Greece provided legal status to more than 3,400 migrants from Bangladesh in the previous year.

Greece provided legal status to more than 3,400 migrants from Bangladesh in the previous year.

KEY POINTS TO NOTE

1. Last year, Greece granted legal residency to 3,405 undocumented Bangladeshi migrants.
2. As of February 15 this year, an additional 113 Bangladeshi migrants applied for legal residence, while over 5,900 applications are pending.
3. The Greek government has implemented several measures to streamline the process of obtaining legal residency.

According to information provided by InfoMigrants, Greek authorities disclosed that 10,337 Bangladeshi migrants applied for regularization in Greece in the past year, out of which 3,405 were granted legal status. On the contrary, 1,009 applications were rejected for various reasons.

The regularization process was conducted under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Athens and Dhaka in 2022. This agreement allowed undocumented Bangladeshis residing in Greece to apply for legal residence. To qualify, applicants needed a Bangladeshi passport valid for at least two years, evidence of residency in Greece before February 9, 2022, and proof of employment.

Applicants were required to register at the Bangladesh Embassy in Athens before applying online through the Greek government’s website. The application window was open from January 9 to December 31, 2023.

As of February 15 this year, an additional 113 undocumented Bangladeshi migrants have applied for legal residence, while over 5,900 applications remain pending, according to data from the General Directorate of Immigration Policy of the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum. These include migrants who have completed the initial steps and are awaiting confirmation of their residence permits or smart cards.

In 2022, Greece initiated a program to recruit Bangladeshi seasonal workers following an increase in migrants attempting unsafe sea routes to reach Greece. The government has implemented various measures to discourage unsafe migration and streamline legal residency procedures.

Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum, Dimitris Kairidis, announced that 2024 will focus on legal migration. The ministry is drafting a law to modernize the granting and renewal of residence permits for legal migrants. Additionally, four new biometric data collection centers will open in Athens and Thessaloniki within the first half of 2024 to expedite processing.

Minister Kairidis emphasized the challenges migrants face in renewing their residence permits despite legal residence, work, and tax contributions. Greece aims to modernize the permit system, processing 850,000 migration files by the first half of 2026.

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