Regularisation procedure in Greece

Back

The regularisation procedure in Greece is suffering from a lot of chaos. There is a total lack of coordination and cooperation between the various agencies handling the legalisation process in the country. 

Some 350 000 migrants submitted an application to legalise their stay in Greece (see also PICUM Newsletter December). They were entitled to a six-months residence permit, and are now going to the authorities to have it replaced by a one-year permit before their present one expires.  However, they encounter many problems. One of the requirements that have to be fulfilled is providing a health certificate. However, many services are completely overloaded with work, and to obtain the certificate there are now waiting lists of up to 4 months.

At the end of last year, the Ombudsman issued a report criticizing the bureaucracy, poor organization, lack of qualified staff, and the short time given to applicants to obtain certain documents. He asked for an extension for the application of a 12-month residence permit. A three-month extension will now be given. 

This extension does not, however, solve all the problems. Three months in still not enough for everyone to obtain the health certificate. And apparently many officials do not know about the extension, including the police. This means that any undocumented migrant who is stopped by a police officer that does not know about the extension can still be expelled. 

It was stated that in March a new Bill would be discussed to fill all the gaps in the current procedure. 

(MNS February and March 2002)