Portugal will make a significant change to its immigration policy by extending the citizenship wait from five to ten years.
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Portugal has announced plans to revise its immigration regulations, increasing the duration of stay from five to ten years for foreign people seeking citizenship.
As part of larger reforms intended to simplify Portugal’s immigration system, António Leitão Amaro, Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, made the statement.
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According to the minister, the action aims to restructure immigration entrance in a more sustainable and orderly manner.
Amaro asserts that luring competent immigrants, emigrants and their offspring, and investment immigration is the government’s goal.
The wait time for citizenship doubled.
Extending the period of time that foreigners must lawfully remain in Portugal before becoming eligible for citizenship from five to ten years is one of the main ideas.
Furthermore, the time that passes between submitting an application and having a residence permit approved might no longer be taken into account when calculating the overall residency requirement. Thousands of foreigners may experience extra delays in obtaining citizenship as a result of this measure.
More stringent guidelines for family reunion.
Portugal will also impose stricter requirements for family reunification, Amaro said.With the anticipated introduction of new conditions including proof of economic independence and proficiency in Portuguese, this would mostly impact migrants from non-EU nations.
He ascribed this action to the public services’ existing inadequacy, stating that they are unable to adequately serve the demands of the significant influx of immigrants and their families.
Additional information.
These immigration reforms come after the June 15 swearing-in of the government of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro. One of his main campaign pledges was to reform the immigration system, and the administration seems committed to moving quickly.
The Minister emphasized that the adjustments will assist in bringing immigration flows into line with long-term economic needs and national capabilities.
The Portuguese government claims it wants to draw in more descendants of Portuguese nationals, emigrants returning from outside, and highly educated professionals.
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Things you should be aware of
Portugal’s Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) introduced a digital platform in February 2024 with the goal of expediting the process of converting work permits into citizenship.
Given that around 1.4 million people have sought for Portuguese citizenship in the last six years, this tool is anticipated to cut the processing times for citizenship applications by up to 50%.
The reform makes it possible for foreign workers with legitimate work contracts who have made contributions to Portugal’s Social Security system for a minimum of one month (prior to June 4, 2024) to take advantage of the streamlined residence procedure. The shift of skilled workers to legal resident status is supported by this reform.
The application process for investors using Portugal’s Golden Visa program is now more automated and streamlined.Under the new system introduced by AIMA, all required documents must be submitted electronically via the ARI Portal, eliminating paperwork and reducing delays. Starting January 2025, biometric appointments will be automatically scheduled, further simplifying the process.
The updated fee structure sets the cost at €6,045.20 for certified documents and €8,060.20 for uncertified submissions.
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