The National Defense and Security Committee of the House of Representatives on Sunday approved a bill amending the Nationality Law.
Chairman of the committee, Major General Kamal Amer said that these amendments aim at granting citizenship in exchange for investments, which will have a positive impact towards achieving economic development and national security.
The amendments, he added, specify conditions for granting citizenship and stipulate the prime minister’s approval to grant citizenship towards every foreigner who buys property, establishes investment projects, or make a deposit in foreign currency. A unit from the Cabinet will examine requests to acquire the Egyptian citizenship.
The new citizen has to pay US$10,000 in return, according to Amer.
The current law, No. 173 of 2018, authorizes the Minister of the Interior to grant nationality to a foreigner who has been residing in Egypt for five consecutive years and made a deposit of not less than LE7 million. The deposit is owned by the state if the foreigner’s request is approved.
The Manpower Committee has also unanimously approved a draft law to set a minimum periodic allowance, for those addressed by the Civil Service Law, of at least seven percent of the minimum wage, equal to LE75 per month starting from the first of July.
Those not addressed by the Civil Service Law will have an allowance of 10 percent of the basic wage per month at a minimum of LE75.
The House of Representatives has also approved the draft Pensions Law as a whole and chosen to postpone the final approval to Monday’s session, due to the absence of a quorum of two thirds to approve it.
Ghada Waly, Minister of Solidarity, said during the plenary session Sunday that the government was looking into how to apply the court’s ruling which obliged the government to grant pensioners five bonuses.
The parliament also approved amendments to some of the provisions of the laws on judicial bodies including the Administrative Prosecution, the State Lawsuits Authority, the Military Judiciary, the State Council, and the Supreme Constitutional Court.
According to Speaker Ali Abdelaal, the Parliament would vote on the approved amendments on Monday.
The parliament will also vote on amendments to the drug law on Monday.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
