Initiative of "An hour with the minister" aims to get briefed on needs of Egyptian expats: Emigration min.

The "An Hour with the Minister" initiative aims to provide an opportunity to meet directly with Egyptians abroad and get acquainted with their needs and inquiries, affirmed Minister of State for Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates' Affairs Soha Gendi.

The ministry is working on several fronts and attaining several incentives which link the Egyptian expatriates with their homeland, affirmed Gendi during a virtual meeting held with several members of the Egyptian community in the UAE.

The meeting was held to get briefed on the ideas of Egyptian expatriates and their proposals.

In a statement released Tuesday by the ministry, Gendi expressed delight over holding this meeting within the framework of the initiative.

The minister held several meetings with the Egyptian community in Canada, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Kuwait, South Africa, Kenya, and Lesotho, added the statement.

During the meeting, the minister pointed out to the agreement reached with the Civil Aviation Ministry to give special discounted offers and exclusive prices on EgyptAir tickets for Egyptian expatriate families, as part of a set of incentives for expatriates to facilitate their visits to the homeland, according to the statement.

The package of discounts is for travelers on EgyptAir flights to and from Egypt, from all countries of the world, including discounts on a spouse’s ticket price of up to 25 percent, said the minister.

Gendi also referred to her meeting with the housing minister which resulted in reaching an agreement to offer housing projects in the e-application of the ministry, which will be launched soon.

Talking about the facilities offered to the Egyptian expatriates, the minister pointed out to the cooperation with Banque Misr to grant a real estate financing loan to buy residential units and pay the total amount within 15 years, noting that the maximum financing amount stands at EGP 5 million.

Regarding the draft law that gives Egyptians expatriates the right to import a private car without custom duties, the minister said that Egyptian expats willing to have their cars should be above 16 years old and have legal residence abroad.

They will also deposit the value of the customs duties and taxes that they would have paid for releasing their car from customs to the Egyptian Ministry of Finance as a five-year bank deposit without interests in foreign currency, added the minister.

Five years later, the expat will be able to withdraw the money in the Egyptian pound at the value of the local currency at the time of withdrawal, she went on to explain.