Miguel A. Lopes / Lusa
Presidency Minister António Leitão Amaro.
The executive announced his proposal to change the law of nationality, which provides for a new border unit in the PSP, the extension of deadlines for obtaining citizenship and greater restrictions on family regrouping.
The Portuguese government announced today the enlargement of deadlines to assign nationality to seven years of legal residence, in the case of Lusophone citizens, and 10 years from other countries.
In the Briefing of the Council of Ministers, the Minister of Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, said that a Proposal for changes to the Law of Nationality, reinforcing the “effective connection requirement, belonging to the national community”.
Because it is this “robust connection” that ensures nationality, “what defines our people as a political community,” he said.
In the case of candidates for nationality by original citizenship -who is born in Portuguese territory, even if the son of foreigners -the government will impose new rules.
In the cases of “descendants of foreigners who reside in the national territory”, the authorities will go to “demand that parents have legal residence at least three years ”.
In addition, the minister said, “nationality is attributed not by defect but only if the person manifest a positive will on that effect ”.
In the case of naturalization, legally designated “derived nationality”, the government will Increase the current minimum period of five years “Legal Residence to enable to obtain nationality” for seven years for those who come from the countries of the community of Portuguese -speaking countries and “10 years for the remaining” countries.
The “deadline begins to rely on the residence title”, contrary to what happened today, which counted from the initial application, he explained.
In these cases, the government will require “sufficient language knowledgebut also of Portuguese culture ”and the“ fundamental rights and duties of the Portuguese Republic ”, with“ evaluation tests ”.
In addition, the signing of a “Solemn Adhesion Declaration to the principles of the rule of democratic law ”by the applicants.
Leitão Amaro also pointed out that the “standard of demand for the criminal course of the applicant” will be elevated excluded candidates who have in their registration “Effective prison sentence”, unlike current limitations (only more than three years in prison).
Still with regard to the law of nationality, the government wants to end the extraordinary regime of naturalization of the descendants of the Portuguese Sephardic Jews and “create restrictions on the path of naturalization by Portuguese descent”.
Loss of nationality on the table
The government wants to introduce the possibility of judges to decree, as an accessory sanction, the loss of nationality for naturalized citizens For less than ten years they committed certain “serious crimes” with prison sentences greater than five years.
António Leitão Amaro argued that this loss can only be decreed as “accessory sanction, always decreed by a judgeAnd for crimes of high severity.
“Not only in abstract, but in concrete cases where the penal judge has decreed an effective arrest equal to or greater than five years, in a range of crimes, which also include crimes against the state -Like espionage, terrorism, betrayal -but also serious crimes against people, ”he said, giving as examples of“ homicide, violation, very serious offenses to physical integrity, extreme violence and aggressiveness against people and their freedom in the national territory ”.
Border police at PSP
The executive also wants to create a “unit of foreigners and borders in the Public Security Police (PSP)”, so that the country will have a “border police” After the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), which was extinguished by the PS government.
“The solution is not to create SEF again nor do it turn AIMA into a police“,” Added the minister of the presidency, who states that the introduction of the unit within the PSP is faster than the creation of a new police. The purpose of the measure is to have police dedicated to executing “the removal and return of those who do not fulfill the rules.”
Imperigate without visa just for “highly qualified”
The government’s proposal will also move family regrouping, restricting it only to minors and imposing a minimum term of two years of legal residence. However, there are exceptions for three types of immigrants: who has the Blue Card of the European Union (which are intended for highly qualified professionals outside the EU), who has “visas gold” and who has residence permission as a highly qualified professional.
“Other family members who do not be smaller have to require a process. There is also a robustness of the criteria more demanding, ”says Leitão Amaro.
In addition to exceptions in the family regrouping, highly qualified professionals will also benefit from an exception in the possibility of come to Portugal without employment.
“The visa to come to Portugal yet without contract or promise of employment contract will remain only for highly qualified people. There is a sign of redirecting the flows so that Allow to acquire more talent. We will also quickly enclose the higher education institutions the proposal to negotiate a regime in which it is possible to ensure predictability and agility when conditions of talent attraction are fulfilled, ”he said.
The changes proposed by the government will now have to go through Parliament.
