Portugal to Implement Tighter Rules for Citizenship & Family Reunification

Lisbon: The Portuguese government plans to impose tighter rules on applicants for Portuguese citizenship and those applying for family reunification.

These plans were discussed in a meeting held on June 14, but their implementation has yet to be finalised.

The authorities want to make it harder for migrants who are already in the country to have their residency period counted as legal residency for citizenship applications.

The Portuguese authorities have confirmed plans to tighten rules for those who want to become Portuguese citizens, in addition to applicants for family reunification, as the government aims to improve its immigration system.

According to Publico, the new measures were confirmed by Antoni Leitao Amaro, the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, who stated that applicants for Portuguese citizenship will face tighter restrictions, Schengen.News reports.

Amaro did not explain details about the proposals but noted that the Nationality Law needs to be reviewed, especially regarding the deadlines and the time period needed for the benefit.

As mentioned by the Minister regarding the time period needed for those who want to obtain citizenship, it is expected that immigrants applying to obtain Portuguese passports will need to prove they have been residing legally in the country for ten years instead of five.

A petition has pushed for the waiting time between the application and approval of the residence permit to be taken into account for those who apply for citizenship. This issue regarding the residency period will also be regulated soon.

However, in a meeting held on June 14, the authorities discussed alternatives not to count this period as legal time of residency, thus extending the period of residency for migrants.

Prime Minister Montenegro has been re-elected on June 15, and one the promises he has made include handling the issue of immigration during this mandate.

The authorities are set to limit migration flows, especially for family reunification. The new government intends to limit the capacity of public services and the integration ability of Portuguese society.

In this way, job-seeking visas will be restricted to highly qualified candidates, and there is a high possibility of a language proficiency criterion being included in the assessment for such applicants.

Measures and procedures will be introduced to “promote and prioritise the attraction and retention of highly qualified foreign talent,” including Portuguese emigrants and Portuguese descendants.

Portugal is an important destination for nationals of the CPLP (Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries), which includes countries like Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Timor Leste, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe.

Brazilians represent the largest community of foreigners living in Portugal, who often come to the country for employment purposes. These measures are likely to affect them, restricting the opportunities of bringing their family members to the European country.