What is the ruling on a 25-year-old woman traveling to Kuwait to work without a mahram, staying with her relatives, knowing that she is the sole provider for her family, and is it permissible for her to remove her niqab if the employer refuses it, given her severe need for the job?

The answer comprises three points:

1. Living in a foreign country for work without a mahram is permissible, because the mahram is a condition for travel, not for residency.

2. Living with relatives (paternal uncle/maternal uncle and their sons) is permissible under conditions: no khalwa (private seclusion) with the man or his adult sons, adherence to the legal hijab in front of them, and not speaking in a soft or alluring manner.

3. Removing the niqab because of work is forbidden, except in cases of extreme necessity, while continuing to search for another job.