In an opinion made public this Thursday, the group, which brings together all the former High Commissioners for Immigration and other experts, suggests to the Government a "compromise between the different perspectives at hand, increasing the period of legal residence in Portugal from 5 to 6 years to be able to submit the application for naturalization."
The Consenso Imigração think tank advocates access to nationality through naturalization for immigrants who have been legally resident in Portugal for six years, provided they demonstrate "sufficient knowledge" of the Portuguese language and the country's "civic principles."
In an opinion made public this Thursday, the group, which brings together all the former High Commissioners for Immigration and other experts, suggests to the Government a "compromise between the different perspectives at hand, increasing the period of legal residence in Portugal from 5 to 6 years to be able to submit the application for naturalization."
The Government's proposed law, which will be voted on in September, provides for the increase from the current five years (counted from arrival and not from the residence permit) to seven years for Portuguese-speaking citizens and ten for the rest.
For members of the Immigration Consensus, which is organizing a colloquium on the topic at the University of Lisbon on Monday , "access to nationality, for the right reasons, allows stability and security in the country of residence and contributes to investment in integration and inclusion in the long term."
Group that "seeks compromises and meeting points between different political-party positions"
According to the authors of the opinion, "the request for attribution of Portuguese nationality presupposes - and does not dispense with - a conscious and absolute respect on the part of the applicant for the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, as well as for the Rule of Law and the conventions and other key legal instruments to which Portugal is a signatory."
Acknowledging that Portuguese society is divided on the issue of immigration, the group wants to "seek compromises and meeting points between different political-party positions present, seeking balance, common sense and, of course, respect for the fundamental principles of a democratic society, structured on respect for the rule of law."
Access to nationality should not be, they warn, "seen as an instrumental option for other purposes, such as those arising from holding a passport from a Schengen country", but rather a "very relevant step in the process of integration and inclusion for many immigrants who effectively want to integrate into the national political community".
Therefore, "sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language and the civic and coexistence principles arising from the Portuguese Constitution should constitute reinforced requirements for the attribution of nationality by naturalization" , argue the authors.
For the authors, the separation of deadlines for Portuguese and non-Portuguese speakers that is included in the government's proposal "violates the principles of equality and non-discrimination".
Access to nationality "is an issue that deserves broad consensus in Portuguese society"
Alongside nationality, the authors argue that "guarantees should be given to immigrant citizens who have a viable alternative to applying for nationality, should they wish to remain in Portugal, namely through the efficient and appropriate renewal of their Residence Permit."
The signatories advocate strengthening the Institute of Registries and Notaries and ensuring "access to learning the Portuguese language for all non-Lusophone immigrants", "strengthening formal and non-formal education and certification responses".
At the same time, "a national test should be introduced for those over 18 years of age, which demonstrates knowledge of civic and coexistence principles arising from the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic", similar to similar models that exist in Spain or the United Kingdom ("Life in UK Test").
The authors also call for transparency from the State to combat misinformation, with the annual publication of a "national report on the processes of granting and acquiring Portuguese nationality, with data disaggregated by access method, sociodemographic profile and service response times."
Regarding the loss of nationality for citizens naturalized less than ten years ago as an additional sanction after a crime, proposed by the Government, the authors of the opinion argue that the initiative should be monitored by the Constitutional Court.
Access to nationality "is an issue that deserves broad consensus in Portuguese society and should not be used as a weapon in political combat or a factor in the intensification of the polarization and social fracture that we have been witnessing among us," the authors conclude.
Created in mid-June, this group includes four former high commissioners, former Secretary of State Catarina Marcelino, researchers Lucinda Fonseca and Catarina Reis Oliveira, and association leaders Eugénia Quaresma, director of the Portuguese Catholic Migration Works, and Paulo Mendes, president of the Azores Immigrants Association.