Brazilians can help Portugal in the problem of demographic reduction
In view of the population decrease, the European country has adopted measures that favor Brazilians.
Portugal recorded a drop in the population residing in the country in 2018 and confirmed the trend of demographic aging, according to a recent National Statistics Institute (INE). Therefore, the Portuguese government has taken some measures to solve the problem. One of them is the easing of legislation in order to attract immigrants, with the granting of consular visas to entrepreneurs, technology professionals and retirees.
Another measure adopted is the possibility of thousands of Portuguese Jewish descendants requesting the restoration of their Portuguese citizenship, as a form of historical repair. Since 2015 the country's legislation, through the Decree-Law 30-A / 2015, began to grant Portuguese nationality, by naturalization, to those who prove descent with the Jews persecuted by the Inquisition, in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain).
HERE YOU CAN START BUILDING YOUR GENEALOGICAL TREE.
A curious fact is that a considerable part of these descendants are found in Brazil, which has led to a search by Brazilians for the study of their genealogical roots. According to data from the Institute of Registries and Notaries (IRN), Brazil ranks 2nd in the number of requests for nationality based on Sephardic descent, leaving behind only Israel.
Father Costa grew up hearing that the region of Rio Grande do Norte where he was born has many characteristics in common with the Jews. Recently, a genealogical study proved the Catholic priest's connection to a Sephardic ancestor. “Seeing Sephardic descent left me surprised and very happy. Maybe I'll move to Italy! ”, He jokes.
The first generations of Brazilians benefited by the measure are already beginning to move to Portugal. This is the case of the developer Pedro Arruda. After getting prove your link to a Sephardic ancestor through a genealogical study, he acquired Portuguese citizenship in 2017. He moved to Lisbon, where he is a graduate student in Data Science. “Living and studying in Portugal was an old wish and with Portuguese citizenship, it became much easier. I can say that I am very happy here ”, celebrates.
Portugal has never had so many foreign residents. This is what is guaranteed by the Immigration, Borders and Asylum Report (RIFA) of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) of the country. The granting of residence permits also increased significantly (51.7%), with 93,154 new titles issued, according to the same report.
For lawyer Renato Martins, partner at Martins Castro International Consulting, a company specialized in this type of citizenship, Portugal and Brazil have much to celebrate. “In addition to the historical reparation provided by the law, the granting of nationality to Sephardic descendants has attracted investments and, mainly, people willing to live and build a new life in Portugal", account.
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