Current:Home > ContactGreece approves new law granting undocumented migrants residence rights, provided they have a job -Capitatum
Greece approves new law granting undocumented migrants residence rights, provided they have a job
View
Date:2025-04-15 09:44:53
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved new legislation that will grant tens of thousands of undocumented migrants residence and work permits amid a shortage of unskilled labor.
The law drafted by the center-right government links the right to residence with proof of employment. According to the labor ministry, it will affect some 30,000 people, many of them agricultural laborers.
The United Nations migration and refugee agencies praised the new law, which applies to migrants who have been living in Greece without residence permits for at least three years up to the end of November. It will not cover later arrivals.
Lawmakers in the 300-member parliament voted 262 in favor of the law — despite grumbling from the governing New Democracy’s right wing and with the backing of leftwing opposition parties.
New Democracy had threatened to expel any of its lawmakers who didn’t back the measures — making a single exception for a former prime minister who had strongly criticized the bill.
Speaking after the vote, Migration Minister Dimitris Kairidis praised the cross-party consensus, saying it would help address market demand for less skilled workers. He said the government seeks to blend “strict border controls and fighting (migrant trafficking) with facilitating legal migration” according to Greece’s needs.
He said the new law would not allow for illegal gain of Greek citizenship or family reunification rights, and the permits would be contingent on migrants’ continued employment.
In a joint statement, the International Organization for Migration and the UNHCR described the bill as “a positive example of political will to lift the barriers that render people invisible and marginalized.”
The statement said it would benefit Greece’s economy while protecting migrants from exploitation by legalizing their employment. The two agencies also hailed the provision that reduces the wait from six to two months for asylum-seekers who want to enter the Greek labor market.
Located in the European Union’s southeastern corner on the Mediterranean Sea, Greece remains a key entry point for people seeking a better life in the EU. Most cross in small boats from neighboring Turkey to Greece’s eastern Aegean islands.
Despite a drastic drop in arrivals from the peak of nearly 1 million in 2015, some 45,000 people reached Greece so far this year, the highest number in four years. While many are granted legal residence as refugees, others remain illegally in the country for years, blending into the gray economy.
In June, hundreds of people are believed to have died after a battered trawler carrying up to 750 people from Libya to Italy foundered off southwestern Greece.
The Mediterranean’s deadliest shipwreck in living memory occurred on April 18, 2015, when an overcrowded fishing boat collided off Libya with a freighter trying to come to its rescue. Only 28 people survived. Forensic experts concluded that there were originally 1,100 people on board.
___
Follow AP’s global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
veryGood! (67)
Related
- Golf's No. 1 Nelly Korda looking to regain her form – and her spot on the Olympic podium
- Getting sober saved my life. And helped me understand my identity as a transgender woman.
- US defense chief urges nations to dig deep and give Ukraine more much-needed air defense systems
- Does Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders need a new Rolls-Royce? Tom Brady gave him some advice.
- Eva Mendes Shares Message of Gratitude to Olympics for Keeping Her and Ryan Gosling's Kids Private
- Florida jury pool could give Trump an advantage in classified documents case
- Republican Derrick Anderson to run for Democratic-controlled Virginia US House seat
- Sydney Sweeney Transforms Into an '80s Prom Queen for Her 26th Birthday
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- From London, Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif blames ex-army chief for his 2017 ouster
Ranking
- Bet365 ordered to refund $519K to customers who it paid less than they were entitled on sports bets
- 'Real Housewives' star Shannon Beador arrested for drunk driving, hit-and-run
- Utah private prison company returns $5M to Mississippi after understaffing is found at facility
- Hayden Panettiere Adds a Splash of Watermelon Vibes to Her Pink Hair
- Southern California rocked by series of earthquakes: Is a bigger one brewing?
- WSJ reporter to appeal Russian detention Tuesday
- Rapper Travis Scott is questioned over deadly crowd surge at Texas festival in wave of lawsuits
- Trump skipping second GOP debate to give competing speech in Detroit
Recommendation
'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
Most Americans view Israel as a partner, but fewer see it as sharing US values, AP-NORC poll shows
Lawsuit by Islamic rights group says US terror watchlist woes continue even after names are removed
YouTube suspends Russell Brand from making money off the streaming site after sex assault claims
Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
From London, Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif blames ex-army chief for his 2017 ouster
Why *NSYNC's Bigger Plans for Reunion and New Song Better Place Didn't Happen
Rudy Giuliani sued by longtime former lawyer over alleged unpaid bills