ANNUAL POLICY REPORT 2012 the presence of numerous illegal immigrants in large urban centers and the commission of serious crimes for which foreign nationals were arrested and / or convicted and which received wide coverage by mass media during the reference year, have turned a portion of the Greek public opinion against all foreigners in the country. Incidents of racist behaviour increased, causing serious concerns both in Greek public opinion and the political class, since it was a particularly rare phenomenon in the country70. Immigrants residing and working legally in Greece come mainly from Albania: according to Ministry of Interior data base, 440,118 third country nationals held a valid residence permit on 31.12.2012, of which 300,839 (68%) were Albanians nationals. Several of them have completed twenty years of continuous presence in the country. Their social integration was facilitated by the psychological advantage related to the proximity to the country of origin and the presence of thousands of co-nationalss in Greece. Today, the economic crisis affects the employment sectors of many legal immigrants (construction in particular), resulting in the departure of several legal immigrants from Greece (either to return to their home country or to move to another state), as well as in the inability of many migrants to provide the number of stamps required for the renewal of the residence permit, facing the risk of losing legal status. Taking this problem into account, the minimum insurance period required for the renewal of the residence permit was decreased for certain categories by Joint Ministerial Decision of 201171. For example, in the case of third countries nationals holding an annual residence permit for dependent employment, the required insurance period decreased from 200 to 120 days. Moreover, the Greek legislator has provided, through the granting of a residence permit for exceptional reasons, a way to restore their legal status for those who can prove, on the basis of specific documents, that they hold strong ties with the country. This is, however, a lengthy process, which is further aggravated by the large number of requests and does not guarantee the applicant the legality of residence. Furthermore, the applicant is deprived of the right of naturalization as time of legal residency is interrupted. Undoubtedly, however, this is an outlet for thousands of immigrants who did not come to Greece with the intention to leave the country at some point, but are determined to connect their fortunes with it. The speed of processing requests for the issue and renewal of residence permits is still slow. As a result there are immigrants who receive "expired" residence permits. For solving this problem the one-stop shops were created in the Decentralized administrations throughout the country. By reducing red tape and speeding up the issue and renewal of residence permits a sense of security to immigrant will be created, which is essential for social integration. As this is a new institution operating results are expected in order to have an informed evaluation. Fact, however, is that the reduction of staff in the relevant 70 For more information about racist violence see section on Illegal Migration 71 Number. 15055/546/2011 Joint Ministerial Decision of the Ministers of Interior, Finance and Labour and Social Security. 32