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Published 19 Jan, 2024 07:37pm

Hungary to issue 65,000 visas to temporary workers from non-EU countries

The Hungarian Ministry of Economy has decided to issue only 65,000 visas for temporary workers from non-European Union countries in 2024 as the government attempts to restrict the number of work visas issued to foreign temporary workers, SchengenVisaInfo reported on Friday.

Additionally, temporary workers from outside the EU will also be banned from taking up jobs in certain sectors.

Last year, 39,000 temporary worker visas were issued, below the maximum set out by an earlier decree, Reuters reported.

Faced with a heavy election calendar, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government is under pressure to revive economic growth following an inflation-induced downturn in 2023. His hard line on immigration has helped the nationalist leader win support during previous elections.

Orban’s government also compiled a list of some 300 jobs that workers from outside the EU will not be allowed to take, including vineyard and orchard worker, photographer, legal aide, roofer and elevator mechanic.

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“The government will protect Hungarian families and jobs, which means that by law, it is only possible to hire foreign workers if there are no Hungarian workers to fill the vacancies,” the economy ministry said in a statement.

Hungary’s rolling three-month unemployment rate was 4.3% in the September-November period.

According to the Hungarian law, it is only possible to hire foreign workers if there are no Hungarian workers to fill the vacancies.

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