Filipino guest worker wins legal fight to stay in Hungary with husband and newborn
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A Filipina guest worker has won a final court ruling in Hungary after authorities attempted to deport her, despite her husband and newborn son being Hungarian citizens. The Budapest-Capital Regional Court ruled that the family must be allowed to stay together, affirming that Hungary’s strict immigration regulations cannot override EU law.
Pregnancy, job loss, and deportation
We previously reported on Rena, who came to Hungary from the Philippines as a guest worker and was employed as a machine operator at a car parts factory. There, she met her future husband, Hungarian IT specialist Péter Gulyás. The couple married, and Rena soon became pregnant. Due to being classified as a high-risk pregnancy by her doctors, she was no longer able to work at the factory.
According to the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Rena had previously taken leave due to an injury without issue. However, this time her residency permit was withdrawn, and just two months after giving birth, she was ordered to leave the country. The ruling meant Rena would have had to return to the Philippines—either alone or with her newborn—to initiate a family reunification process that could realistically take years.
EU law takes precedence over local regulations
The family sought help from the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, an advocacy group that argued EU law should take precedence over domestic statutes and that the specific circumstances of the case must be taken into account.
at least a happy ending. unbelievable how racist can the pro family government be with the mother of an Hungarian citizen, Fidesz is not invincible!
Pedo-Fidesz “pro family” declarations are a phony joke. This case shows how EU legislation can successfully enforce human rights inside Hungary. Pedo-Fidesz politicians can now complain that “Brussels” does not allow them to conduct their racist policies.