The Hungarian government has announced a jail sentence of up to three years for foreigners working illegally in the country, SchengenVisaInfo reported.

The country has recently tightened its immigration rules, according to which a guest worker will not be granted a residence permit for as many as 300 jobs.

The decision to announce punishment for illegal foreign workers came after several false work permits were detected in Hungary’s county Hajdú-Bihar.

The authorities in Hajdú-Bihar reported irregular employment of a few third-country citizens using false official documents.

Meanwhile, the Hungarian authorities introduced several stringent immigration rules in which Hungarian citizens will be given priority in employment in the country.

Foreign nationals will be able to secure a particular job only if a Hungarian citizen cannot fill it.

Additionally, the authorities introduced a list of 300 jobs for which a guest worker residence permit will not be granted. With the new rule, third-countries citizens holding temporary work permits are excluded from those jobs.

Some of these occupations include roofer, industrial alpinist, tool maker, cultural organiser, legal assistant, photographer, grape and fruit grower, and lift mechanic.