These associations affirm that the measure “not only leaves out tens of thousands of immigrants who are working and paying Social Security.”
Almost fifty associations defending the rights of immigrants criticized this Monday the end of the Expression of Interest, considering that the Government’s initiative represents “a setback of at least 17 years in immigration policies.”
“The Immigrant Associations saw it with great concern and are in total disagreement with the end of the Expression of Interest; Its end represents a setback of at least 17 years in immigration policies and, in addition, it represents a return to before 2007 or even to the last century, to the construction period of Expo 98, the Vasco da Gama bridge and other major works, in which tens of thousands of immigrants remained in an irregular situation, subject to the arbitrariness of unscrupulous businessmen and mafias,” write the 47 organizations.
In a text titled “Protest demonstration of the associative movement,” these associations affirm that the measure “not only leaves out tens of thousands of immigrants who are working and paying Social Security, waiting to make an expression of interest and thus obtain a Residency Title, as well as closing the doors to those who the country needs.”
Arguing that Portuguese companies “will not hire workers they do not know and who are thousands of kilometers away”, the associations claim that the government initiative changes the queues at the Agency for the Inclusion of Migration and Asylum (AIMA). through the doors of the consulates. , who do not have the means to process applications or to control the mafias that are said to exist in the process of granting work visas.
The end of the presentation of expressions of interest, a legal solution that allowed a foreigner in Portugal to communicate to the authorities that they had job prospects and wanted to regularize themselves as an immigrant, was announced on the 3rd and came into force the following day. .
Since then, any new expression of interest applications have been rejected, even if the applicant is already in Portugal.
The Government wants immigrants to begin the process at the Portuguese consulates and embassies before arriving in Portugal. a measure that especially concerns those whose countries do not have any Portuguese diplomatic representation.
Source: Observadora
