Portugal has announced full citizenship rights for migrants and Asylum seekers during the Coronavirus period.
The Minister of Internal Affairs, Eduardo Cabrita, said it is “important to guarantee the rights of the most fragile, as is the case of immigrants”.
On March 28, the Portuguese government finally decided and approved this temporary status amid Coronavirus. The citizenship rights will be for migrants and asylum seekers who have their residency status or process underway.
This decision is intended to ensure everybody who needs it has access to social security and health care while the country battles the spread and effects of coronavirus. Talking about the precautionary measures, Portugal declared a State of Emergency on March 18 and it was set to last for 15 days (further extension is possible).
The ones willing to apply for such rights will need only to provide evidence of an ongoing residency request before they can use the country’s health service, the welfare system, bank accounts, and work and rental contracts. There are no exact statistics available that how many people will be able to benefit these rights but the government estimates it 135,000. Migrants from the following countries will able to get it the most anyhow:
- Brazil
- Romania
- Ukraine
- Briton
- China
- Pakistani
- Nepal
- Bangladesh
- India and many others
Good news also comes out for those who are in the process of applying for citizenship. They will be granted citizenship rights until at least July 1.
Portugal has also temporarily forced border controls with Spain and sealed off its external borders for non-EEA travelers attempting to enter for non-essential purposes.
Read also here about the latest immigration policy of Portugal.