To be eligible for a long-term residence permit, migrants may have to live and work in Greece for five years. Students can count half of their time studying, but refugees can never become long-term residents. Applicants must pass an integration test, pay a high procedure fee and prove health insurance and high economic resources. These conditions (see box), along with those for family reunion, rank third from the bottom, just above AT and FR. Long term residents are partially secure in their status under the law. Their permit allows them to leave Greece for up to six years. But the state can expel long-term residents, without taking into account many aspects of their personal circumstances. Even long-term residents who were born in Greece or have lived there for many years can be expelled. Rights associated have improved since 2004 (see box).
