Αsylum service reopens on May 18; residence permits extended by six months

Greece's Asylum Service will start receiving new asylum applications as of May 18, the Migration Ministry announced on Friday, after having stopped for two and a half months.

To maintain social distancing, half of the staff will work from home.

At the same time, Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis extended all residence permits held by refugees for another six months from their date of expiration, to prevent the service from becoming inundated by renewal applications.

The Asylum Service closed for new applicants on March 1, after the government announced Greece would not be accepting any new requests following two days of clashes between border police and thousands of people seeking to enter the EU from Turkey.