Portugal Gives 2nd Chance to Migrants With Rejected Residency Applications to Reapply for Permits

The Portuguese government has given immigrants whose residence permit applications were rejected a second chance to apply for the document.

This will impact around 108,000 immigrants whose applications were denied by the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) due to failure to pay the fees, Schengen.News reports.

Both the Deputy Secretary of State for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Rui Armindo Freitas, and the president of the agency, Pedro Portugal Gaspar, pointed out that there will be a new call so that these immigrants can resolve all pending issues as many of them had application rejected due to not paying the fees, Publico explains.

Authorities Stress New Measure Will Not Result in Repatriation of Immigrants
Freitas pointed out that rejected residency applications are not going to make the repatriation of immigrants possible; instead, they will be given a second chance to present the missing documents for a second time.

It is expected that many migrants would not be using this opportunity as they have left. In a debate with Pedro Nuno Santos, leader of the Socialist Party, the Portuguese PM, Louis Montenegro, said that some of these immigrants had left the country while those that are ‘undocumented’ would have to leave Portugal.

The decision to offer migrants another chance to apply for residence permits was acclaimed by justice representatives. According to lawyer Fabio Pimentel, by allowing this measure, the government will avoid many potential problems.

Portuguese ‘Not in Favour’ of More Migrants Coming Into the Country
A recent survey by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation has found that 63 per cent of respondents in Portugal would want fewer immigrants from the Indian subcontinent.

Regardless, Portugal Gaspar noted that the country already has a lower reception rate of immigrants – ten to 11 per cent, which is lower than the 15-per cent EU average.

Portugal Gaspar noted there are around 440,000 applications for legalisation that were in the process by the end of the summer, 150,000 of which have yet to be considered.

Source: https://schengen.news/portugal-gives-2nd-chance-to-migrants-with-rejected-residency-applications-to-reapply-for-permits/