The provisional agenda for the Council of Ministers meeting on 23 October includes an item labelled “Harmonisation of legislation on foreigners in the Penal Code.” While details are scarce, the bullet point—published by the Chancellery—signals that the government is preparing amendments to align criminal sanctions with recent immigration reforms. Legal scholars expect the draft to clarify penalties for document fraud, bogus marriages and resistance to deportation, consolidating provisions now scattered across the Penal Code and the 1980 Immigration Act. Business associations are watching closely; past overhauls have sometimes broadened employer liability for facilitating illegal stay or incorrectly completing posted-worker notifications. If adopted, the bill could also interact with the controversial “home-search” law enabling forced entry to detain absconding migrants, which is still pending a final parliamentary vote. An updated Penal Code chapter would give prosecutors tighter, more coherent tools—raising compliance stakes for relocation managers arranging housing or paperwork for foreign staff. The agenda item is only a first step; any draft text must pass the State Council’s legal review and two parliamentary readings. However, inclusion in the agenda indicates political momentum, suggesting companies should audit their right-to-work verification processes well ahead of formal enactment.
