According to a statement published on the official website of the Presidency of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa promulgated the new legal regime “emphasising the importance of implementing the Agreement on Mobility between the Member States of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries, signed in Luanda , on July 17, 2021”.

The diploma moved from the Assembly of the Republic to the Palácio de Belém after being approved in a final vote on July 21, with votes in favour of PS, PCP, BE and Livre, abstentions by PSD, IL and PAN, and the absence do Chega.

A week later, in statements to journalists, the President of the Republic promised an “immediate enactment” of this diploma, which was based on a government bill.

In the Government's proposal that amends the legal regime for the entry, stay, exit and removal of foreigners from the national territory, among other aspects, it is determined that the granting of residence and temporary stay visas to nationals of CPLP countries does not depend on a prior opinion from SEF, “without prejudice to the granting of visas being communicated to SEF, for the purposes of exercising its powers in matters of internal security”.

With this diploma, the Government also intends to establish “procedures to attract regulated and integrated immigration for the development of the country, change the way in which the public administration relates to immigrants and guarantee conditions for the integration of immigrants”.

To this end, the Government wants to move forward with the creation of a title of limited duration that allows the legal entry of immigrants in Portugal with the objective of looking for work, simplifying procedures and opening the possibility of temporary stay or residence visas.