The Bill No. 1/XVII/1, which proposes substantial changes to the Nationality Law, will be discussed in the last plenary session of September, after the deputies return from the summer recess. The vote on the proposals will only take place in December.
The proposal provides, among other points:
the increase in the minimum period of legal residence in Portugal to access Portuguese citizenship: seven years for CPLP citizens (currently five) and ten years for other nationalities;
and the possibility of withdrawing Portuguese nationality from naturalized immigrants convicted of serious crimes with sentences of more than five years, during the first ten years after naturalization.
Despite the postponement, the left-wing opposition — made up of the PS, Bloco de Esquerda, Livre and PCP — expressed concern about the content of the proposal and the exclusion of entities representing immigrants from the legislative process.
In the Committee on Rights, Freedoms, and Guarantees, opposition parties proposed hearing organizations such as Casa do Brasil and the Moinho da Juventude Association (with strong Cape Verdean representation). However, the majority rejected these hearings.
Congressman António Rodrigues (PSD), also present on the committee, acknowledged that following the full legislative process would make it impossible to approve the laws this year: "If all the entities indicated by the parties are heard, the vote on the proposals will only take place in December."
The accelerated process has drawn criticism from constitutionalists, civil society organizations, and the opposition, who accuse the government and its supporting parties of disregarding the principle of democratic participation and public consultation in the name of a "security agenda."