The decision from the Constitutional Court (CC) regarding the immigration law is anticipated this Friday, August 8, marking the end of the 15-day deadline for “urgent deliberation” given by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on July 24. Nevertheless, the Government has indicated it “will not give up” and will only make “adjustments” to the document.
In statements to journalists on Tuesday night in Viseu, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro promised that “if, by chance, the CC finds that a particular provision or solution is not fully aligned with the constitutional principles”, the majority he represents will “accept that decision and formulate a legal solution that respects the CC’s ruling”.
“But it must also meet the objective. In other words, one thing is very clear: we will not abandon our goal, even if some revision of the law’s wording is necessary due to the CC’s ruling”, he emphasized.
The Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, assured on Tuesday night that he will not abandon the immigration law, which will be discussed in parliament in September, stating that only after the Constitutional Court’s (CC) decision will the text be corrected, if necessary.
Lusa | 06:27 – 08/08/2025
Earlier, Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro had also stated that the Government was awaiting the CC’s decision and would “adjust the decrees” if any “inconsistencies” were found.
“If the entirety or part of the Constitutional Court sees inconsistencies, we’ll naturally disagree, but we’ll address them institutionally and adjust the decrees”, he mentioned during the Council of Ministers briefing.
Leitão Amaro underscored that the Government maintains “the same objective” because “Portugal needs, and will have, more regulated immigration”. “If necessary, we’ll adjust something on the path, but the destination remains the same: Portugal needs, and will have, more regulated immigration”, he assured.
The Government is committed to a “more regulated immigration” and will only make adjustments to the immigration law if the Constitutional Court identifies inconsistencies, asking that no one invents “institutional tensions or conflicts” with the President of the Republic.
Lusa | 16:57 – 07/08/2025
What’s at stake?
On July 24, the President of the Republic submitted to the Constitutional Court the Parliament decree modifying the legal regime for entry, stay, exit, and expulsion of foreigners from national territory, approved by PSD, Chega and CDS-PP.
The head of state requested preventive review of the constitutionality of norms concerning the right to family reunification and the conditions for its exercise, the deadlines for processing requests by the Agency for Integration, Migrations, and Asylum (AIMA), and the right of appeal.
The new regime, which restricts work visas to “skilled labor”, limits family reunification of immigrants and changes conditions for granting residency permits to citizens of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), was approved in plenary days before.
PS, Livre, PCP, BE, PAN, and JPP voted against, while IL abstained during the final global vote on the replacement text, drafted from a proposal by the PSD/CDS-PP Government and a draft law from Chega.
You can recall some of the key points of the law in the link below:
The amendments approved in parliament to the “legal regime of entry, stay, exit, and expulsion of foreigners from national territory” were sent by the President of the Republic to the Constitutional Court.
Lusa | 18:04 – 24/07/2025
