The government is set to meet today with Chega and IL and on Thursday with the PS to discuss government bills aimed at amending the nationality law and the so-called immigration law.
Meetings will be held in Parliament, with Chega scheduled at 5 p.m. and IL at 6 p.m., attended by the ministers of Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, and Parliamentary Affairs, Carlos Abreu Amorim, from the government’s side.
The meeting with PS is scheduled for Thursday, with the time yet to be determined.
On Friday, the government’s proposed laws for changing the nationality law, the legal regime of entry, stay, exit, and removal of foreigners from national territory, and the bill to establish the National Unit for Foreigners and Borders within the Public Security Police will be debated and voted on in general. This proposal was previously rejected in the last legislature.
In the first full-function Cabinet meeting of the XXV Government, the second under Luís Montenegro, the executive approved a proposal to amend the nationality law, increasing the required residency period in Portugal for citizenship acquisition (from five to 7 or 10 years, depending on whether they are Lusophone or non-Lusophone citizens).
The government also foresees the possibility of losing nationality for those naturalized for less than 10 years and sentenced to a prison term of five years or more for serious crimes. Regarding the granting of original nationality to descendants of foreign residents in Portugal, a legal residency period of 3 years is now required.
For the foreigners’ law, the government aims to restrict job-seeking visas to “highly qualified activities,” limit access to family reunification, and amend conditions for granting residency permits to nationals of Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) member states.
The government is reintroducing a previously rejected bill to establish the National Unit for Foreigners and Borders within the Public Security Police (PSP), responsible for airport border control, return, and oversight of foreigners on national territory.
IL has already expressed agreement with the generality of the proposals, while Chega and PS have called for changes to the Government’s bills—albeit in opposite directions—to make them viable.
[News updated at 5:11 p.m.]
