ABSTRACT
Hungary is a country with 10.8 million inhabitants which has been opened to international migration since the political changes of 1989. Immigration to Hungary from European countries, China and Vietnam is primarily labour migration, often based on seasonal or temporary employment or on business. Legal immigrants in Hungary tend to have higher education levels than the native population and a larger proportion of them are in the age range for employment, although there is also an increasing trend of family reunification with elderly parents who arrive in Hungary for retirement. In Hungary, immigrants with permanent residence permits can take up employment under almost the same conditions as Hungarian nationals, with a few exceptions such as jobs in the civil service. Irregular migration to and through Hungary has been decreasing for the last years, which has also been reflected in the decreasing number of border violations and the decreasing number of enforced repatriations.
