All left-wing parties voted against the bill, which provides for a slight easing of such restrictions and addresses only the most important issues raised by the Constitutional Court. This may create additional obstacles to the entry into force of the law.
The legislation reflects a shift to the right in politics in much of Europe, as governments try to contain the rise of far-right sentiment by tightening immigration policies.Although Parliament has retained the general requirement of two years of residence in the country to obtain permission for marital reunification, this period can be halved for couples who have lived together for more than a year before moving to Portugal.
Immigrants can now apply to be joined by children under the age of 18 or dependents with disabilities, regardless of the length of the applicant's legal stay in the country.
Minister Antonio Leitao Amaro said that the revised bill "strikes the right balance: the doors for immigrants will neither be wide open nor closed," as the country seeks to control immigration in accordance with its labor market needs and integration opportunities.
«...But the time for irresponsible (immigration) policies has passed," he told lawmakers before the vote.
Portugal, which has a population of about 10.5 million, has seen a significant increase in immigration in recent years.
According to estimates by the migration and asylum agency AIMA, more than 1.5 million foreign citizens legally lived in Portugal last year, which is twice as many as three years earlier. The largest group consists of Brazilians - more than 450,000 legal immigrants.
Source: Reuters
