Kuwait City, Aug. 7 -- Kuwait has tightened the rules for converting visit visas into residency permits, with hundreds of expatriates reportedly having their applications rejected after failing to meet the revised eligibility criteria, Arab Times reported, citing a security source.

According to the report, the rejections came after many expatriates applied for residency conversion believing the updated provisions applied to all visit visa holders. Authorities clarified that the facility is available only to eligible applicants and that each case is reviewed individually.

Officials said conversions under Articles 17, 18, 20 and 22 are not open to all expatriates or nationalities. Applications are assessed by the General Department of Res...