Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced on Thursday (16) the promulgation of the anti-immigration package, a measure that directly affects thousands of Brazilians residing in or in the process of moving to the country. The announcement, made at the deadline’s limit, ends weeks of expectation about the project’s future. The information comes from the newspaper O Globo.
“Considering that the now revised diploma, approved by 70% of deputies, minimally addresses the essentials of the unconstitutionality doubts raised by the President of the Republic and confirmed by the Constitutional Court,” declared the head of state.
History of the package and government concessions
The first version of the package had been approved in July by Parliament, under the leadership of the center-right government of Luís Montenegro, with support from the far right. On that occasion, Marcelo Rebelo vetoed the measure on August 8, after the Constitutional Court pointed out illegalities, especially in the articles related to family reunification — one of the main regularization mechanisms used by Brazilians.
The new version, approved on September 30, reduced the minimum legal residence period required for immigrant couples to request reunification from two to one year. The requirement no longer applies in cases with minor children. Another change provides for the possibility of proving a stable union of at least 12 months already in the country of origin to obtain the benefit.
Main restrictions on Brazilians
Among the most controversial points of the package are measures that directly affect the Brazilian community in Portugal:
• Residence authorization: the possibility for tourists to apply for residence in Portuguese territory ends, even for those from Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) nations. This makes the so-called CPLP Channel unfeasible, which facilitated the regularization of Brazilians.
• Work visa: the government restricts the issuance of job-seeking visas, which will have a validity of six months and will be authorized only for professionals considered “qualified”.
Impacts on CPLP
The decision is seen as a hard blow to the CPLP mobility agreement, which unites Brazil, Portugal, and Portuguese-speaking African nations such as Angola. Closing the CPLP Channel undermines the promise of free movement and integration among the bloc’s countries.
Source: brasil247.com