The government approved this Thursday an ordinance that allows CPLP citizens to apply for a provisional or immediate visa and not apply for one in person, hoping it will come into effect “later this year.”
In a telephone conversation with Lusa, Deputy Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Ana Catarina Méndez said she hoped the diploma would take effect within “30 days” and that “it would take effect this year.”
According to the statement of the Council of Ministers, the Government “approved today a regulatory decree amending the diploma, which determines the conditions and procedure for the entry, stay, exit and expulsion of foreigners from the territory of the country, in connection with recent changes in the Aliens Act.”
The approved amendments “promote mobility and freedom of movement within the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), enabling the implementation of the Mobility Agreement” signed between its nine member states in July 2021 at the Heads of State Summit and the Government in Luanda, Angola, the note emphasizes.
In this context, among other measures, it emphasizes “pre-screening of CPLP visa applications” and “waiver of personal presence when applying for a visa” for citizens of this community.
CPLP citizens are also exempt from providing a visa package, such as valid travel insurance that covers medically necessary expenses, including emergency medical care and possible repatriation.
However, they are also exempt from submitting proof of livelihood in Portugal and a copy of the return ticket, unless a resident visa is requested.
In addition, granting a CPLP residence permit entitles the holder to apply for a CPLP residence permit.
In the note, the government proceeds from the fact that these changes “remain intended to help meet the need for labor in order to revive the economy.”
But the executive branch also emphasizes that “the new regime is also promoting regular, safe and orderly migration channels, while stepping up the fight against illegal immigration and human trafficking.”
Prime Minister António Costa announced that today the government approved the rules for the entry into force of the CPLP mobility agreement, which will facilitate the entry into Portugal of citizens of these countries.
“Today, the Council of Ministers of Portugal has just approved a diploma that finally regulates the application of the CPLP mobility agreement that we signed just over a year ago in Luanda and which promotes circulation and mobility in the CPLP space,” the message reads. Antonio Costa.
The head of government spoke in Maputo at a joint press conference with the President of the Republic of Mozambique, whom he met within the framework of the 5th Portugal-Mozambique Summit.
According to António Costa, “All citizens of a CPLP Member State who apply for a visa of any type to enter Portugal, this visa should be issued immediately, immediately issued, except in cases where an expulsion order or a restraining order is still in force in the Schengen area. order. region”.
“Otherwise, the consular services of Portugal must immediately issue and provide this visa,” he said.
Considering that it is “important to strengthen cooperation within the Portuguese-speaking world”, the Prime Minister stated that this is “a very important step in order to ensure that the superiority of relations in the field of political cooperation that existed within the framework of the CPLP, economic cooperation finds its embodiment in concrete daily citizens’ lives.”
Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe and Timor-Leste are the nine member states of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
