Lisbon – The Chega party has included proposed changes to Portugal's Nationality Law in its electoral program for the upcoming May 2025 elections, emphasizing cultural integration over specific residency duration.
According to the program, Chega aims to grant nationality only to applicants demonstrating a "real connection" to Portugal. This would involve assessing knowledge of the country's history, identification with Portuguese culture and traditions, and proficiency in speaking and writing Portuguese.
The party notes this approach differs from focusing merely on the number of years lived in the country. However, aspects of the proposal, such as the language requirement, are already in place for current nationality applicants who are not citizens of CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries) nations. The proposed changes reflect a recurring theme in the right-wing party's campaigning on national identity issues.
"Revoke the mobility agreement between the countries of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) and, consequently, end the automatic residence permit for CPLP immigrants". This is one of Chega's electoral proposals.
Another proposal is to "ensure that immigrants entering Portugal have employment contracts to guarantee that they will not live off subsidies paid by the taxes of those who live and work here". According to Social Security data, immigrants contributed seven times more than they spent in public support.
A measure already considered unconstitutional by many jurists returns to the party's program: that of only allowing access to benefits, such as family benefits or unemployment benefits, after five years of legal residence in the country.
Deportation
A large part of the proposals are aimed at deporting immigrants. One of them is to "return to their country of origin anyone who demonstrates, within a period of six to twelve months, that they are unable to support themselves". It is also proposed as a measure to "ensure that the security forces have the necessary means to monitor situations of illegal immigration and potential scenarios of aiding illegal immigration and human trafficking". The party voted against the creation of a unit within the Public Security Police (PSP) specialized for this purpose.
André Ventura's party also wants to "create the crime of illegal residence on Portuguese soil and prevent illegal immigrants from remaining in the country", something that already exists in practice. When a citizen exceeds the legal period of stay in the country, there is legislation preventing them from leaving the country. The new proposal is to "prevent them from returning to Portugal" for the next five years.
There is also reference to holding a "referendum on the establishment of maximum limits for granting residence permits and on the establishment of quotas". As for quotas, this is not the only issue. It is said to "establish a quota policy for immigrants, favouring the entry of foreign citizens with professional specialisations that serve the Portuguese labour market".