Lisbon, May 7, 2025 (Lusa) - Mozambique's ambassador in Lisbon said on Wednesday that she has not received any notification from the government about the existence of Mozambicans on the list of around 4,000 illegal immigrants who will have to leave Portugal.
"We still have no official notification that there are Mozambicans in the group of four thousand citizens, but we have already asked for clarification by email so that we can anticipate if there are any Mozambicans who may need assistance or clarification," said Stella Novo Zeca, speaking to Lusa on the sidelines of the presentation of the launch of the tender for the new Maputo landfill site, today in Lisbon.
"In the last two months, there have been less than 10 citizens of Mozambique who have had their residence permit renewal refused, so it's a one-off situation, it's not generalised, and there have been cases where, two weeks after submitting the documentation, they have had their permit renewed," added the head of Mozambican diplomacy in Portugal.
Stella Novo Zeca explained that, from the embassy's point of view, "it's important to be notified well in advance in order to provide the necessary assistance", not only if there are Mozambican citizens in the group of around four thousand illegal immigrants, but also if the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) rejects an application to renew a residence permit.
"In recent months, proof of no criminal record has been required, hence the increase in demand from Mozambicans who have to submit this document. There are isolated cases in which we have been informed that the application may be rejected," said the ambassador, explaining that, in these cases, Mozambican citizens in Portugal should “share the AIMA document with the Mozambique embassy to see what's going on, they should bring AIMA's response to understand the reason for not accepting the renewal of a residence permit”.
AIMA will start notifying 4,574 foreign citizens next week to leave the country voluntarily within 20 days, Cabinet office minister António Leitão Amaro confirmed on Saturday.
"The government was informed this week by AIMA that it is issuing 4,574 notifications for foreign citizens in an illegal situation to leave the country," said the Cabinet office minister, speaking to journalists at government headquarters in Lisbon.
According to the minister, this is the first group of immigrants notified out of a total of 18,000 rejections.
Leitão Amaro's statements came after the Jornal de Notícias newspaper reported that more than 4,000 immigrants would have to leave the country.
"In reality, what we're facing are around 18,000 notifications to leave the country," the minister emphasised on Saturday.
Leitão Amaro warned that this is "the first set of decisions" by AIMA and that there are still "another 110,000 cases", noting that "most will be granted", but there will "probably also be more rejections and more notices to leave the country".
"This information confirms that immigration policy in Portugal has become regulated immigration, that immigration rules are to be complied with. Non-compliance has consequences and, in these cases, these are situations that violate Portuguese and European rules for being in Portugal," he emphasised.
MBA/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
