Egypt to Pass Law Empowering Expats Living Overseas
By Muhammed Aladdin
On Thursday, the final draft for a proposed law that would empower Egyptian expatriates has been submitted to the Ministerial Cabinet for final approval. The law is set to establish a fund for caring for Egyptians abroad, in an effort by the government to assist expatriates.
Once approved, the law is to reach the State Judicial Council for final editing. Sources state that a joint body from the Ministries of Justice, Immigration, Labor Force, and Foreign Affairs will be responsible for the fund administration.
The 88th Article of the 2014 Constitution reads that the government “shall safeguard the interests of Egyptians living abroad, protect them and protect their rights and freedoms, enable them to perform their public duties towards the state and society, and encourage their contribution to the development of the nation.” Therefore, the issuing of such a law comes as no surprise.
The fund is to help Egyptians with many of the struggles they encounter far away from home, including legal and judicial fees, job seeking, as well as the establishment of several Egyptian communities abroad to help expatriates connect with one another.
In 2017, several reports from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) have shown that there are 9.5 million Egyptians living overseas. The largest portion of expatriates, accounting for 6.2 million, lives in other Middle Eastern countries, while 1.6 million are dispersed throughout the Americas. The third group with 1.2 million is located in Europe while Australia, home to the fourth and final group, has around 340,000 Egyptian immigrants.
During the early 20th century, the Egyptian government has encouraged many to travel to the Gulf and other Arab countries to help their developmental projects. Since then, the numbers have been on the rise with at least 2.9 million Egyptians employed throughout Saudi Arabia, while 1.6 million reside in Jordan. In addition, the UAE is home to 765,000, Kuwait hosts 500,000, and Qatar has 200,000 Egyptians.
With Egyptian prowess on the rise, it is only normal that the government would pass these laws to help protect these people’s peace of mind and dignity.
WE SAID THIS: Egyptian expats, have no fear! Your government has come to the rescue!
