Changes in the immigration landscape are not leading to an “exodus” of immigrants. The statement was made by Minister António Leitão Amaro, in response to information that many immigrants, especially Brazilians, are leaving the country. The minister participated in the DN Grand Conference, which takes place this Monday, June 15th.
He said that, despite the news in this regard and what he read on social media, the feedback what you receive is different. “I hear a lot of people on the street who stop me and say, ‘Thank you, because I’ve been waiting for a card for six years, in this country that promised me that my situation would be regularized quickly. I got there and they gave me an A4 sheet with my name on it,” he said, referring to the title of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP).
According to the minister, there is a feeling of gratitude on the part of immigrants for the work carried out in resolving pending cases. “We managed to restore control, recover the capacity of the State, return to having integration policies in schools and through associations of migrant communities, stabilize flows and direct people to the appropriate channels, that is, with an employment contract, work visa or to study”, he summarized.
António Leitão Amaro also cited a survey that indicates a reduction of “the feeling of discomfort, fear and concern” regarding this matter. “We corrected the flows, recovered the State’s capacity and maintained the logic of an open country, but with control, that treats those who come here with dignity”, he stated.
In the minister’s view, these changes were also intended to “avoid further polarization”. Leitão Amaro thanked Chega and the Liberal Initiative (IL), which have made reforms in the area of immigration possible in Parliament. At the same time, he regretted that the Socialist Party (PS) “remains on the sidelines”.
Government Challenges
Regarding the Government’s main challenges at the moment, he listed three: work, state reform and housing. “The Portuguese need to feel that working is worth more than not working”says the minister. He cited as a measure the reduction of the tax burden on work, with the reduction of the IRS, in this conversation mediated by director Filipe Alves.
In relation to the single social provision, it reflects that the objective is for people to evolve. “Living on social benefits does not have to be easy, it cannot be a trap into poverty, but rather a springboard”, he explains. The objective is to encourage people to work. Between “living on PSU or RSI” the person must think that “working is more worth it”, he summarizes.
The minister says that the country really needs profound reforms to solve these problems, namely the labor law and also the rental law. He recalled that young people are some of the most affected. “The youngest, the young, have been the variable in adjusting and paying for the rigidity in the labor and rental markets”, reflects.
According to Leitão Amaro, some of the laws are not exactly what the Government wanted, namely the IRS. “Of course we have laws that weren’t exactly what we wanted the match to be, we wanted to provide more relief to the middle class and not just the lower classes“, he summarizes.
amanda.lima@dn.pt
