The Hungarian Parliament has announced that a new immigration law will come into force from January 1, 2024.
Hungary is making changes to existing entry rules to tighten regulations. This update concerns foreign nationals wishing to enter Hungary with a work permit and the processing of ongoing applications.
It is expected that there will now be two separate employment permit categories:
- Skilled Workers permit: This permit will allow eligible skilled applicants to reside in Hungary for up to three years
- Guest Workers permit: The number of guest workers allowed will correspond to the number of vacant job positions in Hungary, and holders’ stay in Hungary will be for a limited time. Guest workers will not be eligible to apply for permanent residency and cannot sponsor family members. Additionally, a resident labour market test will need to be completed by the Hungarian sponsoring company.
The Hungarian authorities have announced the following plan to implement the changes:
- Between January 1, 2024 and February 29, 2024, processing of immigration applications will be suspended. During this period no new employment permit requests may be submitted. Applications which have been submitted before January 1, 2024 will be processed after February 29, 2024. It is possible that Registrations Certificates for EU nationals may also be suspended, but this has not yet been confirmed.
- Work permit applications that were submitted before January 1, 2024 will be considered under the previous regulations. Applications will be considered submitted if they have been submitted electronically and fully paid before December 31, 2023.
- Residence permits that are due to expire during this period will be automatically extended until April 30, 2024.
- New applications can be submitted from March 1, 2024.
The suspension will also apply to any new residence permit applications, residence cards and EU registration cards. Applications for these will only be accepted if they are of national interest and the government has mandated that these applications are needed.
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