Kuwait will limit family visa applications by expatriates to the spouse and children of the applicant, said a report.

The interior ministry has directed immigration directorates not to consider applications for other relatives, Arab News quoted the local news site Al Aan in the report.

The ban applies to Arab and non-Arab nationalities, sources said.

“The immigration directorates have received thousands of family visit applications to bring in mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers, which has resulted in their accumulation,” the sources said.

“The ban means that the applications will be discarded.”