During the 3rd Liberal Professional Forum in Porto, Cotrim de Figueiredo acknowledged the existence of a problem with immigration control, emphasizing the necessity of related legislation.
He expressed his view that the law could have been enacted sooner had it been well formulated from the start.
“It was not, particularly in some areas, not all, but in some areas where the President of the Republic raised concerns, particularly those related to family reunification of officially registered spouses,” he noted.
He added: “I believe the period was excessive, which is not understandable, given the importance of family stability for those living and working in Portugal, especially when minors are involved.”
Another issue highlighted by the liberal was the appeals against decisions made by the Agency for Integration, Migrations, and Asylum (AIMA) to the courts, describing this as a “much more difficult” discussion.
“I cannot fathom that an administrative decision cannot be subject to appeals and is absolute, but I would like to understand its practical implications, especially regarding the number of pending cases,” he emphasized.
For the presidential candidate, there may be a situation where defending one principle creates a problem that violates another.
“People also have the right to prompt answers, and given that there are reportedly nearly 150,000 cases filed against AIMA due to administrative decisions, this will obstruct AIMA in other cases where we seek speed, particularly in family reunification,” he argued.
Cotrim de Figueiredo expressed a desire for more consideration in this area and stated that when the Constitutional Court objects to certain solutions, it should not interfere excessively with the form and technique of the decision, meaning the politics of the decision, but only its constitutionality.
The Assembly of the Republic is set to re-evaluate new proposals for modifications to the foreign nationals law next Tuesday, in a plenary session, covering general discussions, specialties, and final global voting, following the Constitutional Court’s rejection of the previous bill.
The newly proposed amendment to the foreigners’ law, announced on Wednesday by the Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, aims to align with the Constitution of the Republic. It retains the two-year period of valid residency to request family reunification but includes several exceptions, particularly for spouses.
