Canada moves to help Canadians trapped in Kuwait without exit permits
Global News
Some Canadians who wanted to leave Kuwait had been denied exit permits by their employers. "The situation is a hostage-like one," one Canadian there said.
The government of Kuwait has agreed to help Canadians who wish to leave the Gulf state but cannot because their employers will not issue them exit permits, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Thursday.
Global News learned earlier this week that some Canadians wanted to leave the Gulf state after Kuwait came under attack from Iranian missiles and drones.
But Canadians employed there — like all foreigners who work for Kuwaiti firms — must get an exit permit from their employer.
And some employers were either ignoring or denying requests Canadians made to their employers.
“The situation has turned into a hostage-like one,” said one of those Canadians trapped in Kuwait earlier this week. Global News agreed not to identify the individual who was worried about reprisals by their employer. “Our e-mails are being ignored and issues are not being addressed.”
Kuwait has come under fire more than half-a-dozen times since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.
More than 100 missiles and more than 300 drones have been aimed at Kuwait and some have struck the airport, the port and some office towers. Four have died and nearly 70 have been injured, according to news reports from AFP, CBS, the Wall Street Journal and others.
Global Affairs Canada could not say how may Canadians were unable to get the required exit permits but a department officials said in an e-mailed statement “it was aware that there are Canadians in Kuwait who want to leave and are currently unable to obtain permission for exit permits from their employers.”
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