Africa-Press – Cape verde. The PAICV deputy elected by the Europe and Rest of the World constituency and candidate for the party presidency, Francisco Pereira, classified as positive the evolution of the regularization rules that cover Cape Verdeans in Portugal and defended greater ties with associations.
“It is a very positive measure for the integration of immigrants, especially those who are in an irregular situation,” Francisco Pereira, PAICV deputy for Europe and the rest of the world, told Lusa.
In December 2024, the Portuguese parliament approved a diploma that creates the National Unit for Foreigners and Borders in the Public Security Police, establishing a new legal regime for the entry, stay, exit and removal of foreigners from the national territory, in addition to new rules. for granting visas to citizens of the member states of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP).
With this new regime, CPLP citizens can apply for a temporary residence permit, even after arriving in the country with a short-term visa.
MP Francisco Pereira considered that Portugal intends to “simplify the entry of CPLP citizens” and appealed to immigrants to make better use of opportunities.
In June, the Portuguese government had abolished “expressions of interest”, a legal resource that allowed a foreigner to regularize their situation, with 12 months of discounts, even if they had entered with a tourist visa.
Despite the controversy, Francisco Pereira also considered the decision positive: “The Portuguese Government wants to reinforce this regularization so that all immigrants can live in Portugal with dignity”, facilitating their integration.
“With the expressions of interest, many immigrants entered Portugal, because they made a request, and we have 400 thousand pending. With this new regime, they now have privileges”, he argued.
He also considered that Portugal needs “talent and labor from immigrants”.
In this sense, “regulated immigration is always an important component”, not only for Portugal, but also for the country of origin.
“At this point, it seems to me that things are going to work out,” he predicted.
In parallel, he argued that there should be “a much closer relationship” with associations and civil society organizations, to help with integration.
The deputy also mentioned that he has been contacted by immigrants from Portugal, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, among other countries, to clarify frequent doubts about legalization and housing.
“I always refer to associations, people or institutions that have the capacity to help,” he concluded.
Lusa also tried to hear Emanuel Barbosa, MPD deputy for the diaspora, who postponed his statements until an opportune moment.
The foreign population residing in Portugal increased by 33.6% in 2023, compared to the previous year, totaling 1,044,606 citizens with a residence permit, according to the Report of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) released last September.
In six years, the number of legal foreigners in Portugal has more than doubled, rising from 480,300 in 2017 to more than one million last year.
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