New Humanitarian Visa and Transitional Regime for Asylum Seekers Approved in Portugal
Portugal is set to introduce a humanitarian visa that will allow individuals facing persecution or conflict in their home countries to temporarily enter the country to apply for political asylum. This initiative, part of a legislative package from the Liberal Initiative (IL), also enables immigrants with one year of Social Security contributions to continue seeking residence permits during a transitional period.
The Assembly of the Republic approved the bills on Friday, which will now move to a parliamentary committee for further discussion. The humanitarian visa aims to facilitate the asylum application process, allowing individuals to apply at Portuguese embassies in their home or neighboring countries, rather than requiring them to enter Portugal first. This change addresses the risks associated with travel to national territory.
In addition to the humanitarian visa, the IL also proposed a transitional regime related to the new Immigration Law. This measure allows immigrants who have contributed to Social Security for at least 12 months to continue applying for residence permits, countering recent government decisions that limited these opportunities.
The humanitarian visa received support from the Socialist Party (PS), Left Bloc (BE), Communist Party (PCP), Livre, and People-Animals-Nature (PAN), while the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and CDS-PP abstained, and Chega voted against it. The transitional regime proposal saw similar support from multiple parties, except for Chega and PCP.
IL has criticized the government for not fully addressing the needs of individuals who had anticipated regularizing their status through the previous expression of interest process, which was effectively ended in June. The new measures aim to ensure that those who have already contributed to Social Security can continue their applications under the previous legal framework.
This legislative effort reflects a commitment to providing better pathways for asylum seekers and immigrants in Portugal, while also enhancing the country’s immigration policies.
