According to Lusa, the ordinance which has not yet been published in Diário da República, determines the model of administrative residence title to be issued to foreign citizens under the agreement on mobility between the Member States of the CPLP.

The document, signed by the Minister of Internal Affairs, José Luís Carneiro, also establishes a fee of 15 euros for the digital issuance of the residence permit certificate.

The Government justifies the granting of a residence permit to CPLP citizens, which will initially last for one year, with the new regime of entry of immigrants into Portugal, which has been in force since November 2022 and which allows CPLP immigrants to have a visa facilitation regime in the country.

"In order to comply with this provision, it is, therefore, necessary to approve a model for the document in reference, as well as to define the rates due for the respective issuance procedure", says the ordinance.

On Saturday, the Minister of Internal Affairs had stated that immigrants from CPLP countries would benefit from a "protection status of up to a year", equivalent to that of citizens who entered the country to escape the war in Ukraine, in which the request for temporary protection is made through an 'online' platform.

José Luís Carneiro also said that this model for citizens of CPLP countries will allow them "to benefit from a protection status up to a year that allows direct access to social security, health and tax numbers."

This process will allow to regularise the situation of thousands of immigrants from the CPLP, especially Brazilians, who expressed interest, between 2021 and 2022, in obtaining a residence permit in Portugal.

A source from the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) told Lusa that about 150,2021 CPLP immigrants are concerned, mostly Brazilian, who between 2021 and 2022 filled in the electronic platform Automatic Pre-Scheduling System (SAPA) the expressions of interest to obtain a residence permit.

However, according to the same source, this number may not correspond to reality, since many of the registrations may not be valid or many of the immigrants may no longer be in the country.

According to the SEF, in this first stage of the process, immigrants will be contacted 'online' and, after this notification, CPLP citizens will be legalised under this new mobility regime, and no one is needed in person.

This process takes place at a time when the government is being prepared to restructure SEF, whose administrative functions in the field of immigration will be passed on to the Portuguese Agency for Migration and Asylum (APMA).

As part of the restructuring, which was postponed until the creation of APMA, the police powers of that body will move to PSP, GNR and PJ, while the current administrative tasks in relation to foreign citizens are now exercised by APMA and the Institute of Registers and Notary.

The restructuring of SEF was decided by the previous Government and approved at the Assembly of the Republic in November 2021, and has already been postponed twice.

This week, the Minister of Internal Affairs assured that the executive maintains "the political objective" of completing by the end of March the legislative process of the creation of The APMA.

SEF data state that the foreign population legally residing in Portugal increased in 2022 for the seventh consecutive year, totalling 757,252. The Brazilian and Indian communities grew the most.

According to the SEF, Brazilian citizens remain as the main foreign community residing in the country, with a total of 233,138 people, 28,444 (13%) more than in 2021.