PS wants to see “transitional regime” for migrants wrong-footed by legal changes
Portugal’s PS Socialist opposition has announced it will be requesting parliamentary scrutiny of the government’s Migration Action Plan in order to ensure a “transitional regime” on the revocation of the expression of interest, which will make it possible to regularise specific cases affected by the measure.
“The PS is going to file a request for parliamentary scrutiny” of the government’s proposal, said MP Pedro Delgado Alves, stressing that “it is not with the intention of returning to what already existed“, but rather a “broad reflection on how to guarantee a transitional regime” for those who do not fully meet regularisation requirements.
Alves gave the example of “those who have 11 and a half months of discounts”, when the new legislation requires one year.
The aim is not to “simply revoke” the decision to extinguish the number of expressions of interest, because that would increase the “call effect” of new immigrants, he conceded during a debate in Parliament.
Right wing CHEGA equally scheduled a debate on immigration yesterday, putting forward several proposals, including the introduction of quotas, limits on access to social support, support for voluntary return, making the granting of residence permits subject to those who have a work contract and limiting the number of people per dwelling. All these proposals were rejected by the rest of the political parties.
As Lusa explains, “expressions of interest were a legal recourse that existed in Portugal until the beginning of this month and which allowed foreigners to regularise their status as long as they had 12 months’ paid contributions, even if they had entered the country as tourists.
“The government’s proposal involves giving Portuguese consulates abroad the job of filtering entry into Portugal (on the basis that entrants have job offers/ enough funds to support themselves, and can live decently ahead of working).
Pedro Delgado Alves said the Socialist plan “follows the proposals contained in the government’s transition portfolio on the subject”, namely “teaching the Portuguese language, dispensing with a quota policy, having AIMA (Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum) without a police profile” and “favouring the CPLP (Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries)” in entries.
Delgado Alves was one of a number of MPs who condemned CHEGA’s position on this subject.
PSD parliamentary leader Hugo Soares also criticised CHEGA’s stance, as well as the various comments made by party leader André Ventura, including reference to a rape in Beja, allegedly perpetrated by a citizen of Pakistani origin.
It was Rui Tavares, from LIVRE, who drilled down into the crux of the problem, exposed today by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) – “leaving immigration without channels only leaves room for human traffickers, unscrupulous bosses and opportunistic politicians,” he said, advocating greater action by ACT, the Labour Conditions Authority.
LUSA
