In the Plenary with the regulation for the employment of immigrants
This was emphasized in Parliament by the Hellenic Minister of Immigration Policy, Dimitris Kairidis, defending the amendment for "land workers", and accusing those who disagree that "either they don't want to read it, or they don't know how to read it, or they insist on things that don't exist ».
"This arrangement gives the right to illegal residents in Greece for 3 years or more to legal work and in no way constitutes a policy change. Our policy rests on 2 stable pillars and one complements the other. We are against the illegal and in favor of the legal. We are doing everything against the illegal trafficking of immigrants, but at the same time we want to facilitate the legal migration routes in a reasonable manner, with conditions and rules, according to the needs of the Greek economy", said Mr. Kairidis.
As the minister said, "the sense of security must be ensured in Greek society to accept legal immigration and indeed there is a difficulty in accepting legal immigration, because the country is facing a ghost, a nightmare, and it is the chaos that has taken over the ND in 2019 and the tragic experience of the period 2015-2019".
"Indeed, the Greeks are suspicious and have the right to ask questions and be wary of our initiatives because really what we experienced in 15, 16, 17 should not in any case be experienced again and we are not experiencing it again", he pointed out.
Mr. Kairidis insisted that, "the regulation is not legalization, because it does not give a right to permanent residence, citizenship, it just gives a right to legal work to people who have been here for many years and have and can work, and for those who work."
"It is not something unprecedented for Greece. We have a standing mechanism to issue papers as early as 2014 and earlier, to people who are here illegally. We are not original in relation to Europe. On the contrary, we are very wary of following Europe and especially Italy, towards which we have had a large labor force leakage recently, because it is much easier to get papers there. And Greece is not a magnet, because it does not concern new arrivals, not even people who came in 2022 or 2023. It concerns earlier arrivals and not illegal arrivals," underlined the Minister of Immigration and added:
“I'm clear, and the evidence says so, whatever one end of the political spectrum is trying to say. The vast majority leave Greece, either as refugees or as irregular immigrants and end up in the rich European North, in Germany. And yes the magnet is Germany and the North. That is where they are headed and Greece remains a transit country and not a final destination. Most of those who will make use of the provision are those who came legally to Greece, worked legally, and for some reason did not renew their residence permits in Greece, Albanians, Georgians, domestic workers from the Philippines or elsewhere. Now we give them an opportunity to leave the lawlessness regime, to leave the black work, the unregistered and the unidentified and at the same time to bring revenue to the State and the insurance funds, to fight the unfair competition caused by black work".
"With this regulation, we prove that we follow the middle path, the path of logic, between the extremes, the path that brings results. And in this the ND has a greater responsibility as the largest faction of the European Center-Right - now that this issue is burning Europe on the way to the European elections - to show everyone, and the rest of the Europeans, that here in Greece, we can also borders to guard, and to be very strict against the illegal, but at the same time to use the so-called legal immigration to our advantage according to our needs and priorities", concluded Mr. Kairidis.
The deadline for submitting an application for this permit has been set to December 31, 2024.
Kairidis insisted that the government "is against illegal status, and for a legal one," and was fighting human traffickers, but at the same time, he said, "we want to facilitate legal migration routes within reason, under terms and rules, in tandem with the Greek economy's needs."
The minister acknowledged that there is widespread suspicion in Greek society over the issue of legalizing migrants because of its experiences in 2015-2017. He added that "we are not doing something Europe is not doing. On the contrary, we are following very cautiously what Europe does, especially Italy, to which we are losing a great number of laborers recently, because it is a lot easier for them to get official papers there." The draft proposal will not turn Greece into a magnet for illegal migration, he underlined, because the regulation does not relate to new arrivals but those who have been in the country earlier than 2022.
The 30,000
"The great majority leave Greece either as refugees or as undocumented migrants, and end up in the affluent north, in Germany," he said, adding that those to take advantage of the amendment include "those who came legally to Greece, worked legally, and for some reason did not renew their residence permits in Greece - Albanians, Georgians, household helpers from the Philippines or elswhere." For these, Greece is "now granting them an opportunity to leave the illegal status and undeclared work, undocumented and unidentified (work), and at the same time to bring revenues to the public coffers and insurance funds, and to fight the unfair competition created by undeclared work."
The amendment has been rigorously debated in parliament by several opposition parties as an attempt to legalize all migrants arriving in Greece without papers, and calling for more comprehensive laws. Criticism also came from ruling New Democracy as well, with Deputy Stratos Simopoulos (Thessaloniki) saying he would vote for it, but requesting "that the government not bring such important amendments without substantial discussion."
He added that the problem of seasonal workers was "stupendous, even in the industry sector. How does the government resolve this? By legalizing migrants who entered Greece illegally."
New article on Tuesday
Another article that will be tabled in parliament's plenary on Tuesday foresees the one-year extension of certain work permits for non-EU laborers, especially farm laborers. Under this article, employers who have hired workers that did not need a visa to work in Greece, may file for the one-year extension of the work period. The request must be submitted by December 31st, 2024.
