Portugal News

The Government announced this Monday the end of the exceptional regime that allowed a foreigner to enter Portugal and only then apply for a residence permit.

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, promulgated this Monday the change in the law on foreigners that ends the exception regime that allowed immigrants to regularize themselves in Portugal, through the legal form of expressions of interest.

The Office of the Minister of the Presidency considers that "the degradation of the migratory situation has been worsening over the last few months".

The Government stated, this Thursday, that it was following the protest by citizens of Bangladesh, Pakistan and India at the door of the Agency for Migration and Asylum Interaction , in Lisbon, to complain about delays in the attribution of residence authorization cards.

More than two hundred immigrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India demonstrated in front of the headquarters of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, in Lisbon. At issue are delays in renewing or issuing the first residence card. The waiting time can be over a year.

The concentration began at around 10:30 am and a representative of these citizens explained to journalists that the discontent has mainly to do with the waiting time, which in some cases exceeds nine months.

The amendment to article 15 of the Nationality Law approved in Parliament and published in the Official Gazette last month is valid from today. In this way, thousands of immigrants are now able to apply for Portuguese citizenship.

With this change, the so-called “years lost” by immigrants are now counted.

Immigrants demonstrated this Monday

“We have been waiting for 8 and 6 months. We don’t want to wait any longer”, tells the participants while talking to media in front of the Agency for Integration, Migrations and Asylum (AIMA) in Sao Sebastiao Lisbon.

At issue are the long waiting times to obtain residence cards, without which these immigrants cannot return to their home country.

The main novelty of the new generation of the Citizen Card is contactless technology. In the future, it will be possible to use it as a transport ticket or ticket for a show.

Anew service model based on the integrated service of the various Public Administration entities, the Cidadão brand and the new Cidadão Card will be presented this Friday

Fifty health professionals accuse the council of not having "legal support" to adopt the measure of limiting the granting of residence certificates to immigrants from countries outside the European Union.

Fifty health professionals this Friday demanded the Parish Council of Arroios, in Lisbon, to "immediately suspend" the decision to limit the granting of residence certificates to immigrants from countries outside the European Union.

Less than one percent of the votes separate the Democratic Alliance from the Socialist Party, at a time when the results in constituencies inside and outside Europe still need to be determined. After an extremely close election night, uncertainty still hangs in the air. If, on the one hand, the PS has already recognized defeat and assumed itself as a force for the opposition, on the other, the left remains hopeful for a government solution.

The Bar Association has signed a Protocol with the Agency for Integration, Migrations and Asylum, IP, with a view to making available the provision of services of a legal nature for the instruction of processes for granting extensions of stay, residence permits, renewals of residence permits, removal permits, as well as the granting and renewal of residence permits for investment activities (ARI), provided for in Law No. 23/2007, of July 4, in its current wording.

Nationality Law published, Nationality time will be counted from the date of request of resident card.