In August, the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, vetoed the proposal of the new Foreigners Law, after the Constitutional Court considered unconstitutional five rules of the diploma, approved by AD and arrival.
The government will present in October new rules for the return and removal of immigrants, stirring the deadlines and suspensive effects of resources to make the process faster.
In an interview with e Presidential Minister António Leitão Amaro says that two years will be maintained for family regrouping and explains:
“What the Constitutional Court says is that there are certain groups of citizens who require an eventually shorter period or another consideration.”
“Let’s look for balance solutions, keeping the general rule of two,” adds Leitão Amaro.
Judges raised the rule authorizing family regrouping only with minors without the spouses; the minimum period of two years of residence; the minimum process analysis time and the requirement of compliance with integration measures.
Set of “excessively time consuming” procedures
In the interview released, the ruler says that the Return law has “a set of excessively time consuming procedures”.
“For example, there are two different administrative phases and, in both, a period of voluntary abandonment. The resources always have suspensive effect. The deadlines are too long,” he says.
Argues that all these subjects need to be adjusted, “in line with the new European rules” so that people “Have their opportunity to defend themselves, to be heard, and so that the return can be executed speeding when people do not comply with the rules.”
Reveals that in October the government will take this article to National Council of Migration and AsilOE, only later, will the bill approve, with “more procedural speed” and less dilatory and administrative phases.
“Always preserving rights, prohibiting return to countries where fundamental rights are not guaranteed, preventing departures and mass returns, protecting minors not accompanied, with all precautions and respect for the essential rights of people,” adds the minister.
Insists that Portugal needs a faster process, underlining:
“Those who must be supported in their integration process; those who do not comply must have consequences and be removed.”
Asked about the statements of the Deputy Secretary of State for Presidency and Immigration, Rui Armindo Freitas, who in June announced that there would be 40,000 citizens notified for expulsion, says that set of excessively time consuming procedures “, But the advanced number refers to refused claims, “which will tend to and will gradually walk for abandonment notifications.”
“The abandonment notifications already issued are between 10 and 15 thousand,” he said.
