Greece adopts law granting nationality to immigrants' children, conditional on schooling

ATHENS, Greece – Greece has adopted legislation granting nationality to the children of foreign nationals living in the country, provided they attend or have attended school in the country.

Lawmakers approved the draft legislation Thursday, in a vote that marked a rift in the country's governing coalition. The minority partner, the populist right wing Independent Greeks party, rejected the bill that was submitted by the radical left Syriza party.

But the legislation was approved with the support of center-left opposition parties, while the conservative main opposition and the Nazi-inspired Golden Dawn party — Greece's third-largest — voted against.

The new law is expected to affect up to 200,000 second-generation immigrants, many of whose parents arrived in Greece during a big migratory flow from eastern Europe since the early 1990s.