as a significant deterrent. The digitalisation of exit permits further legitimizes the kafala system, reinforcing the same structures of dependency through new technological means and making it increasingly difficult for migrant workers to exercise basic freedoms without fear or retaliation.
Employers should not have unilateral control over workers’ ability to leave the country, and digital mechanisms must be established to protect migrant workers from surveillance and abuse. ECDHR urges the Kuwaiti government to rescind the exit-visa permit requirement and restore freedom of movement for all migrant workers. Additionally, ECDHR demands that workers’ mobility systems be designed with independent oversight, comprehensive privacy protections, and equitable access to digital portals, ensuring that workers are not excluded or coerced.