According to the SEF Immigration Office, residence requests sky-rocketted by 1300 percent in the first week of new laws allowing foreigners to gain residency based on an employment pledge.

SEF has expressed concerns over the new rules, created by the leftist government, suggesting that it can be used by illegal immigration networks.

The highest number of residence requests, which last week totalled over four thousand, came from Brazil, India, Nepal, Cape Verde and the Ukraine.