Residence permits may be extended
The Migration Policy Ministry may grant extensions to residence permits of migrants living in Greece due to a backlog of applications that has built up since its IT system broke down on January 18.
Sources said on Wednesday that a decision for an extension will be reached on Friday if the problem persists.
According to Generation 2.0, a Greek-based nonprofit group, the system’s breakdown has created a situation whereby many migrants are without legal documents as they have been unable to extend their permits.
“We once again call on the Migration Policy Ministry and everyone responsible to take care of all those people living in a state of complete uncertainty and immediately take all the necessary measures in order to process the applications,” the group said.
It demanded a ministerial decree to solve the problem by extending all the residence permits which expired in the last quarter.
It further called for the “immediate recruitment of permanent personnel in the immigration directorates” and requested that public servants working on immigration be provided with incentives.
Meanwhile, in a separate development yesterday, the European Commission appointed the current deputy secretary-general Vivi Michou to the post of director-general of its Migration and Home Affairs Department – the first woman to hold the post.
The appointment of Michou, a Greek national, will take effect on March 1.
According to a European Commission press release, Michou will work directly with Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, a fellow Greek.
