Will the restructuring of the Portuguese border control system come into force on October 29th, with the transfer of SEF inspectors to the PSP and GNR?
From October 29, 2023, SEF employees will begin to perform functions in the Internal Security System (SSI), the Judicial Police (PJ), the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), the Institute of Registers and Notaries (IRN). and other government services as defined by the transition-related diploma.
It should be noted that the restructuring of the Portuguese border control system has been in preparation for several months and the new phase will begin on October 29, 2023.
Effective transfer of these powers occurs with the assumption of control of the land and sea border by the PNP and the air border by the PSP. The SP exclusively undertakes the investigation of crimes related to the promotion of illegal immigration, human trafficking and other related crimes. The new AIMA takes on administrative responsibilities in matters of migration and asylum, while the IRN takes on administrative responsibilities related to the issuance and issuance of passports and the renewal of residence permits. involves coordinating the actions of security forces and services among themselves and with AIMA and IRN, managing information systems on border and foreigner police matters, as well as issuing security reports and checks.
How many professionals are on SEF’s current staff?
There are 1742 of them in total.
Where will SEF employees go?
SEF professionals will transition to PJ, AIMA and IRN on October 29, 2023.
Which organization will SEF administrative employees transfer to?
SEF administrative staff will move to AIMA and IRN.
How many SEF employees will be transferred to AIMA?
590 SEF General Career (CG) and IT Career employees will be transferred to AIMA. From CG, 75 members will also transfer to IRN.
How many SEF officers will be transferred to the Judicial Police?
794 SEF personnel will be transferred to PJ, of which 789 will work in Investigations and Inspections (CIF) and 5 in Surveillance and Security.
What temporary functional assignment of SEF employees?
For an initial period (1 year with the possibility of extension for the same period), some SEF personnel transferred to PJ will perform the transferred internal security functions together with PSP and GNR. for GNR and PSP.
How many SEF employees will be assigned to the PSP?
324, for temporary functional impairment.
How many SEF employees will be assigned to GNR?
80, temporary functional impairment.
How many police officers have been trained for border control?
Approximately 400 police officers were trained to perform these new functions.
How many GNR soldiers were trained in border control?
233 military personnel were trained to perform these new functions.
Will the SEF employees who will be stationed at the GNR (maritime borders) and the PSP (air borders) stop doing investigative and verification work?
PJ Inspectors who will be appointed to PSP and GNR Inspectors will continue to perform the functions they performed during the transitional appointment period, which is up to 1 year for all these employees, with an option to extend for up to 12 months for 50% of these elements.
It should be noted that this cooperation work already exists since 2022 with the PSP in the field of air border control under cooperation agreements; and from 2023 with the State People’s Republic of China at maritime borders under cooperation protocols. In practice, there are already several months of shared experience between SEF inspectors and GNR and PSP staff in the field of border control.
Since PSP has already trained about 400 police officers, why don’t they now take over all duties at airports, as one of the SEF unions has asked?
In the context of cooperation between PSP and SEF, there will be a gradual transfer of powers that will allow all levels of border control effectiveness to be maintained during this transitional phase.
Where are the SEF workers located within the country (through regional offices) and who, for example, monitor irregular situations and the people and companies they employ?
Specialists from the SEF inspection and surveillance service move to PJ, a total of 789 people. Five employees from surveillance and security will also transfer to PJ.
How many SEF professionals have applied for early retirement this year?
65 CIF elements will be available from October 28, 2023.
Given the responsibility for air border screening, does the PSP take on responsibility and management of facilities equivalent to temporary installation centers at Lisbon, Porto and Faro airports?
Yes.
Are all cases of illegal immigration, assistance to illegal immigration, human trafficking, fictitious marriages for the purpose of obtaining documents referred to the judicial police?
Yes.
In the case of an administrative (non-judicial) removal process, who is responsible for enforcing the decision? PSP at airports and PNR at ports, and even PD within the country?
The PNP and PSP will be responsible for these processes in their respective areas of functional competence, as this depends on the air, sea or land nature of the border through which the export is to take place.
Where will Office shelter and SEF refugees?
CIF specialists assigned to this unit will be included in the PJ. AIMA will have a dedicated department that will deal with international protection (asylum and subsidiary protection), which will be equipped with the human resources (transferred from SEF) and materials necessary to ensure the regular functioning of services.
What uniform will former SEF inspectors wear at the air and sea border? How will they be identified?
They will begin to use identification tools provided for police officers involved in criminal investigations.
Will the former SEF inspectors (being more senior) be posted to the PSP and GNR at the borders be commanded by less educated professionals?
Powers at border posts from October 29, 2023 will be exercised by the PNP and PSP.
Do transient functional impairments also occur in other individuals?
This temporary regime also applies to the exercise of the administrative functions of the SEF transferred to AIMA, as well as the exercise of investigation and inspection functions within the scope of the AT’s responsibilities regarding the control of the national border and the external border of the European Union. , for the protection and safety of society, public health, industrial and intellectual property, the environment and endangered species of fauna and flora and combating illegal trafficking, as well as the international trade supply chain.
The number of items to be placed in the AT will be determined at a later stage.
How many residence permit processes are expected today?
Between February 2022 and September 2023, 292 thousand expressions of interest are pending.
What types of unsolved problems exist?
There are visas issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; residence permits that must be renewed by immigrants already living in the country; and there are also expressions of interest in obtaining a residence permit.
How many residence permits were issued in 2023?
306 thousand new residence permits were issued.
Which organization will control the SEF databases?
The Border and Foreigners Coordination Group will operate within the framework of the internal security system. This structure will be responsible for police databases and for coordinating the actions of security forces and services among themselves, as well as between them and the Institute of Registration and Notaries and the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum. Databases of an administrative nature will fall under the jurisdiction of AIMA.
Author: morning Post
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.