GREEK FORUM OF MIGRANTS

PROJECTS AND ACTIONS - EQUAL RIGHTS

Read the Press Release about the International Migrants Day 2023:

PRESS RELEASE

INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS DAY - 18TH DECEMBER 2023

INTEGRATION/INCLUSION ON HOLD. HOW MUCH LONGER?

This year’s International Migrants Day, after 23 years of the GFM’s operation, finds us with our demands to be exactly the same as always, concerning the policy-making for integration, planning and implementation of a substantial migration policy, with no more patchwork measures.

For decades now, Greece`s migration policy has not managed to solve any problems. Instead, it creates new¹. As a result, we are still at the same point where the integration/inclusion of migrants into Greek society is happening -inevitably by the migrants themselves and their communities, by Greek citizens and also by the Civil’s society organizations.

Integration/inclusion is on hold, and so are we and the more than 255,000 fellow citizens that are still waiting for their residence permit or renewal to be issued. 62% of them have been waiting for 1 year, 32% experience delays of 2 years, and the remaining tens of thousands of our fellow citizens are waiting for 3, 4 to even more than 5 years!

Moreover, in 2022 that the electronic registration of applications began, an increase of 1,087 % was observed, of the pending applications for Residence Permits of third country citizens compared to 2021 (although the number of new applications that year increased by only 40%). While 2023 saw a 97% increase in pending applications compared to 2022.²

Waiting for the renewal or issuance of a residence permit is a very serious problem that affects the daily life and lives of thousands of people in the country, since they cannot continue their lives smoothly without legal documents in force (e.g. transactions with the tax office, with banks, prohibition of exit from the country other than their country of origin, etc.).

According to the recent statistics shared by the Greek authorities, there is a dramatic decrease in the number of residence permit applications issued, hence a dramatic increase in pending residence permits. According to the Data published by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum³:

• Until October 2023, in total 255,634 applications for residence permits of third country citizens were pending. 62% of them (159,309) were initiated in 2023, 32% of them in 2022 (80,717), 2,7% (6,797) in 2021 etc. (See more in Annex I)
• During the last year (October 2022-October 2023), of the 271,148 applications submitted in total either for renewal or for new granting of residence permits, almost 70% of the applications are still pending (187.361). Analytically:
  • For new Residence Permit: Of the 125,769 applications, only 19% (23,915) were issued during October 2022 - October 2023.
  • For RENEWAL of residence permit: Of the 145,379 renewal applications, only 34% were renewed (48,863) during a year (Oct 2022 - Oct 2023).

We, the Greek Forum of Migrants, believe that the first step for integration/inclusion is the residence permit. From here on, the attitude of the state towards education, work, health, political and religious rights, safeguarding human rights and dealing with racism and discrimination, will ultimately determine the way of integration/inclusion of each person.

We call on the Greek authorities to review and improve the procedures immediately and to staff the relevant services with sufficient staff in order to ensure a more efficient and fair management of residence permit applications.

Today, on the International Migrants Day 2023, we do not give up and we demand once more a substantial policy making for migration in Greece, as well as the drawing of the social integration/inclusion plan, as a policy of humanity and equality. This is the only way to achieve a society that respects and promotes the rights of all people, regardless of origin or nationality, promoting social cohesion.

Sincerely,

Greek Forum of Migrants - GFM

Members of the GFM are:

AFRICA:
Congolese Community in Greece
Ethiopian Socio-cultural Center "Aithiops"
Ethiopian Community
Ghanaian Community in Greece
Gambian Community in Greece
Union of Guinea of Greece
Kenyan Community in Greece (KCG)
Nigerian Women Organisation of Greece
Nigerian Community of Greece
Association of Senegalese of Athens DIAMM AK TERANGA
Tanzanian Community in Greece
Burundian Community in Greece
Communauté ivoirienne de la Grèce
Association of Cameroonians of Greece
Union of Sierra Leonese
ASIA:
Afghan Migrants & Refugees Community in Greece
Pakistan Journalists Association of Greece
Greek Indian Cultural Company
Greek Pakistan Association of Greece
EASTERN EUROPE:
Albanian Community in Greece
Albanian Women Association in Greece
Georgian Cultural Center "Caucasus"
Greek Georgian Union "Dioskouria"
Ukrainian Community `The land of stork`
Ukrainian Diaspora in Greece
Support and promotion center of cultural heritage `Trembita`
Community "Ukraine-Greek Thinking"
Ukrainian Cultural-Educational Centre "Berejinia"
Union of Romanian Women in Greece
MIDDLE EAST:          
Egyptian Community in Greece "El Rapta"
Palestinian Workers Union in Greece
Greek Sudanese Frienship League
Sudanese Community
Syrian House in Greece
Somali Community in Greece
MORE NETWORKS:
African Network in Greece
United African Women Organization Greece
PIGI Koinsep (Turkey)
ELAHE PENHAN (Women from Iran and Afghanistan)
Mahdia Cultural Center
LGBTQI+ Refugee Group
Zagel Refugee Group

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¹ Read more about our demands here: 10 σημεία του ΕΦΜ που χρήζουν άμεσης αντιμετώπισης.

² More data at the ANNEX I that follows.

³ Ενημερωτικό Οκτώβριος 2023 - Β - Νόμιμη Μετανάστευση of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum

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ANNEX I

Based on the data published: Ενημερωτικό Οκτώβριος 2023 - Β - Νόμιμη Μετανάστευση by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum in Greece, and specifically on  page 8 of 16:

Image Graph 11:

Graph 13 with the geographical allocation of pending Residence Permits:

Graph 7 showing the total number of applications for residence permits (new and renewals) during last year (page 5 of 16):

According to the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum (page 3 and 16):

753,005 migrants=

• 456.379 Third Country citizens

• 247.224 EU Citizens and Nationals and

• 49.402 Asylum / International Protection

Nationalities of the 456,379 Citizens of third countries with VALID residence permit:

Albania- 274.275 (60,1%)
China- 26.082 (5,7%)
Georgia- 19.403 (4,3%)
Pakistan- 18.550 (4,1%)
Russia- 14.553 (3,2%)
Ukraine- 13.515 (3%)
Egypt- 9.604 (2,1%)
Bangladesh- 9.051 (2%)
India- 8.939 (2%)
Philippines- 6.997 (1,5%)

Nationalities of the 49,402 Benefficiaries of International Protection - Asylum  with VALID residence permit (ADET):

Afghanistan - 14.395 (29%)
OTHER - 12.187 (25%)
Syria - 9.342 (19%)
Palestine 5.917 (12%)
Irac - 5.126 (10%)
Somalia - 2.435 (5%)

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All the above data and graphs are listed as posted on 12/12/2023 on the website of the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum.