Greece: Information on the rights of refugees in Greece and on the Canadian government procedure for selecting refugees for resettlement
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 June 1993 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | GRC14605 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Greece: Information on the rights of refugees in Greece and on the Canadian government procedure for selecting refugees for resettlement, 1 June 1993, GRC14605, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad2b27.html [accessed 19 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to the Office of the UNHCR in Ottawa, Greece is a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the status of refugees and the 1954 Convention relating to the status of stateless persons. Therefore, travel documents are issued according to the provisions of the conventions. Travel documents issued under the 1951 provisions are valid for two years while those issued according to the provisions of the 1954 convention are valid for six months or one year and allow one travel trip (30 June 1993). Reportedly, refugees wishing to travel have to apply for travel documents and meet the criteria of the issuing authorities (Ibid).
Work permits are issued to prospective employers upon request, but once employed refugees are subject to the same labour laws as Greek citizens. Refugees also have the same rights to education, hospital care and social security as Greek nationals. The Office of the UNHCR further noted that special problems have been identified with regard to self-employment and recognition of diplomas from foreign countries, particularly those obtained in the Liberal Arts.
According to a representative of the Embassy of Greece in Ottawa, refugees in are not granted permanent residence status but renewable residence permits. Travel documents are issued to refugees wishing to immigrate to other countries upon request. However, such people will not be permitted to return to Greece under the same status (29 June 1993).
Additional and/or corroborative information could not be found among the sources currently available to the DIRB. For information on the Canadian selection procedure, please refer to the attached document.
References
Embassy of Greece, Ottawa. 30 June 1993. Telephone Interview with Representative.
Canada Employment and Immigration. n.d. Immigration Manual (Sections 3.5 to 3.34, pp. 3 to 15-2).
Office of the UNHCR, Ottawa. 30 June 1993. Telephone Interview with Representative.
Attachments
Canada Employment and Immigration. n.d. Immigration Manual (Sections 3.5 to 3.34, pp. 3 to 15-2).
