“There were a lot of people who were already working, minding their own business, they were sleeping and then they realized, from one moment to the next, that they could no longer deliver their expression of interest”, said Lusa Rana Taslim Uddin, leader of the Bangladeshi community in Poertugal.
At issue is the end of expressions of interest, a legal mechanism that allowed a foreigner with a tourist visa to legalize themselves in Portugal, as long as they made Social Security discounts more than 12 months ago and had a employment contract.
The Government announced the measure on the afternoon of June 3rd and the new law came into force at midnight, blocking new expressions of interest and leaving thousands of immigrants who are already in Portugal and paying more who had not completed the process or submitted it to the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA).
“It was a law made suddenly, it took just a few hours between the council of ministers and its approval [entrada em vigor]. It’s a law that harms the community”, said Rana Taslim Uddin.
According to the director, due to the difficulty in scheduling services at the Agency for Integration, Migrations and Asylum (AIMA), many immigrants waited to have “everything straightened out”, corresponding to 12 months of discounts, before starting their steps to legalize themselves.
Today, “there are many who are in an illegal situation because there is a lot of confusion among us. Nobody understands how things work.”
Sohel opened a restaurant on Rua do Benformoso, the center of the Bengali community in Portugal, a few months ago, and is already experiencing problems hiring staff.
“We have people who want to come here and now they can’t because there is no longer any expression of interest”, explained the businessman.
“When we heard that immigration changed the rules and papers were no longer accepted, people left here. I’ve already seen a lot of people leave”, highlighted the investor, who admits the need to regulate the arrival of foreigners, but as long as entry channels remain available.
“After the change in the law, people realized that they will not be able to stay here, even if they work and have been waiting for a long time”, highlighted Sohel, considering that the Portuguese do not realize the importance of immigrants to the economy.
“Foreigners do the jobs that no one wants. If we leave, who will do these jobs?” – she questioned.
The changes to the law oblige immigrants to carry out processes at Portuguese consulates, whether for a work visa, job search or other.
But countries like Bangladesh or Nepal (another country that also has a large community in Portugal) do not have a Portuguese consulate and the promises to increase resources made by the Portuguese government do not include the opening of new diplomatic representations.
“We have been waiting for a consulate in Bangladesh for three decades”, despite the Asian country having representation in Lisbon since 2013, recalls Rana Taslim Uddin.
“We have already made several protests, many requests and we continue to ask for a consulate” in Dhaka that can facilitate the migration processes, highlighted the leader of the community who complains about the lack of openness of the Portuguese authorities.
Now, “when they need any visa, people have to travel to India, where there is a lot of bureaucracy and access difficulties”, requiring waiting times of several months.
“We have 50 thousand people in Portugal and it is a shame that there is no consulate in our country”, he lamented, highlighting that, despite everything, the community likes the host country.
“There are a lot of people who want to live here, want to live in Portugal. They may even work in Europe but they want to come here. People like Portugal and we feel good, despite the problems with the laws”, he explained.
However, without a consulate in Dhaka and without the possibility of regularization in Portugal, Uddin fears the return of illegal labor, controlled by obscure interests.
“This could enter the circle of mafias that bring people and put them tied to jobs,” he said.
These fears also worry Sohel. “For now I want to stay here, but then I don’t know”, because it is necessary to “have the conditions to invest and earn a living”.
