Effective January 1, 2025, according to Hungarian Government Decree 450/2024 (XII.23.), Hungarian visa centers will suspend acceptance of applications for Employment D Visas. This policy adjustment applies only to the "employment residence" and "foreign worker residence" permit types. Other D visas (e.g., family reunion and study visas) are not affected and can still be applied for normally.

Information Source: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/

    It is particularly important to note that the "Foreign Labor Residence Permit" is only available to strategic partners of the Hungarian government or employment agencies authorized to hire foreign workers. This type of residence permit is only for certain positions (manual labor) and citizens of a few countries. The list of applicable countries has currently been reduced to two (Georgia and Armenia), may be expanded in the future, pending official announcements.

    Furthermore, if a third country establishes an office in Hungary and commits to ensuring its workers leave Hungarian territory and return to their home country if they violate Hungarian or EU law, then nationals of that country may also work in Hungary with an employment residence permit.

 Source: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/

    In fact, as early as September 2024, the Hungarian government announced a new proposal aimed at prioritizing employment opportunities for local residents and prohibiting private recruitment agencies from hiring laborers from non-EU countries. Therefore, employers planning to import foreign labor must first prove they cannot find suitable candidates locally in Hungary.

    Information Source: https://schengen.news/

    For the past 20 years, Hungary has had quotas on the number of foreign workers employed domestically. According to data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), the theoretical quota ceiling for 2025 was about 71,000, roughly equal to the number of job vacancies in the past four quarters. However, Economy Minister Márton Nagy decided to further reduce this quota.

    Márton Nagy stated that to "protect Hungarian families, workers, and the labor market," the government will cap the quota for foreign worker residence permits in 2025 at 35,000. This is nearly half of the 2024 quota of 65,000. Additionally, the tightening of immigration policy has significantly impacted related labor dispatch agencies. Only government-approved agencies can hire foreign workers, and the qualification requirements for these agencies are higher.