Greek immigration authorities have extended the deadline for residence permits for immigrants until December 31, 2024, a deadline originally expiring on March 31.
According to a circular announced on Tuesday by the Greek Ministry of Immigration, foreign nationals from third countries, the majority of whom are citizens from Albania, have the right to enter and re-enter Greek territory with expired residence permits.
The decision also includes the category of foreigners who are in the process of obtaining new residence permits or renewing their permits.
This category of immigrants can travel to border points by presenting an application confirmation for residence permits at the border.
The latest decision by Greek authorities comes after delays in issuing new residence permits to migrants.
Albanian immigrant associations in Greece attribute the delays to the low capacity of human resources in Greek centers processing immigrants’ requests.
According to data from the Greek Ministry of Immigration, Albanian citizens accounted for around 59.6% of foreigners with regular residence in December 2023, out of a total of about 278,000 people.
This number of Albanian immigrants is significantly lower than two years ago when there were 435,000 Albanians in Greece, accounting for about 62.8% of foreigners with regular residence in Greece.
