Residence law to get tougher
Foreign nationals living in Greece who are convicted of any breach of the law will be automatically stripped of their residence and work permits, under draft legislation tabled in Parliament yesterday. The draft amendment presented by Interior Minister Costas Skandalidis also imposes a three-month limit on the detention pending deportation of foreign nationals who are deemed to pose a threat to public security or who are considered to be potential escapees. Furthermore, if the amendment is passed, immigrants destined for deportation for having broken the law will not be able to appeal against their expulsion. At the same time, all foreign nationals who have been granted temporary residence permits but were included on immigration authorities’ lists of undesirables will be automatically struck off the lists. The amendment will also make it easier for ethnic Greeks from the former Soviet Union and for their children to acquire Greek nationality.
