Immigrants in Portugal from the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) have complained about their mobility rights.
Timóteo Macedo, from the Association for the Defense of Immigrants’ Rights, has said that mobility for citizens of CPLP countries in Portugal does not exist.
Complaining about the current state of CPLP countries’ citizens, Macedo stressed that despite them being subject to facilitated rules when applying for a visa, the document does not permit them to travel outside Portugal, saying that CPLP citizens are in an “open-air prison,”.
“Circulation does not exist because those who arrive in Portugal with a CPLP visa can’t travel within the Schengen area like other Portuguese. It’s like an open-air prison,” the statement of Macedo reads.
In line with new rules that entered into force in October of last year, CPLP citizens have been subject to a more streamlined process when applying for a visa for Portugal. They no longer need to submit certain documents such as valid travel insurance, proof of sufficient financial means, and a roundtrip itinerary.
Nonetheless, they still face obstacles when it comes to travelling to other Schengen countries.
For this reason, Macedo said that the facilitation of visa rules for CPLP citizens is not sufficient, pointing out that it has become very difficult for them to secure an appointment in their home countries, Diario de Noticias explains.
Furthermore, he stressed that once they arrive in Portugal, they have their hopes of entering other Schengen countries crushed and, at the same time, argued that citizens of CPLP “should not even need a visa”.
“On one hand, we have CPLP nationals who opted for a visa and discover, upon arriving in Portugal, that they can’t travel to another European country and that they feel deceived and discriminated against compared to other Portuguese residents. But there are still those who are worse off and who don’t even have the right to the benefits of CPLP visas,” Macedo added.
Moreover, Diario de Noticias stressed that visas issued to CPLP citizens allow all of its holders to access public health services, social security, and a taxpayer identification number. Moreover, the visa also permits the automatic granting of residence permits.
Previously, SchengenVisaInfo reported that more than 113,000 Portuguese-speaking immigrants were granted residence permits in Portugal since the launch of the online platform.
The online platform is aimed at easing the procedure for acquiring residency in Portugal, and according to EU Commission, the majority of those who were issued the document were from Brazil.
