Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis from the center-right party New Democracy (ND) is keen to address labor shortages in his own country. That's why he is backing a bill, due to be voted upon in the Greek parliament this Wednesday (December 20), in which he proposes to legalize around 30,000 migrants who have lived and worked in Greece for at least the last three years.

Greece needs at least 70,000 agricultural workers to help with the domestic production of vegetables, fruit, olive oil and milk, reports the European news platform Euractiv.

Also read: Greece, migration flows and the employment dilemma

The new bill would be a step towards meeting these demands, thinks Mitsotakis, who enjoys a comfortable majority in Greece since the summer’s elections. The Greek policy echoes that of Italy, which every year releases tens of thousands of seasonal work visas. It also aligns with the EU's broader aim to offer more legal routes to work and live in Europe to meet a lack of skilled workers and to address the demographic problem of an aging workforce in much of Western Europe.

Possibility of legal employment

According to Euractiv, the government would allow migrants to "come out of anonymity," and be offered the possibility of legal employment. "The provision satisfies the request of the productive entities of the Greek economy in the direction of the admission of additional workforce," explained the government.

Also read: Germany and Greece set on slowing migration numbers

However, some in Mitsotakis' own party, namely those on the right wing of ND, are not so happy with the bill. Former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras told the press that "in practice, it legalizes all illegal immigrants who have been in Greece for three years."

Samaras says he fears that will essentially act as a 'pull' factor to migrants, who might believe that if they manage to stay under the radar for enough time, they can expect to be legalized and start earning the money they hope for when making the journey to Europe.

Back in September, when the plan was first discussed in a cabinet meeting, Migration Minister Dimitris Kairidis told Greek public radio that the government was not intending "to create new incentives for further illegal [migrant] flows because that is the danger."

Plan will 'help to address dramatic [labor] shortages'

Kairidis said that the point of the plan was "to boost public revenue with employment taxes and contributions and help address dramatic [labor] shortages." The legalization, promised the government, would not just cover the agricultural sector, but also construction and tourism.

Also read: Greece plans to regularize migrants to fill labor shortages

Kairidis told Greek public radio that the legalization could help with the completion of public works projects, such as the metropolitan transport service in Greece’s second-largest city Thessaloniki. Construction of a new airport on the island of Crete could also begin to speed up again after a slow-down caused by labor shortages.

According to Euractiv, it is unclear how much influence Samaras can have over the vote. But he is an influential figure within the ND. On Sunday, when Mitsotakis spoke in the parliament about the annual budget, Samaras was reported to have left the house. A sign, reported Euroactiv, of "growing tensions."

New tax rules from January 1, 2024

As part of Greece’s new immigration law, as of January 1, 2024, new immigration codes will enter into force. These will mostly affect "highly skilled third-country nationals" who will be eligible to apply for European Blue Cards.

Also, "third-country nationals who are already in Greece on a C-Visa" will be able to apply for a Blue Card with their residence permit or valid passport, "provided they meet the eligibility criteria."

Lastly, third-country nationals who "hold a valid Blue Card issued by another EU member state, and have resided in that member state for at least 12 months will be eligible to apply for a Greek Blue Card residence permit," reports the tax consultants and accountancy firm Ernst and Young.

Also read: Greece, how to apply for a seasonal work visa

Since 2021, reported Voice of America (VOA) at the end of October, Greece has legalized nearly 680,000 migrants. At that time, reported the broadcaster, around 60,000 migrants resided in Greece without the correct papers.

Kairidis said that part of the problem was that countries such as Pakistan and Iran refused to accept their nationals back, even when it was found they did not have a valid claim to asylum.

Also read: Foreign workers contribute to 32% of Italian agricultural output

According to figures from the UN refugee agency UNHCR, 44,924 migrants had arrived in Greece between January 1 and December 10. The majority, just over a quarter, came from Syria.