2024-04-01 23:58:41
In Portugal, CPLP visa authorization ends at the end of June. The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), says that the “future” of the document will depend on the new Government, which will take office this Tuesday.
Luís Goes Pinheiro, president of the Board of Directors of the Agency for Integration, Migrations and Asylum (AIMA) confirms that the residence permit, known as the CPLP visa, ends at the end of June.
“What exists is a document, created with a validity of one year. This validity was extended until June”, reiterates the director.
Pinheiro guarantees, however, that the future of the CPLP visa will depend on “a reflection, to take place in the context of the new Government that will begin its activity very soon”.
For now, AIMA itself awaits normative instructions from the new executive.
Concerns
Jurists question the limitations of these visas. Stella Alves, jurist at the “Unidos de Cabo Verde” Association, says that the creation of AIMA explains the importance of immigrants to Portugal.
In this sense, he argues that “there is a lot to do”, particularly with regard to document facilitation.
“We have seen some difficulties, namely in renewal, either due to scheduling or the announced extinction of some types of residence permits”, laments Stella Alves, adding that “we would like to know what is coming in the future, but, in fact, We still don’t have information about this. We know it will be difficult.
The Guinean jurist calls for dignified treatment of immigrants, who should not be blamed or harmed due to the lack of updated documents.
Arlindo Ferreira, president of the Portuguese Association for the Social Integration of Immigrants (APISI), regrets the lack of means to respond to the pile of requests, when it is known that the validity period of many CPLP certificates is coming to an end.
“These CPLP visas are a blank sheet, with only the person’s name, date of birth, passport number and a barcode. Therefore, it does not have the probative force of a physical document”, explained Ferreira.
Also a counselor for the Guinean community at the High Commission for Immigration (ACM), he denounces that there are institutions that view CPLP visas with suspicion and are therefore not accepted. Therefore, he contests the limitations of the aforementioned certificate.
Pending orders
Regarding the delay in responding to requests for residence permits, Luís Pinheiro clarifies that when AIMA began its activity, on October 30, 2023, it prioritized the fulfillment of around 350 thousand pending requests that it inherited from the extinct Foreigners Service and Fronteira (SEF), based not only on CPLP certificates.
“What we always said was that by June 2025 we would resolve the documentary dependencies and we would only be processing daily searches. That’s our promise, that’s what we’re working on,” said Pinheiro.
Given the scale of the problem, AIMA is investing in digitalization, hiring more employees and improving the provision of services, which is why Luís Pinheiro assures that by mid-2025, “the documentation problem will be resolved”.
Mobility is “crucial”, argues CPLP president
By João Carlos
#AIMA #power #decree #CPLP #visa