The Portuguese government wants to expand requirements for applying for citizenship, three months after Italy restricted recognition by descent.
On Saturday, the 14th, the Portuguese government submitted to parliament a package of ten measures to reform its immigration policy. The proposal includes, among other things, increasing the minimum period of legal residence for foreigners to apply for citizenship.
Currently, the country requires five years of residency. The new proposal extends this period, although it is not yet clear how many more years. The bill will be debated on June 17 and 18.
The text states that Portugal must not “return to being a country of uncontrolled immigration”. The measure is spearheaded by the Democratic Alliance, a center-right coalition led by the prime minister Luís Montenegro.
The proposal also envisages revising the Foreigners Act and the Asylum Act, restricting work visas to highly qualified candidates. It also seeks to establish linguistic criteria for renewing residence permits.
Another measure is the creation of a National Foreigners and Borders Unit, with responsibilities in migration control, deportations and asylum requests.
The proposed changes do not modify the call original nationality by attribution, which applies to children and grandchildren of Portuguese citizens. This model is comparable to the “ius sanguinis”, or right of blood, adopted in countries such as Italy. In the Portuguese case, however, proof of ties to the community and proficiency in the Portuguese language are required.
Italy, in March of this year, had already restricted citizenship by “right of blood”. For new italian law, only children and grandchildren of Italian citizens can apply for recognition. The rule came into effect for applications made from March 28 onwards.
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