Portugal's Immigration Law in Turmoil: Chega Demands 5-Year Social Benefit Ban for Immigrants

Political Pressure Mounts on Foreigners Law

Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro has admitted potential changes to the Foreigners Law just before its parliamentary vote on Tuesday. This comes as Chega party conditions its support on requiring immigrants to contribute to Social Security for five years before accessing social benefits.

Government Open to Amendments

During the fifth meeting of the National Council for Migration and Asylum in Lisbon, Leitão Amaro presented the new proposal to amend the Foreigners Law. Speaking to journalists, he emphasized the government's flexibility: "The law to be voted on tomorrow doesn't have to be exactly the same as the proposal entered last Wednesday."

He explained that "what's happening is a dialogue between different parliamentary groups, and it's normal that in this context all parties express their opinions about these laws." The social-democratic leader noted that "parties may have some sense of wanting to contribute to solving immigration regulation, including Chega, including PS," while accusing Chega of "mixing issues to confuse" this dossier.

Chega's Ultimatum on Social Benefits

André Ventura, Chega's leader, has made agreement on the Foreigners Law conditional on mandatory five-year Social Security contributions for immigrants before they can receive social benefits, particularly focusing on subsidies.

"I appeal to the prime minister on this absolutely sensitive point. Do you agree or not that immigrants arriving in Portugal must have at least five years of contributions before they can collect Social Security subsidies?" Ventura questioned, simultaneously warning Luís Montenegro that "if you don't agree, we have no deal."

Ventura emphasized: "For us this is a decisive point."

Economic Impact of Immigrant Contributions

The removal of benefit subsidies has been one of Chega's weapons against the immigrant community, part of André Ventura's recurring platform contested by studies showing the indispensable contribution of immigrants to Social Security sustainability.

Immigrants Pay €3.6 Billion, Receive €0.6 Billion

Research cited by Público earlier this month indicates a 12.43% drop in Social Security revenues without immigrant contributions—approximately €1.82 billion in lost revenue. This would require greater effort from Portuguese taxpayers, specifically 10.3% higher Social Security contributions, according to the study "Remittances of Immigrants, Sustainability of Social Security and Economic Role of Immigration in Portugal" by Virech Maugi, an expert in international relations and European funds.

These findings align with conclusions from Randstad, a global leader in Human Resources, which also studied the impact of immigrant workers in Portugal. The study "Myths and Realities about Migration and the Labor Market" notes that immigrants fill roles in sectors with labor shortages or where Portuguese show little interest, such as agriculture and hospitality, reiterating the crucial role of foreign workers in balancing Social Security.

About 30% of these workers perform unskilled jobs, yet they significantly impact the national economy. The study adds that immigrants contribute not only to the financial balance of the Social Security system but also to the country's demographic balance.

According to cited data, last year alone immigrants generated a positive balance of €2.958 billion for Social Security, contributing €3.645 billion while receiving only €0.687 billion in benefits—a nearly €3 billion positive balance for national coffers.

Exceptions in Family Reunification

The new proposal to amend the Foreigners Law, presented last week, maintains the two-year valid residence requirement for family reunification but admits several exceptions, including for spouses.

Last Thursday, António Leitão Amaro explained that while the general two-year period indicated in the diploma rejected by the Constitutional Court is maintained, it will be reduced to one year for spouses who cohabited with the reunification applicant in the year before they immigrated to Portugal.

The government official also stated that the proposal, submitted to the Assembly of the Republic by PSD and CDS-PP parliamentary groups, extends the possibility of immediate application—already provided for minors—to dependent incapacitated adults and the father or mother of the immigrant's child.

As in the initial version, highly qualified professionals or those with investment residence permits will also be exempt from any deadline for requesting family reunification.