Chega wants to force immigrants in the country to make contributions for five years before they have access to social support, citizens who were responsible for more than 1,600 million euros in profits in the social security system in 2022.
The measure is included in the “strategic plan for migration in Portugal” presented this Saturday by Chegi President André Ventura at the party headquarters in Lisbon.
Ventura argued that social support for immigrants “can only be requested and granted after those immigrants in Portuguese territory have contributed funds for at least five years.”
According to the Migration Observatory’s (OM) annual report published last December, immigrants had a social security surplus of €1,604.2 million in 2022.
According to the text entitled “Immigrant Integration Indicators, Annual Statistical Report 2023”?, the relationship between the contributions of foreigners and their counterparts in the Portuguese social security system, that is, the social benefits that some enjoyed in the reporting years in this report, “it continues to show very positive financial balance.”
When asked about the data, Ventura said the commitment “does not question the Social Security contributions” of immigrants, who will continue to contribute for five years but will not be able to access any support.
Regarding the fact that the Portuguese did not pay social security contributions for five years before accessing support, Ventura replied: “I know, but this country is still ours and still belongs to us.”
Among the measures presented this Saturday, Ventura says he will propose to the “right majority” that immigrants arriving in Portugal and applying for asylum “remain in temporary support centers” until the request is confirmed, and also “repatriation of those who violate criminal laws” in the country.
The party, which proposes annual quotas for the entry of foreigners into Portugal based on “the qualifications of immigrants and the needs of the Portuguese economy,” wants to “carry out a diagnosis of the sectors most in need of labor in Portugal, such as an analysis of the risks of non-integrated immigration.”
Other measures include repealing the CPLP mobility agreement, introducing the crime of “illegal residence on Portuguese soil” or reversing the closure of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF).
Chega also wants to revoke Portuguese citizenship from binational citizens who have committed violent crimes such as murder, domestic violence or terrorism, limit the number of residence certificates issued at each address “depending on the type of address, and strengthen its supervision.”
According to Andre Ventura, “Portugal has an obligation to host, but it must host with rules and controls.”