Welcome to Portugal
According to Vasco Malta, lawyer and member of the High Committee for Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue, the immigrant must be properly welcomed in Portugal. Speaker during the Automn University of “ La Maison des Potes” in 2012, he specifies what are the systems that have been introduced in order to order to insure such welcome.
Portugal is currently going through a very severe economic crisis, as a result many Portuguese leave their country to settle in other countries such as France. That’s why a lot of us feel that the immigration isn’t a problem in Portugal, we need immigrants. As proof, I can explain through some basic points what is done in Potugal in order to attract the immigrants.
Our formula is called “ second plan for the integration of the immigrants in Portugal”. It is a governmental plan consisting of 112 measures, developped by the thirteen Ministries of the government. It has known a lot of success in the country. This plan allow many specialist of various fields to set objectives and measures that intend to make the immigrant’s integration easier.
The plan is divided in subdomains like education, health, housing etc…
Each ministery assumes its objective and has to appply the measure anounced.
“ One Stop Shop”
Concerning the immigrant’s employment, the portuguese government has put in place two measures:
- One program called “ the immigrant entrepreneur” which aim is to foster companies creation.
- The second program is called the “ One stop shop”. It consists in bringing in the same place all the services and administrations the foreign citizen needs to get integrated and obtain a job in Portugal.
This system exists in three cities in Portugal: Lisbon, Porto and Faro. These three centers are equiped with cabinets and offices needed to help new comers. These programs come with a intercultural mediation project in public services. It is an overal project that allowed us to gather 28 mediators from different nationalities working within public bodies. The mediators have been working in various domains such as education, health and the national police.
An immigrant in Portugal is like a banknote. Why ? Because even if we crumple and crush it, the banknote doesn’t loose its worth. A banknote worth 20 euros and an immigrant remains a human being.
Vasco Malta during the Automn school of La Maison des Potes
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