Strict rules for foreigners from the Hungarian government
The new immigration law came into force on 1 January 2024, and then the new regulations were to be implemented on 1 March 2024, but implementation rules have not been finalized yet.
Guest workers will now less opportunities in Hungary for temporary worker visas.
Hungary has introduced a new immigration law. This law will help the country to recruit foreigners for low and high-skilled jobs. The rules are based on strict requirements into existing regulations and the government wants truly skilled workers to overcome the shortage in the labor market.
The Hungarian government has also announced that foreigners can stay in the country on a long-term basis only if they are serving the interest of the Hungarian society and their presence in the country does affect negatively the local Hungarians.
The validity of residence permits and permanent residence permits expiring between 1 January 2024 and 29 February 2024 will be automatically extended until 30 April 2024.
EU Website
Hungary has now clearly categorized residence permits into highly skilled workers, low-skilled workers such as guest workers, and investors. According to new regulations, it will be made sure that the low-skilled workers are from specified countries for certain occupations and they will be sponsored by authorized employers only. These types of work permits will only now be extended to a maximum of three years. The guest workers are already not eligible for permanent residency and family reunification.
The country has previously been excercising 18 types of residence permits. Now there are 24 of these types in total. Eight types of residence permits have been set aside for employment only.
A new golden visa has also been announced. Starting from 1 July 2024, the so-called golden or guest-investor visa and residence permit will be available for foreigners. This allows a residence of 10+10 years for a minimum real estate fund investment of 250,000 EUR.