The Portuguese government presented on Wednesday a new version of a bill designed to curb immigration following objections from the constitutional court over family reunification barriers.
“This is not the initial law we had proposed, but it serves the purpose of regulating immigration humanely,” government spokesperson Antonio Leitao Amaro said at a press conference, describing the reforms as “urgent, necessary, and important”.
Under the new bill submitted to Parliament, migrants will still have to live in Portugal for two years before they can apply for family reunification. However, it provides exceptions to reduce this period, particularly for married couples and minor children.
Key provisions in the previous bill, approved by the right-wing parliamentary majority in July, had been struck down by the constitutional court the following month.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa vetoed the bill and sent it back to parliament, forcing it to be re-written.
The provision restricting visas for job seekers to highly skilled workers remains in place, as does the one ending preferential treatment for Brazilians, the country’s largest immigrant group.
The July bill also provided for the creation of a new police unit tasked with fighting irregular immigration and carrying out deportations.
However, another element regarding the process of acquiring Portuguese nationality is still under discussion.
Last year, the government had already repealed rules allowing undocumented immigrants to regularise their status if they could show they had been working for at least a year and contributing to the state social security system.
At the end of 2024, the number of foreigners living in Portugal exceeded 1.5 million, about 15 percent of the total population and nearly four times more than in 2017.
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