Portugal’s Assembly will resume the nationality-law overhaul in the third week of September, after parties agreed before summer to prolong hearings and expert testimony. Lawmakers face a pivotal choice: balance system fixes with the Constitution’s guarantees of equality, family unity, and legal certainty.
Across June–July debates, government proposals signalled tighter rules (including a longer path to citizenship and stricter loss-of-nationality triggers), while opposition parties warned against retroactivity and disproportion. Expect September’s committee stage to clarify timelines, carve-outs, and constitutional guardrails before any final vote.
Constitutional Court Drew a Red Line on Family Reunification
On 9 August 2025, Portugal’s Constitutional Court blocked a bill that would have forced most legally resident immigrants to wait two years before reuniting with immediate family, citing risks of unconstitutional family separation. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa sent the bill back to Parliament; the government said it will rework the text.
As Parliament reopens, family-unity standards set by the ruling will shape negotiations. Any revised draft must now square administrative control with rights protections — a key test for the coalition’s broader migration agenda.
Government Says It Wants “Regulation with Humanism” — Critics Seek Proof in the Text
In June’s urgent debates, the executive framed reforms as “regulation with humanism”, pointing to biometric data collection, procedure upgrades, and temporary reception capacity. Left parties and NGOs countered that dignity and non-retroactivity must be explicit, not assumed, particularly in nationality-loss clauses and residency clocks.
July sessions ended without a final vote, pushing detailed work to committee. Watch for whether the government narrows its loss-of-nationality proposal and clarifies transitional rules for residents already in the pipeline.