Hungarian govt submits comprehensive legislation tightening immigration rules

The government has submitted to parliament a draft law that would tighten regulation on immigration, the interior ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The measure was prompted by mass migration, the statement said. “Hungary belongs to Hungarians and they are the ones primarily entitled to the jobs here,” it said.

The legislation aims to determine who is entitled to live in Hungary and the time they are allowed to spend here, the statement said. Residence in the country will not be unlimited and foreigners won’t be able to prolong it automatically.

The proposed legislation will also determine the legal requirements and conditions to foreigners’ residence and employment in Hungary, it said.

Those failing to adhere to Hungarian laws and regulations will have to leave immediately or will be expelled, the statement said.

Foreigners may take on jobs only if there are no Hungarian applicants for the position. The number of guest workers brought in may not exceed the number of vacancies. Their residence will be for a limited time only, the ministry said. Foreign citizens will be allowed in Hungary only if the requirements, legal grounds, time frame and conditions set by the Hungarian state are observed, the statement said.

Third-country citizens are only allowed long-term residence and employment with the express permission of the state, and only if their presence “serves the interests of the Hungarian society and does not put even a single Hungarian citizen at a disadvantage,” it said.

Source: MTI