Portugal News

Government reconsiders restrictions on family reunification amid immigrant protests and political pressure in Parliament

Under pressure from President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa's veto and immigrant opposition, the center-right Democratic Alliance (AD) government is signaling a retreat from its anti-immigration package. The bill, which had already received a negative ruling from the Constitutional Court, has been resubmitted to Parliament, where the AD lacks a majority.

President of AIMA, Pedro Portugal Gaspar, was called to the Constitutional Affairs Commission of Parliament to talk about the modifications in the Nationality Law, but answered few questions.

Immigrants from Algarve, Odemira, Lisbon and Porto are expected for the day when the debates in the Assembly of the Republic on immigration and nationality are resumed.

Immigrants working in Porto, Lisbon, Odemira and Algarve scheduled a demonstration on September 17 in front of the Assembly of the Republic at a time when there are 80 detainees in a temporary installation center in Portugal.

In talks with deputies, representatives of the Executive say that an anti-immigration package will be relaxed. Discussion on the Nationality Law will be for October.

Against what is provided for in law, the agency sent an email revealing the e-mail address of 547 candidates for regularization in the country. Messages summoned citizens to the mission structure in Porto.

The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) leaked personal data of immigrants in Portugal. An email in which 547 citizens summoned the collection of biometric data in the mission structure that operates in Porto was fired, together, for all electronic addresses. The message should be individual, for the sake of secrecy.

The IMF, the OECD, and the European Commission have already highlighted the positive impacts of immigration on the national labor market, in a country with an aging population and labor shortages in several sectors.

The world's largest financial rating agency has issued several warnings about the risks to the Portuguese economy posed by the immigration policy implemented by Luís Montenegro's government.

The rating agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) predicts a reduction in migratory flows with the new policies that the AD Government announced for immigration.

Marques Mendes advocates for a broad consensus to reform nationality law in Portugal and improve the integration of immigrants. Marques Mendes was categorical: " Special laws like this can't be approved by a mere circumstantial majority ." This means that a potential agreement between the PSD and more right-wing parties, such as Chega, may not be enough to guarantee the reform's legitimacy.

Immigrants who have been waiting for years for residence permits fear leaving the country and being prevented from returning to their lives. Even for the burial of loved ones they can go.

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 ranking doesn't give us reason to be proud because Portugal contributed to the rise in disinformation about immigration in Europe during July. This conclusion is found in a report by the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) for the month of July.

The Observatory shows that Portugal contributed to the rise in misinformation about immigration in July , highlighting the false narrative that immigrants have priority in school enrollment over the Portuguese.