Immigration bill passed in Greek Parliament
A legislative regulation in Greece, designed to prevent the undocumented employment of immigrants and allow for the granting of necessary permits to those who have been working in the country for some time but lack residence and work permits, has been passed in Parliament.
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The bill amending the law, prepared by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, was voted on in Parliament.
The legislation was passed in the 300-seat Parliament with 262 votes in favor.
Former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, a New Democracy MP, was the only ruling party lawmaker to vote against the bill.
Samaras cited as his reason for the decision that the legislation would lead to an increase in the number of immigrants by granting residence and work permits to irregular migrants in the country.
RESIDENCE AND WORK PERMIT
The legislation provides for the granting of residence and work permits to immigrants who arrived in Greece legally and subsequently lost their residence permits but continued to live in the country "illegally," provided they are officially employed in a job.
The legislation, which aims to meet the needs of the labor market, is also seen as a measure against the competitive environment arising from the need for agricultural workers in countries like Italy.
Italy and Spain offer advantages to immigrants such as entering and exiting their countries, and benefiting from health and banking systems. For this reason, a personnel shortage had emerged in these sectors in Greece as a result of immigrants working in fields such as agriculture leaving the country.