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Tag Archives: visa rules

Tamara's World  /  Blog  /  visa rules
30 Oct 2026
Santorini property setting illustrating the Greece golden visa crackdown on hidden rebate schemes

Greece Is Cracking Down on a Golden Visa Loophole That Could Cost You the Whole Permit

Categories Visa Updates

A Greece golden visa crackdown announced this month targets investors who meet the program’s minimum price on paper while quietly getting much of that money back through undisclosed side deals. Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris outlined the enforcement push at the Prodexpo 2026 real estate conference in Athens on October 15, warning that authorities will now examine the real substance of a transaction, not just the price written on the contract.

Santorini property setting relevant to the Greece golden visa crackdown on hidden rebates

Greece golden visa crackdown: what the hidden rebate scheme looks like

The scheme the government is targeting works like this: a property is advertised at, say, €250,000, clearing the minimum investment threshold for that category on paper. But a side leasing arrangement then returns roughly €100,000 to the buyer, meaning the investor’s real outlay falls well below what the golden visa program requires. Minister Plevris said flatly that investors caught in this kind of arrangement should expect consequences: “The golden visa will be taken away.” The legal basis for revoking a permit over a rebate discovered after the sale may be contested in individual cases, but the government’s intent is clear.

The short-term rental ban that already carries a €50,000 fine

Separately from the rebate crackdown, Article 100 of Greece’s Migration Code already bans short-term rental or subletting of properties bought under the golden visa program. Ministerial Circular 1/2026, issued in April, defines short-term letting as any lease or sublease under 60 days. Violating that rule can mean revocation or non-renewal of an investor’s residence permit, plus a €50,000 fine. Properties bought before the 2024 rule changes may be exempt from some of these restrictions, which adds a layer of complexity for investors trying to understand which rules apply to their specific purchase.

Applications are already falling

New golden visa applications fell 39% in the first seven months of 2026, down to 3,086, even before this enforcement push was announced. Active investor residence permits had reached 34,278 by the end of July. Current thresholds require €800,000 in high-demand areas such as Attica, Thessaloniki and the larger islands, and €400,000 elsewhere in the country, with a lower €250,000 threshold available for commercial-to-residential conversions and heritage restorations. The program grants a five-year renewable residence permit but no direct path to citizenship; naturalization still requires seven years of residence, a Greek language test and meeting separate tax residency conditions.

What happens if you’re caught

For investors already in the program, the message from Athens is to expect more scrutiny of past transactions, not just future ones. The government has not given a start date for new enforcement measures beyond saying examinations of transaction substance are already underway. Anyone who bought a golden visa property through a rebate arrangement, or who has been renting a qualifying property short-term, should expect their case to draw attention as Greece works to close both loopholes at once.

What legitimate investors should check before buying

Immigration lawyers advising golden visa applicants say the safest approach is straightforward: pay the full purchase price through traceable channels, avoid any side agreement that returns money after closing, and keep documentation that shows the transaction matches its stated value in substance as well as on paper. Real estate agents and developers marketing golden visa properties have faced growing pressure to disclose exactly how a deal is structured, since an investor who unknowingly enters a rebate arrangement set up by a seller could still face the same enforcement risk Minister Plevris described. Advisors also note that golden visa rules have changed multiple times since 2024, so an investor relying on information from even a year ago should confirm current thresholds and restrictions before signing anything, rather than assuming older guidance still applies.

Greece is not alone in tightening golden visa oversight. Portugal and Spain have both scaled back or restructured their own investor residency programs in recent years amid similar concerns about program integrity and housing-market effects, part of a broader European trend of governments rethinking how generously they extend residency in exchange for investment. Greece’s enforcement push suggests Athens wants to preserve the program’s credibility rather than wind it down entirely, unlike some neighboring countries that have ended their schemes outright.

Golden visa questions, answered

What is the Greece golden visa crackdown targeting?

The crackdown targets investors who meet the golden visa’s minimum price on paper through undisclosed rebates, where a side leasing deal returns a large portion of the purchase price back to the buyer.

Can short-term renting a golden visa property get your permit revoked?

Yes. Article 100 of Greece’s Migration Code bans short-term rental of qualifying properties, and violations can mean revocation or non-renewal of the residence permit plus a €50,000 fine.

What are the current Greece golden visa investment thresholds?

Current thresholds are €800,000 in high-demand areas like Attica and Thessaloniki, €400,000 elsewhere in Greece, and €250,000 for commercial-to-residential conversions or heritage restorations.

Has golden visa demand in Greece changed in 2026?

Yes. New applications fell 39% in the first seven months of 2026 to 3,086, even before the latest rebate enforcement announcement, while active investor permits reached 34,278 by the end of July.

Does the Greece golden visa lead to citizenship?

Not directly. The program grants a five-year renewable residence permit. Citizenship requires separate naturalization after seven years of residence, a Greek language test and meeting Greek tax residency requirements.

More investor visa coverage

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30 Oct 2026
Passport control booth representing the new Australia visa character checks under Direction 123

Australia Just Rewrote the Rulebook on Who Gets to Keep Their Visa

Categories Visa Updates

New Australia visa character checks take effect October 31, 2026, under Ministerial Direction 123, which replaces the previous framework used to decide whether someone’s visa gets refused or cancelled over their conduct or criminal history. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke signed the direction on September 18, and it applies to decisions made on or after October 31 regardless of when the original visa application was lodged or when a cancellation review began.

Passport control desk illustrating the new Australia visa character checks

Australia visa character checks: what Direction 123 changes

The number of primary considerations officials must weigh falls from five to four under the new direction: community protection, domestic and family violence, the expectations of the Australian community, and the best interests of minor children in Australia. Ties to Australia, things like how long someone has lived there, family relationships, employment history and community contributions, move from a primary consideration to a secondary one. That shift matters because secondary considerations carry less weight when a decision-maker is weighing whether to cancel or refuse a visa.

The shift from “would” to “might”

One of the most significant technical changes lowers the threshold for assessing future risk. Under the old Direction 110, officials asked whether a person “would” engage in unacceptable conduct in the future. Under Direction 123, the question becomes whether they “might.” That is a meaningfully lower bar for refusing or cancelling a visa, even though the underlying Section 501 character test in the Migration Act 1958 has not changed. Direction 123 changes how officials balance the considerations within that existing legal test, not the test itself. The new guidance also expands the definition of domestic and family violence and adds specific guidance on hate-related conduct, extremism and associations with prohibited groups.

Who this affects

The changes are relevant to anyone holding an Australian visa with a criminal history or conduct that could raise character concerns, including international students, skilled workers and permanent residents. Indian nationals are among the largest groups of visa holders likely to interact with the new rules, given their numbers across Australia’s skilled and student visa programs, though the direction applies to visa holders of every nationality equally. Importantly, having a criminal record does not mean an automatic refusal or cancellation under the new rules; it means officials now weigh that record against a different, and in some ways broader, set of considerations.

What happens if you’re already under review

Because Direction 123 applies to decisions made on or after October 31, 2026 regardless of when a case started, anyone with a pending visa application or an open cancellation review should expect their case to be assessed under the new framework rather than the old one. Immigration lawyers are likely to see a wave of enquiries in the coming weeks from visa holders wanting to understand how the “might” standard and the demotion of ties-to-Australia factors could change the outcome of cases that were filed, or started review, months or years ago.

How immigration lawyers are reacting

Migration lawyers and advocacy groups have flagged the shift from a ‘would’ to a ‘might’ standard as the most consequential change in Direction 123, since it gives decision-makers considerably more discretion to treat a person as a future risk based on less certain evidence. Some practitioners expect an increase in appeals to the Administrative Review Tribunal as visa holders challenge decisions made under the new framework, particularly in cases where ties to Australia, such as long residence or Australian-born children, would have weighed more heavily under the old Direction 110. Community legal centers that assist visa holders say they are preparing information sessions ahead of the October 31 start date, anticipating a wave of questions from students, workers and permanent residents trying to understand how the reordered considerations might apply to their own circumstances.

Universities and migration agents that work closely with international students say they are watching closely for how Direction 123 interacts with existing visa conditions tied to study progress and course enrollment, since a student already facing scrutiny on one front could now find character considerations weighed more heavily than before. The overlap between academic compliance issues and character assessments is expected to be one of the more closely watched areas as the new direction takes effect.

Common questions about the visa changes

When do the new Australia visa character checks take effect?

Ministerial Direction 123 takes effect October 31, 2026, and applies to relevant visa decisions made on or after that date, regardless of when the application was lodged.

What changed between Direction 110 and Direction 123?

Ties to Australia moved from a primary to a secondary consideration, the future-risk threshold dropped from ‘would’ to ‘might’ engage in unacceptable conduct, and guidance on family violence, hate-related conduct and extremism was expanded.

Does this change the legal character test itself?

No. The Section 501 character test under the Migration Act 1958 is unchanged. Direction 123 changes how officials weigh the considerations within that existing test.

Will every visa holder with a criminal record now be refused?

No. Having a criminal record does not automatically mean a visa will be refused or cancelled. It means the conduct is weighed against the new, reordered set of considerations under Direction 123.

Who signed Ministerial Direction 123?

Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke signed Direction 123 on September 18, 2026, replacing the previous Direction 110 framework.

More visa and immigration coverage

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