Hungary Stops Visas for Georgia, Armenia, Philippines
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- Hungary will stop issuing worker visas to citizens of Georgia, Armenia and the Philippines starting June 5, according to a government spokesperson.
- Vanda Szondi said the policy is a first step toward regulating the inflow of guest workers and curbing perceived wage pressure on local salaries.
- Prime Minister Peter Magyar and his Tisza party, which won the April 12 election that ended Viktor Orbán’s 16‑year rule, announced the June visa suspension for all non‑EU workers.
- Foreign workers represent about 2 % of Hungary’s workforce, yet sectors such as services and manufacturing rely heavily on them.
- The decree that lets manpower agencies import workers through a simplified procedure for the Philippines, Georgia and Armenia will be amended as of June 5.
- Investors warned that a full halt to guest‑worker inflows could damage key companies and the broader Hungarian economy.
Why it matters: The ban protects Hungarian employees from perceived wage erosion, but it eliminates a vital labor pipeline for sectors like services and manufacturing that rely on the roughly 2 % foreign workforce, prompting foreign investors to warn of broader economic damage and could reduce competitiveness.
