A new bill on nationality rights for second-generation immigrants has been posted for public consultation. One of the provisions for acquiring Greek nationality for the children of foreigners born in Greece includes enrollment in the first year of Greek primary school and attendance of the Greek education system.

The bill also requires that one of the parents be a legal resident in the country for five continuous years prior to the birth of the child.

Previous regulations demanded that both parents be five-year legal residents, however, the new recommendations made by the Council of state added that nationality should be granted six years after birth.

The proposed legilation is not without its critics.

Speaking the same day, main opposition New Democracy spokesman Costas Karagounis sharply criticised the draft bill.

Karagounis charged that the planned legislation was an “open invitation” towards migrants who sneaked into the country to enrol their children in the first grade in order to automatically receive a residence permit for themselves and their families.

“This is the worst thing they (government) could do for Greece and social cohesion, as hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants are waiting to cross Greece’s borders,” Karagounis underlined.