A new migration bill will not be applied retroactively to thousands of pending residence permit applications, Greece’s migration minister has clarified, reassuring migrants awaiting decisions on their legal status.
Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris said the clarification applies to nearly 14,000 applications for permits "for exceptional reasons" that were pending as of last November.
These cases typically involve migrants who have lived in Greece for at least seven years but were unable to renew their permits due to issues like a temporary loss of insurance.
"Pending applications will be evaluated based on the rules in effect when they were submitted, not under the new law," Mr. Plevris said.
He added that criteria for future permit renewals will be addressed in a separate migration bill expected by the end of the year.