Immigration Office tots up 171,000 legal expats in Hungary

Some 171,000 foreigners in Hungary have residence permits exceeding 90 days, according to the Immigration and Citizenship Office.

Office director Zsuzsanna Végh told Magyar Hírlap that most applicants for immigration from Ukraine and Serbia are of Hungarian ancestry, but the Office does not formally register this, due to privacy regulations and EU norms.

Data indicates that about 8,500 Chinese nationals live in Hungary, but Végh admits that this figure is probably not accurate.

Hungary has expelled 318 persons this year, a rise of over 50% on the same period of last year. In addition, courts have ordered the deportation of about 300 foreigners for committing various crimes.

The Office received 1,218 requests for refugee status in the first six months of the year, of which only 99 were granted. Most of those came from Somali nationals.

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