The Minister of Interior Yannis Michelakis and his deputy Leonidas Grigorakos will present its new Immigration and Social Integration Code on Thursday.
Aside from codifying legislation on immigration – there are currently 20 laws, 6 presidential decrees and 42 regulatory acts –, the new code also reforms the overall philosophy.
The code balances the difference of opinion of the two government parties New Democracy and PASOK, so while the conditions for acquiring citizenship are even stricter, especially for adults, the procedures for long-term residence permits have been simplified.
The government’s goal is to give the opportunity to long-term residents to be able to move to other EU member states. The children of immigrants that have been born or raised in Greece and attend Greek schools will be granted long-term residence rights.
Amongst the other changes introduced are the “fast track” procedures for investment and growth activities and granting long-term residence-holders the right to independent economic activity. Changes will also be made to facilitate family reunions.
The greatest challenge has been reducing the bureaucracy surrounding immigration. The changes brought will reduce the residence permit categories from 50 to 19, while significantly less documentation will be needed to renew permits.
