At a glance
- A new act has been introduced, imposing significant changes in obtaining work visas and resident permits for the purpose of work.
- The Hungarian government has created three categories of foreign workers who may apply for work visas.
- This new act was rushed through the legislative process, and therefore there was no time to create the procedural rules. As a result, all application proceedings have been suspended and no new applications are being accepted until 1 March 2024.
A new act has been introduced, imposing significant changes in obtaining work visas and resident permits for the purpose of work.
The Hungarian government has created three categories of foreign workers who may apply for work visas: guest workers, self-employed investors, and highly qualified employees. Citizens of non-EU neighbouring countries, such as Ukraine and Serbia remain subject to specific rules.
This new act was rushed through the legislative process, and therefore there was no time to create the procedural rules. As a result, all application proceedings have been suspended and no new applications are being accepted until 1 March 2024.
Along with this new act, the government also intends to put a maximum on the number of work visas which can be issues, and it is expected that in 2024 this will be 64,000. A ‘blacklist’ of jobs has also been released, which prevents non-nationals from working in approximately 300 positions.
It is expected that these changes will have a significant impact on the labour market, considering the current labour shortage.
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