Brits to get help with residence permits in Portugal post Brexit

  • Lusa
  • 25 June 2020

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) announced that it will provide support for British citizens and their families in their applications for residence in Portugal.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) announced on Thursday that it will provide support for British citizens and their families in their applications for residence in Portugal, in order to guarantee their rights following the departure of the United Kingdom from the EU.

A joint statement from IOM and the British Embassy in Lisbon highlights that the project will be implemented by March 31, 2021 and the official launch will take place on July 7 at 5pm on the Webex platform.

According to the statement, the information will be provided ‘online’ and through other means of communication and will be within everyone’s reach.

“IOM will provide specific support to individuals facing certain challenges, including people with disabilities or chronic illness, people facing language and literacy barriers or barriers to access to relevant technology,” reads the document.

The IOM project is funded by the UK Government under the United Kingdom Nationals Support Fund (UKNSF).

This fund has made available about three million pounds (about 3.3 million euros) to charities and other organisations to support UK nationals living in the EU.

The project, which is coordinated by IOM UK, is being implemented in Portugal, France, Spain, Slovakia, Poland, Italy and Germany.

Quoted in the statement, IOM Portugal office head Marta Bronzin expresses satisfaction at “being able to support UK nationals to secure their rights and safely pursue their life projects in the country, reaching those most in need”.

The British Ambassador, Chris Sainty, highlights that “supporting UK nationals is one of the priorities of the British Embassy”.

“We are very pleased to support the IOM in this project to help vulnerable UK nationals to guarantee their rights so that they can continue to live safely here in Portugal,” he stresses.

IOM is working closely with the British Embassy and in partnership with the High Commission for Migration and will promote awareness campaigns aimed at UK citizens living in Portugal, share accessible information on residency procedures and provide direct support to people who have greater difficulties in accessing information and residency procedures, the note adds.