The Embassy of Hungary in Georgia clarifies what type of work visas have been suspended for citizens of Georgia, as well as for citizens of Armenia and the Philippines.

According to the Hungarian Embassy, under current legislation, before recent changes were introduced, there were four targeted categories for obtaining a residence permit in Hungary under the status of a “guest worker”:

Residence permit for the purpose of seasonal workResidence permit for the purpose of employment for investmentResidence permit for the purpose of employmentResidence permit for guest workers

Among these categories, only the last one — the guest worker residence permit — has been abolished, and this was not related to any violations.

According to the Embassy, this type of residence permit was already rarely requested at the consulate.

“The legislative change concerns the ‘guest worker’ residence permit type. The ‘employment’ residence permit category remains available, while the ‘guest worker’ category, which could previously be requested through preferential employers and qualified temporary employment agencies, has been abolished.

Nevertheless, applications for the ‘guest worker’ permit can still be submitted at consulates, but the authorities reviewing the cases will reject such applications.

The abolished permit type provided an accelerated procedure only for citizens of Georgia, Armenia, and the Philippines. No other countries had access to this option. In addition, only a strictly defined group of employers was allowed to apply for this permit.

Regarding the reasons for the legislative change, this decision is not related to any violations. In the practice of our consular section, this type of permit was requested only rarely. The majority of applications were for the ‘employment purpose’ residence permit, which is a different category.

In the future, it will still be possible to apply under the same conditions for the following types of permits:

Seasonal workEmployment for investment purposesEmployment purposesMobility for students and persons employed in high value-added activities

The same applies to residence permits requested for family reunification purposes,” the Embassy of Hungary stated.