The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) warned yesterday that all CPLP (Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries) visas are in force until June 30 of that year
At issue is the fact that the annual CPLP residence permits, which began to be given in March 2023 (within the framework of the mobility agreement signed by Portugal), are not being renewed by AIMA, according to news from yesterday , from Diário de Notícias.
In response, AIMA states that these authorizations “continue to be accepted by all Portuguese public authorities, for all legal purposes, until June 30, 2024”, within the framework of the decree-law that regulates the “Exceptional and temporary measures relating to to the epidemiological situation of the new Coronavirus – COVID 19”, the first version of which dates back to March 2020.
“Documents and visas relating to stay in national territory, whose validity expires from the date of entry into force of this decree-law or in the 15 days immediately preceding, are accepted, under the same terms, until June 30, 2024”, refers to the most recent update of the diploma.
According to AIMA, “this rule applies to all residence permits that expired after February 22, 2020” and “CPLP residence permits were only created in 2023, therefore it applies to all those issued”.
“Users with expiring residence permits are being informed of the extension of the validity period by email”, said AIMA.
In previous statements to Lusa, several government officials had promised a solution for renewing these visas, but so far AIMA has not responded to the requests made.
After it came into force, the European Commission opened infringement proceedings against Portugal, saying that “the CPLP Mobility Agreement provides for a residence permit that does not comply with the uniform model established” for the EU.
In response, Portugal insisted that there is no non-compliance and that the measure falls within the CPLP mobility agreement and is not a residence permit with effect in the Schengen area (of free movement of people and goods), because whoever has this authorization cannot cross the Portuguese border.