ABSTRACT
Residence in Kuwait and the accompanying permission to work depend on each foreign worker retaining the support of his guarantor and there is, in consequence, considerable personal and economic dependence by the immigrant on his Kuwaiti sponsor. The Kafeel system, which demands Kuwaiti participation in companies as a prerequisite for foreign activities, has resulted in a large number of useful business arrangements that allow joint ventures to flourish to the benefit of both the domestic and foreign interests. Foreign labour is used in menial tasks to substitute for Kuwait inputs, which are then consumed in leisure activities. Costs of the foreign workforce to Kuwait can be seen only against the benefits they bring. The Kuwaiti exchequer incurs a range of costs on account of the foreign community within the State. In so far as education has fed the process of development of the Kuwaiti social elite, its role is, on paper at least, significant.
