Third-country nationals with residence permits and permanent residence permits from Hungary have had their document expiration date extended until April 30 due to the implementation of a new immigration law.
Hungary’s new immigration law, which became effective at the beginning of the year, will not be accepting applications from third-country nationals for another two months, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The submission of new applications from third-country nationals has been postponed until April 30, except for residence permits that represent the national interest of the EU country.
In addition, the old regulations will apply to requests filed before December 31, 2023, but will be decided upon only after March 1.
The validity of residence permits and permanent residence permits expiring between January 1, 2024, and February 29, 2024, will be automatically extended until April 30, 2024.
Hungary’s New Immigration Law Introduces Highly & Low Skilled Worker Residence Permits
The immigration law now outlines 24 types, including eight for the purpose of employment, while the previous immigration law specified 18 types of residence permits.
The new immigration law has abolished the residence permit for other purposes and added a new permit for investors. In addition, it has introduced work permits that are categories for highly and low-skilled workers separately.
By law, the worker residence permit will only be granted to those employed based on their employers, countries, and occupations. It can be extended for only up to three years, with no option to extend it after this period. This means that non-EU workers are not entitled to permanent residence in Hungary or to family reunification.
Hungary’s New Golden Visa Requires Quarter-Million Investment
The new law also introduces an investor residence permit, also known as a golden visa. Starting from July 1, the guest-investor visa and residence permit will be available for those who want to invest a minimum of €250,000 in real estate.
This investment allows them a ten-year residence permit, which can be extended for another ten years.
Hungary introduced its Golden Visa program on January 1, 2013, leaving it open for discussion until March 31, 2017. In order to benefit from this program, wealthy non-EU citizens were required to invest at least €250,000, while the authorities also planned to increase the minimum amount of investment required for this program to €300,000.
According to Immigration Office (OIF), about 430,000 foreigners hold a residence permit in Hungary, whether it be a work or study permit. This includes the 161,000 people with an EU registration card as well as the 162,000 people with a Hungarian residence permit.
